MOTORING NEWS - The editors of Motor Trend have named the Alfa Romeo Giulia as its 2018 Car of the Year, best representing exceptional value, superiority in its class and impact on the automotive scene.
Motor Trend's Car of the Year is open to any new or substantially upgraded model year vehicles.
Rather than being compared against one another, contending vehicles are first put through a full range of performance tests to measure acceleration, braking and handling.
All contenders are then evaluated on three separate courses at a professional automotive test centre before finalists are selected. Out of 46 contending 2017 models - the third largest number ever - the judges picked 10 finalists, including the Alfa Romeo Giulia.
All contenders selected were evaluated against six key criteria: advancement in design, engineering excellence, safety, efficiency, value and performance of intended function.
The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia best represents these six key elements, which also characterise what consumers most want in their next vehicle.
Contenders are put through a gruelling battery of tests to determine which vehicles best represent exceptional value, superiority in its class and impact on the automotive scene.
Alfa Romeo Giulia models feature an all-new, all-aluminium, 2,0-litre, direct-injection turbo engine with an eight speed automatic transmission that delivers a class-leading, standard 206kW and 400Nm of torque, allowing it to launch from 0 to 96km in
5,1 seconds, and achieve a top speed of 240km.
In the South African version, the Giulia features the same 2,0-litre engine with outputs of 147kW and 330Nm. It has a 0 to 100km time of 6,6 seconds and a top speed of 235km.
As the lineup's "halo" model, the Giulia Quadrifoglio highlights Alfa Romeo's performance with its best-in-class 375kW, 0 to 96km in 3,8 seconds and a record-setting 7:32 lap time around the legendary Nürburgring - fastest ever by a four-door production sedan.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia has been nominated as a finalist in the WesBank and SA Guild of Motoring Journalists South African Car of the Year contest to be judged in February 2018.
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