Before house renovations halved my budget, I looked at the Giulia QV, an M2 and a GranTurismo. The Alfa was miles ahead of the others in terms of performance, handling and the way it made you feel. Not to mention practicality, (bizarrely). I’d have one in a heartbeat.
However, it’s very annoying that the UK doesn’t get the manual version. If it did, I can’t think of anything in that segment/price point, that could hold a candle to it.
I also found the Alfa dealer in Nuneaton, (called “Research Garage”, I think), to be the best dealership I’ve ever dealt with, by some considerable margin.