IN the pigeonhole-obsessed world of motoring marketing men the hot hatchback category can be sub-divided even further into two broad areas.

Firstly, there are the true pocket rockets, those souped-up small cars which are derived from the supermini category and are best left to those testosterone-fuelled youths clutching their recently acquired licences whom the rest of us like to sniffily refer to as the boy racers.

How many older blokes though, even as they tut-tut at the twenty-something speeding past in his Fiat Punto Abarth or Clio Ranaultsport, for example, are not secretly a little jealous?

Fortunately for these not so boyish racers the other half of the hot-hatch segment is much more grown up and gives them the chance to similarly indulge themselves.

Here the souped up not-quite-so-small cars are based on the bigger family hatchback and give the middle-aged dad the chance to show he can still drive a bit too - without looking entirely out of place behind the wheel.

We're talking about motors like the Ford Focus ST, the Volswagen Golf GTI and the sadly defunct Honda Civic Type-R - cars that look and feel much more grown up but still make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you put your foot down.

Well, now you can add the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Cloverleaf to that list.

First achieving popularity as a sporty little number in the fifties and sixties, Alfa Romeo brought the Giulietta name out mothballs to mark the company's centenary last year.

The all new Giulietta is reborn as a mid-size family runabout - with the distinctively stylish Alfa flourish.

All models offer the sporty performance you would expect from the Italian marque but this top-of-the-range Cloverleaf is a real flier that will give all but the hottest of hot hatches a run for their money.

The turbocharged 1750 TBi petrol power unit generates 235bhp and will get you from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 150mph - numbers which put the Cloverleaf firmly in the performance bracket.

The sports suspension sits 10mm lower than that of other Giulietta's and the side skirts, aluminium sports pedals, twin exhausts, tinted windows, red brake calipers and 18-inch alloys, with their titanium finish, add a muscular look to the car's already seriously sporty lines.

To get the most out of all this automotive athleticism, though, you'll have to make use of the Giulietta's DNA.

Don't worry, the Alfa is not some sort of cyborg with it's own genetic fingerprint - DNA here stands for dynamic, normal and all-weather modes.

The Giulietta's DNA system allows the driver to alter the car's set up at the flick of a switch to suit their own preference or the prevailing driving conditions.

And it is in dynamic mode that you will be able to unleash all of those pent-up boy racer urges.

Flick the switch and the set up becomes even more sporty, the stability control systems less intrusive and the steering and braking more responsive. The drive is altogether sharper and more urgent - pure fun on four wheels.

In normal mode though, with the kids on board perhaps, everything becomes a little more practical.

The Giulietta is transformed into a perfectly behaved, though eyecatching, family motor happy trundling around in the town traffic. You'll lose a lot of the edginess and vigour - but I guess that's the point.

And all-weather mode, though not four-wheel drive, usefully offers better road holding and handling in low grip conditions.

The Cloverleaf's interior is just as stylish as the exterior, with everything having a look and feel of quality, and equipment levels are generous on all models and you'll want for very little on the flagship Cloverleaf - unless you feel the urge to shell out for the optional satnav.

There are electric windows all round, dual zone automatic aircon, aluminium trim aplenty, leather upholstery, and the Fiat Group's Blue&Me infotainment system which allows telephone and audio to be controlled via steering wheel mounted controls, Bluetooth or voice activation.

Oddly the Cloverleaf is the only model in the range to miss out on stop/start technology (perhaps the Italians don't feel it fits the sporty image) but it's fuel economy and emissions are still pretty impressive for a hot hatch. You'll get more than 37 miles per gallon on average and CO2 is kicked out at a 177g/km - a modest rate compared to most of its rivals.

And you should feel safer in the Giulietta than many a hot hatch with stability control, front, side and curtain airbags and anti-whiplash front head restraints all included.