Updated Alfa Romeo Giulietta

The new Giulietta went on sale on the 1st of April with a raft of improvements including a new honeycomb grille and revised headlight and fog light designs. New alloys and some redesigned 'Alfa Romeo' and 'Giulietta' badging made for some unthought-of improvements that instantly make the car look fresh.

It's available to the public in 4 trims. Kicking off the range is the standard Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Despite having a standard name, the kit included is far from it. It has air conditioning, a multi-function steering wheel, 16-inch alloys and all-round electric windows. Also included is a 5-inch Uconnect infotainment display with USB and Bluetooth functionality, as well as Alfa's DNA drive mode selector.

Step up to the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Super for dual-zone climate control, cruise control, 16-inch alloys, front fog lights, rear parking sensors, air vents for rear passengers and a front centre armrest. This is likely to be a hit among customers.

The Giulietta Speciale features sports suspension, aggressively styled bumpers, front and rear parking sensors, Brembo brakes and Alfa's classic 5-hole 18-inch alloys.

Then there's the no-nonsense Giulietta Veloce. Italian for 'fast', that's exactly what it is. Sporty styling, oversized tailpipes and a 237 bhp 1750cc turbo-petrol engine all make for one quick hatchback.

All engines are turbocharged and feature stop/start to help save fuel. The 1.4 Turbo Benzina (turbo petrol in Italian) produces 118 bhp and 215 Nm whilst still returning 45 mpg and emitting 144 g/km of CO2. Nought-to-sixtytwo 9.4 seconds.

Add MultiAir to that engine to get 148 bhp and 250 Nm. It shaves more than a second off the sprint time, yet promises 50 mpg and 127 g/km. Definitely one to consider.

The 1.4 Turbo Benzina MultiAir can also be had with the ALFA TCT dual-clutch transmission, however power increases to 168 bhp (same 250 Nm of torque). It's almost a second quicker again, yet promises almost 60 mpg and 114 g/km of CO2.

The last petrol is the iconic 1750cc TBi with the ALFA TCT. No less than 237 bhp and 340 Nm allow it to get to 62 mph in just 6 seconds flat, whilst still returning 40 mpg and emitting 157 g/km. It has a top speed of 152 mph.

As regards diesel power, the 1.6 JTDM-2 produces a measly 118 bhp, however with 320 Nm of torque it's good for 0-62 mph in 10 seconds flat with manual transmission (add 0.2 s for ALFA TCT). Both transmissions promise 75 mph and 99 g/km of CO2 making it free to tax.

There's also a 2.0 JTDM-2 with 148 bhp and 380 Nm. It can return almost 70 mpg, and emit just 110 g/km. If you want this with ALFA TCT, you'll have to excuse the extra 25 bhp. It does fall shorter on torque though, with 30 Nm less. It sits in the 65 mpg region, with CO2 emissions up to 113 g/m.

For fleet customers only, there's a Giulietta Tecnica. It's available with all the diesel engines and replaces the old Business Edition with a 6.5-inch Uconnect infotainment system, automatic lights and wipers, electrically folding door mirrors, front and rear parking sensors, 16-inch alloy and privacy glass. It costs between £19,250 and £22,590.

To put that in perspective, the cheapest costs £18,450 (Giulietta 1.4 Turbo Benzina), and the most expensive is £28,480 (Giulietta Veloce 1750cc TBi).

Rivals for the Giulietta include the VW Golf, Ford Focus and Audi A3. The Veloce beats the iconic VW Golf GTI to 62 mph by a whole 0.5 seconds (which doesn't sound like a lot but definitely earns you bragging rights).