In a world where performance cars are losing their edge, the Giulia Quadrifoglio proves perfectly imperfect
October 6, 2024 at 11:28
I’ve been fortunate enough to have driven hundreds of cars through my line of work and of them all, none has excited me, confused me, and frustrated me quite as much as the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Let me explain.
We all know that Alfa Romeos are loved by many for their personalities, thrilling engines, beautiful designs, and infectious characters. At the same time, for decades they’ve been criticized for unreliability and worrying electrical gremlins. I experienced all of these traits while recently living with the 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio for a week, and yet, despite its issues, it is one of the most exhilarating cars I’ve driven.
Review: 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Feels More Sports Car Than SUV
My time in the flagship Giulia came a few short months after I was wowed by the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. The Giulia shares a lot in common with its SUV sibling, although it’s even prettier and now looks better than ever thanks to a recent mid-life facelift.
Quick Facts
Photos: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Painted in Etna Red (an AU$4,400 / US$3,040 option) like our car was and adorned with several carbon fiber elements, this has to be one of the best-looking sedans on the market. It puts German rivals to shame in the beauty department, and the revised headlights, complete with sharp new DRLs, add some most-welcome menace.
I was so enamored with how it looked that I’d frequently catch myself staring at it in parking lots and my driveway, admiring the lines, the proportions, and how it sat on the road. If only all sedans look this good then perhaps people wouldn’t be so obsessed with crossovers and SUVs. One can only dream of a world like that…
The drivetrain
Under the skin, the 2024 Giulia Quadrifoglio is very similar to the original car. Power still comes from a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged 90-degree V6 that was engineered by several former Ferrari employees. It produces 503 hp (375 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of torque between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm, while mated to an eight-speed ZF transmission. This engine and transmission combo are identical to that found in the flagship Stelvio.
However, unlike the all-wheel drive super SUV, Alfa’s sports sedan is rear-wheel drive only. That makes it a lot friskier, but a new mechanical limited-slip differential in place of the old electronically-controlled diff ensures the power is put to the ground superbly.
Alfa Romeo says the car can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.9 seconds and power through to 307 km/h (191 mph). Those are some serious figures, although the acceleration time is slightly behind the Stelvio as the Giulia only has two driven wheels.
A well-crafted but issue-ridden cabin
The interior of the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a great place to spend time, despite having some quirks. We’re big fans of Alfa Romeo’s liberal use of raw carbon fiber across the center console and parts of the dashboard as it could have done what so many other carmakers do and bathe it in piano black plastic. No thanks.
Photos: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Positioned in front of the brilliant steering wheel, complete with tactile aluminum paddle shifters, is a completely digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster. A smaller 8.8-inch screen is used for everything infotainment-related and supports wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The screen isn’t the best, nor is it the most responsive, but it’s clear enough, and because it’s nicely shrouded by the dash, it doesn’t suffer from any unnecessary glare like many other cars out there.
The seating position is excellent, and the seats offer plenty of support and loads of adjustment. However, adjusting the seat to its lowest setting, and positioning the steering wheel quite high and close to my chest, did lead to a large part of the gauge cluster behind blocked. That’s just a tall-person problem and not one that will affect many owners.
Read: Alfa Romeo Giulia And Stelvio Get Gutted Lineup And Huge Price Hikes For 2025
Unfortunately, the build quality leaves a little to be desired. The plastic instrument binnacle is extremely cheap, and while our tester only had 7,000 km (4,349 miles) on the clock, it rattled and vibrated almost all of the time, and that’s simply inexcusable for a new car, never mind one at that price point. What’s even worse is that the audio system of our 2024 Giulia Quadrifoglio did not work. Yep, you read that correctly. It did not work at all.
This is an issue I noticed shortly after collecting the car. All the usual dings and dongs functioned as you’d expect. However, if I was connected to Bluetooth, plugged my phone in, was running Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, or attempting to listen to the radio, nothing was coming out of the speakers. There was no hidden ‘mute’ button that I missed, either. Even disconnecting the battery and running a full diagnostic test through the ODB-II failed to reveal the problem.
The following day, the indicators stopped making a clicking sound when switched on. The next day, they started working again.
Some may dismiss these as Italian car problems or typical of an Alfa Romeo. But it’s 2024, and there’s no justifiable reason for the speakers and/or amplifier of a new car to fail so soon. As a result, I spent a week driving the Giulia Quadrifoglio in complete silence. Fortunately, that allowed me to really enjoy the glorious engine and the fabulous sounds it delivers.
The perfect driver-focused sports sedan?
Many pundits and so-called online experts say there’s no such thing as a V6 that sounds good. I challenge them to get behind the wheel of the Giulia Quadrifoglio and not walk away with a massive grin on their faces. This thing is jaw-dropping to drive, and dynamically, it is near-perfect.
Having driven the Stelvio QV a few months prior, I knew what to expect from the 2.9-liter. It fizzes all the way to nearly 7,500 rpm, emitting a lovely bark, and pulls ferociously hard. And when I say ferocious, I really mean it. Beyond roughly 80 km/h (50 mph), it feels like it pulls just as hard as the Audi RS e-tron GT I also drove recently, despite being at a 134 hp (100 kW) disadvantage and having to change gears.
Speaking of swapping cogs, the eight-speed automatic transmission is excellent. With the exception of a full 1-second delay from planting your foot on the accelerator from a stop and the car actually moving, it snaps through gears viciously and felt noticeably more rapid than the same eight-speed in the Stelvio. Not having launch control in a car like this is a bit of a surprise, but it’s nothing some old-fashioned brake boosting can’t fix.
Change down into 3rd or 4th while cruising at highway speeds and pin the throttle, and this thing builds momentum at a frightening pace. It’s a lot of car and could get you into a lot of trouble very easily and very, very quickly.
Dynamics to die for
There are four driving modes to choose from through the ‘DNA’ toggle. At first, I almost exclusively used Dynamic as it makes everything more responsive and allows you to place the adjustable dampers in their softest setting. After building up confidence in the car, I experimented with Race mode, and soon started using that most of the time.
Novice drivers would be best to stay away from Race as it completely disables the stability control and traction control. Curiously, there’s no ESC or TC switch in the car, meaning it can’t be driven in Race mode with either of these systems on. That’s a shame because you need Race mode to unlock the full growl of the V6 and the exhaust, as well as to experience the quickest shifts possible.
Surprisingly, even in Race mode, traction is brilliant. Alfa Romeo ships the Giulia Quadrifoglio with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires measuring 245/35 at the front and 285/35 at the rear, but our car had since been fitted with Mercedes-AMG spec Michelin Pilot Super Sports. While it was rocking tires that weren’t designed for it, the rear tires would hook up in first gear once warm, even with my right foot buried deep into the carpet. In the event of any slip, the car tracks straight and true and is a breeze to control.
Photos: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Like its SUV sibling, the Giulia Quadrifoglio has a steering ratio as quick as some high-performance supercars. It takes some getting used to, yet is brilliantly precise, although we would like slightly more weight in the steering. Grip from the front end feels limitless and it handles absolutely brilliantly. It’s sportier than many sports cars and, along a twisty road, could open up a gap against almost anything on four wheels. It’s brilliant. Truly brilliant.
It can also double as a comfortable cruiser. The adjustable dampers work wonders to iron out bumps and inconsistencies in the road, and I never got tired, even during long highway stints.
Verdict
Buyers should be cautioned that it does chug through fuel. Alfa Romeo quotes a combined fuel consumption of 8.2 l/100 km (28.6 U.S. mpg) over the combined cycle, but I suspect there’s not a single Giulia Quadrifoglio on Earth that’s averaging anywhere close to that. Our trip computer displayed almost 18.0 l/100 km (13 U.S. mpg) for much of the week.
Living with the Giulia Quadrifoglio was a joy, yet the squeaks, rattles, and non-functioning audio system made it quite frustrating. It is one of the most beautiful and thrilling sedans to drive, and it’s impossible to walk away without feeling enamored by the riveting Italian flair. Yes, it has some flaws, but it’s an experience I won’t be forgetting for quite some time.