Yahoo News Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio review – is this the ultimate supersaloon?
The standard Alfa Romeo Giulia is an attractive four-door executive saloon built to rival the class leaders, BMW's ever-popular 3-series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class. But both of these cars are available as expensive, phenomenally fast high-performance versions – the BMW M3 and the Merc C63 respectively – so it stands to reason that Alfa would also build its own overpowered supersaloon.
Enter the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, sideways. This 503bhp, rear-wheel-drive four door will hit 62mph in under four seconds and continue to over 190mph, thanks to a Ferrari-derived V6 twin turbo engine. Unlike the standard, Giulia, every Quadrifoglio (in Britain) comes with an automatic gearbox, as well as a lairy 'Race' mode button that switches all the electronic driver assistance off.
It’s probably the most interesting-looking car in its segment (we’ve mainly been comparing it to the German supersaloons, Merc’s C63 and BMW’s M3 and M5) but not as beautiful as Alfas of old, and that offset number plate isn't for everyone. And with prices starting at £60,000, this is a far cry from the upmarket, sensible saloon that the standard Giulia looks set to become.
Space 8/10
There's a reason why families buy hatchbacks
An odd feature of the Alfa Romeo Giulia is the lack of split-folding rear seats as standard. This reduces the overall versatility of the car, despite above-average boot shape usefulness and a decent 480 litres of luggage space anyway. Most Quadrifoglio owners won’t be using their car to transport big heavy loads very often, though.
Rear seat passengers are a more likely eventuality. There’s enough legroom for four adults to travel in reasonable comfort, but don’t bother adding a fifth on longer journeys – the pronounced transmission tunnel makes the middle seat feel crowded.
Those in the front get a snug but well-designed cabin that doesn’t feel cramped. The door bins are narrow, but there’s a useful central cubby box and the cupholders are hidden beneath a neat sliding panel.
Comfort 8/10
Suitable for long journeys at any speed
Driven sensibly, the Quadrifoglio is about as comfortable as any other executive saloon. The car’s motorway characteristics echo those of many rivals, with a little wind noise evident when you listen for it but an otherwise calm experience at speed. Even on rough roads, the Giulia rides like a Jag.
You can select a soft suspension setting, even when the rest of the car is configured for sporty driving, without compromising the handling too much. On most British roads that’s a godsend – it’s all very well having a performance car, but the horrible state of UK tarmac means that it’ll get very tiresome, very quickly. The Alfa deals with that problem extremely well.
The standard seats follow in a similar vein – supportive, firm, but not harsh – so upgrade to the more serious racing seats at your peril. But getting in and out can be a problem, with awkward geometry between the steering wheel, door aperture and seat lip.
Dashboard layout 8/10
Ergonomically efficient with a handful of quirks
The Quadrifoglio’s swooping dash comes soaked in leather. It feels like a nicely-appointed but ergonomically-focused space, everything within relatively easy reach (of a tall man) and easy to see. Confusion is created by placing the ‘DNA’ drive mode selector very close to the large wheel that controls the infotainment system, but that’s a mistake you only make once.
The infotainment system is gorgeously subtle, invisible until the car is switched on and woven subtly into the dashboard when enabled. The system itself is let down by the odd widescreen dimensions and dated graphics, but it’s far from the worst we’ve experienced at this price point – main functionality, like Bluetooth pairing, is straightforward.
Easy to drive 8/10
Only hampered by size and visibility
The Giulia is a fairly large vehicle, weighing in at 1.5 tonnes. It’s a little longer and wider than a BMW 3-Series and due to the driving position, the car’s extremities can feel quite far away, but it’s not unlike the sportier executive saloons in its low speed mannerisms.
Visibility is brilliant to the front and adequate to the rear (it’s slightly hampered by the high boot) but overall the Quadrifoglio is much, much easier to drive than most 500bhp cars. The parking sensors to the front and rear are an important feature if you spend a lot of time in town. Only at parking speed (below walking pace) does this Giulia start to make some odd, juddery counterarguments against where you want to put it.
Fun to drive 10/10
The best in its class
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio offers the best driving experience of any four-door on the market. It’s easily the best car Alfa has produced since I’ve been old enough to drive and, if we ignore a couple of niggles in other areas, the best driver’s car in its segment. It’s more exciting than the Germans and it sounds like a supercar.
Much of its character hinges on the ‘DNA’ dial mounted on the transmission tunnel. Most drive mode selectors add pepperoni-level spice to the muddlesome locomotion of a quattro stagioni family wagon, but the Giulia’s ‘Dynamic’ setting (as opposed to Normal and All-weather) is actually pretty wonderful. You’ll probably spend most of your time here, enjoying the crackly exhaust note and increased throttle response from that 503bhp V6.
The steering rack’s precision and rapidity make the Quadrifoglio one of the best cars for windy B-roads. Britain’s more exciting routes tend to have horribly pockmarked surfaces but the Alfa has a compassionate, sympathetic suspension setting (even when the rest of the car is in sporty ‘Dynamic’ mode) that allows for a comfortable ride at speed.
The Quadrifoglio adds a fourth, hidden setting, a notch further anticlockwise than ‘Dynamic’. ‘Race’ mode removes all the electronic driver aids that have been poised to keep you on the road until this point. A friend described it as “like drift mode, but less crass” – it allows you to capitalise on the Quadrifoglio’s balance, without the histrionics.
Reliability 3/10
A bad reputation, hard earned
Alfa Romeo’s bad reputation in this area is somewhat justified. The Quadrifoglio press cars – those loaned by the manufacturer to journalists for reviews – have been prone to problems, with Top Gear magazine in the UK and Jalopnik in the US both reporting breakdowns while the car was in their custody.
We’ve been a lot luckier, but we’d be lying if we told you that Alfa Romeo had dealt with its reliability problems. There’s still a big question mark over how well-built these cars are, and we’d anticipate a lot more downtime with a Quadrifoglio than (for example) an M5. The shut lines seem noticeable and the leather seats had started to sag in our test car, which only had four figures on the clock.
Fuel economy 7/10
Pretty reasonable, all told
The claimed 34 miles per gallon isn’t actually far off what you can expect to achieve in the Quadrifoglio. It’s actually quite an efficient car, which would be fantastic if it wasn’t for the pint-sized fuel tank – 58 litres is small compared to other executive saloons, and driving at European motorway speeds will drain it quickly.
In terms of pure miles per gallon though, it beats the M3 Competition Pack and matches the C63.
Affordability 7/10
A lot of bang for your buck, but not cheap
This is a £60,000 vehicle, and the version we’d want (including carbon ceramic brakes and other add-ons, which you can read about in the ‘standard spec’ section below) costs over £70,000. That gives this Alfa some very strong competition – the Mercedes-Benz C63, the BMW M3 Competition Package and the Lexus GS F are all indirect rivals. BMW’s new M5 could also represent a thoughtful alternative once it’s launched.
Nothing about the Quadrifoglio could be considered cheap, though. Unlike slower Giulias, running costs (mainly petrol and insurance) will be quite high in this thirsty, speedy beast. If you deploy the back end in anything other than a sensible fashion you can expect to spend quite a lot of money on tyres, too.
That said, in terms of horsepower-per-pound, the Quadrifoglio is quite a good deal.
Safety 8/10
About as safe as it is easy to crash
The Alfa Romeo Giulia (not in Quadrifoglio spec) received a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating when it was tested in 2016. Its adult occupant protection was rated at 98 per cent, a figure matched only by the Volvo V40. Its 81 per cent child protection and 69 per cent pedestrian protection figures are around average.
The Giulia’s autonomous emergency braking, which is designed to avoid or at least mitigate collisions, was praised by Euro NCAP. All the child seats tested by the organisation fitted on the left and right rear seats, both of which are equipped with ISOFIX.
All of this is pretty academic when you engage ‘race’ mode, though. A car that sends 500bhp to the rear wheels is only as safe as the person driving it, a factor outside Euro NCAP’s remit. Far be it from us to recommend a slower version but this supersaloon is more powerful than a Ferrari F40 – if you’re worried about safety, get the diesel.
Standard spec 7/10
Perfectly reasonable for a £60,000 car
The Quadrifoglio is the top-of-the-range Giulia and comes with commensurate equipment. The automatic gearbox is standard, as is the leather interior and those lovely 19-inch alloys. On the inside, the 8.8-inch infotainment system with DAB radio is also part of the deal.
You do have to pay extra for metallic paint, though, from £695 up to £2,250 depending on the finish. The upgraded Harman Kardon audio system is a grand, and selecting that means you have to also opt for the £500 ‘convenience pack’ too, while a cargo net and anchor points in the boot (useful in a car like this) are a £140 add-on. The £3,250 Sparco seats and £5,500 carbon ceramic brakes are worth considering if you spend a lot of time driving on a track.
Other standard equipment includes parking sensors, electric wing mirrors, leather laden cabin surfaces, a puncture repair kit and a rain sensor. Overall, gadgetry provision in the Quadrifoglio is about average for a car of its price point.
Our favourite version
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio 2.9-litre turbo petrol, list price £62,595
Options you should add: Metallic paint (£695), Harman Kardon audio system and convenience pack (£1,500), carbon ceramic brakes (£5,500), boot restraints (£140).
Verdict 8/10
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is the best four-door supersaloon on the market. Its Ferrari-derived V6 engine makes one of the finest noises of any car, and its handling characteristics make it an addictive plaything. There are some problems with its reliability record, which echo long-running jokes about Alfa Romeo as a brand, and it will never be as practical as a high-performance estate. But if you want a traditional, high-powered, rear-wheel-drive saloon, the Quadrifoglio will be difficult to beat.
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