Compared: 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia vs. 2023 BMW 3 Series

These entry-level luxury sedans offer a classic battle of style vs. style.

James Tate | 

Nov 29, 2023 | 3 min read

Alfa Romeo | BMW

The BMW 3-Series is the very definition of an entry-level luxury sedan. For car enthusiasts, simply saying Alfa Romeo conjures a vision of raucous engines and sharp handling.

By the numbers, both automakers' compact sports sedans offer similar fuel economy, produce similar power from their four-cylinder engines and come well equipped at every trim level. Choosing one over the other could come down to the sound one makes, the way one three-quarter view strikes your eye, the smell of the leather interior, or with the BMW, the available hybrid powertrain.

Alfa Romeo

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Beats the 3 Series in Trim Options

The 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia ranges from the Sprint starting around $45,000 to the Estrema at around $57,000. Alfa Romeo fills in that gap with the sporty-styled Ti at about $48,000, the slightly dressier Lusso at around $52,000, and the zippier-looking Veloce at roughly $54,000 trim levels. Rear-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive available at a $2,000 upcharge.

While Alfa Romeo focuses on various trim levels, BMW keeps things comparatively simple with two basic variations.

The 2023 BMW 330i starts at around $45,000, with the higher-powered M340i available at about $57,000. Both are available with BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive (AWD) system for $2,000 more.

Also available are the 3 Series plug-in hybrid, the 330e, starting at $46,000 with rear-wheel drive (RWD) and $48,000 for the 330e xDrive, and the performance-minded $75,000 M3 and $83,000 Giulia Quadrifoglio.

BMW

Features in the 3 Series and the Giulia Are Abundant

The 2023 BMW 3 Series is available with a twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 255 horsepower in 330i models and a 382-hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder in M340i models. The 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia comes with a 280-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine.

The 330i comes standard with 18-inch wheels, SensaTec upholstery, a two-way power moonroof, and BMW's curved display, which sees a 12.3-inch instrument cluster flow seamlessly into a 14.9-inch central touchscreen. Safety systems and driver assists include dynamic cruise control, frontal collision warning, and an active protection system that affects various systems in the event of an accident. The M340i upgrades with M Sport brakes, suspension, and M badging inside and outside the car.

The Dynamic Handling Package includes an adaptive suspension and 19-inch wheels, and the Driving Assistance Professional package adds active cruise control and additional driver assists. The M340i has an available Cooling and High-Performance Tire Package adding 19-inch light alloy wheels with performance tires, a more powerful cooling fan, and an additional engine oil cooler.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia comes with standard 17-, 18-, or 19-inch wheels, depending on trim level, and all models come with leather seats. A dual-pane sunroof is an option on the base Sprint but standard across the rest of the line. Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, front and rear park assists, and forward-collision warning are all standard. TI and higher models can get the Active Assist Plus Package with intelligent speed assist, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition, and more. A premium interior and sound package adds a 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

Alfa Romeo

Giulia and 3 Series Go Head to Head in Fuel Economy

With their four-cylinder engines, the 2023 3 Series and Alfa Romeo Giulia return similar gas mileage. The EPA rates the Giulia at 24/23/27 mpg city/highway/combined with rear-wheel drive and 23/31/26 mpg with all-wheel drive. The rear-wheel drive 330i comes in at 25/34/29 mpg and 24/33/27 mpg with xDrive all-wheel drive. According to the EPA, the M340i and M340i xDrive don't take much of a hit for the six-cylinder, returning 23/32/26 mpg.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

James Tate

James Tate has been writing about cars professionally for 15 years and he remains obsessed with them. He enjoys digging into the incredible technology of new vehicles as much as he likes the tactility and the driving experience of yesterday’s cars. He has written for a variety of legacy automotive magazines and websites.