It’s been sixty years since the first production car to bear the famous four-leafed clover logo, a Giulia TI Super, hit the road. Now, Quadrifoglio Verde or QV is a performance name with notoriety, having adorned the front fenders of many hot Alfa Romeos since, the most recent of which being the Giulietta QV, a car which would have been far more popular had we not had a left brain too…

The Giulietta along with the smaller MiTo, have been updated as part of the 60th anniversary celebration for the QV sub-brand.

Firstly, the most important addition to either car is that of launch control for the Giulietta. It cuts the benchmark sprint time to six seconds dead, which is eight tenths faster than before. The notable drop in the time has nothing to do with the 1.8-liter turbocharged engine. It still makes 240 stallions as it always has, but what’s changed is the gearbox, which is now the same twin-clutch setup (Alfa calls TCT) used in the 4C sports car.

Additionally, in order to keep up with the times (but not necessarily because it needed it…), the Giulietta QV comes with an intake sound resonator that, on paper, at least, sounds like it’s very similar to what Ford uses.

Visually, there’s little to differentiate the updated Giulietta. Those who’ve driven one before will spot the new steering wheel, instrument panel with etched logo, as well as the new sports seats with one-piece backrests. Also new are the Magnesio Grey (matte) body finish or two new reds.

Expect to see it on sale in July, when it will be available from £28,120 (£30,280 for the Launch Edition) OTR in the UK.

The second hot Alfa to be breathed upon by the changing times is the MiTo. It’s pretty much the same as before, but now comes with the same TCT transmission, newfangled paddle shifters on the steering wheel, as well as economy and emissions improved by 10 percent and 11 percent respectively.

The gearbox cuts the MiTo QV’s acceleration time too. It now sprints past 62 mph (100 km/h) in 7.3 seconds, bringing it in line with its other supermini rivals.

The MiTo also arrives in showrooms in July, but with a considerably lower starting price of £20,210 OTR.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY