Driving impressions of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCT

Apr 12 2012

Alfa Romeo sales and profits experienced a significant growth rate in the United Kingdom during 2011, with sales growing by 31% to 11,563, the best level since 2002.  A great deal of that success should go to the level of popularity of the desirable Giulietta, launched 18 months earlier to replace the Alfa 147 and serve as a competitor to the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3.

Now the Giulietta boasts a new auto-shifting twin-clutch transmission that the company calls TCT (Twin Clutch Transmission).

The new gearbox is offered in combination with the two top-selling Giulietta engines, the 2-litre JTDM-2 diesel and the 1.4-litre turbo MultiAir Petrol – both of which generate 170 bhp, even though the diesel gives you more torque (320 Nm compared to 230 Nm).

If you buy the petrol model, TCT will cost you an extra £1,350; for the diesel this amounts to £1,400.  We tested both and were pretty impressed.  “Automatic” shifts are easy and swift, and the car's lively feel is confirmed by the statistics.

The petrol is able to accelerate from rest to 62 mph in an impressive 7.7 seconds, while the diesel takes 8 seconds – although the diesel's extra torque causes it to feel like it has better real-world performance

The petrol TCT boasts 54.3 miles per gallon (combined cycle) and CO2 levels of 121g/km, while the diesel delivers 62.8 miles per gallon and CO2 levels of 119g/km – in both models that is better than the figures for the same cars with manual transmissions.

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