I’ve been lucky enough to drive hundreds of cars in my line of work, and none of them excited, confused, or frustrated me quite like the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Let me explain.
We all know that Alfa Romeo is loved by many for its personality, exciting engines, beautiful design and infectious character. Meanwhile, they’ve been criticized for decades for being unreliable and worrisome electronic gremlins. I recently experienced all of these traits while driving the 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio for a week, and despite its problems, it was one of the most exciting cars I’ve ever driven.
Review: 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio feels more like a sports car than an SUV
Just a few months after I marveled at the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, I started my experience with the flagship Giulia. The Giulia has a lot in common with its SUV sibling, although it’s prettier and now looks better than ever thanks to its recent mid-life facelift.
Quick facts
Photo: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Painted in Etna Red like our car (AU$4,400/US$3,040) and trimmed with various carbon fiber elements, this has to be one of the prettiest sedans on the market. It puts its German rivals to shame in terms of aesthetics, while revised headlights, coupled with sharp new daytime running lights, add some welcome menace.
I was so fascinated by its appearance that I often found myself staring at it in parking lots and driveways, admiring its lines, proportions, and the way it looked on the road. If all sedans looked this good, then maybe people wouldn’t be so obsessed with crossovers and SUVs. One can only dream of such a world…
Powertrain
From the outside, the 2024 Giulia Quadrifoglio looks very similar to the original car. Power still comes from a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged 90-degree V6 engine designed by several ex-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. The engine and gearbox combination is the same as that found in the flagship Stelvio.
However, unlike all-wheel-drive super SUVs, Alfa’s sports sedan is rear-wheel drive only. This makes it more nimble, but a new mechanical limited-slip differential replaces the old electronically controlled differential, ensuring power is transferred perfectly to the ground.
Alfa Romeo says the car can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 307 km/h (191 mph). Those are some serious numbers, although acceleration times lag slightly behind the Stelvio’s because the Giulia only has two driven wheels.
A well-designed but problematic cabin
Despite its few quirks, the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s interior is still a great place to spend time. We really like Alfa Romeo’s extensive use of raw carbon fiber in the center console and dashboard sections, as it could cover it in piano black plastic like many other automakers do. no thanks.
Photo: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
The fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster in front of the bright steering wheel features tactile aluminum shift paddles. The smaller 8.8-inch screen is used to display everything infotainment-related and supports wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The screen isn’t the best, nor the most responsive, but it’s clear enough, and because it’s well covered by the dash, it doesn’t suffer from any unnecessary glare like so many other cars.
The seating position is excellent, with the seats offering plenty of support and adjustability. However, adjusting the seat to its lowest setting and positioning the steering wheel fairly high and close to my chest did result in a good portion of the instrument cluster behind being blocked. This is just an expert question and won’t affect many property owners.
Read: Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio line-up gutted, prices to rise significantly in 2025
Unfortunately, the build quality leaves something to be desired. The plastic dash is very cheap, and although our tester only showed 7,000 kilometers (4,349 miles), it rattled and vibrated almost constantly, which is inexcusable for a new car, let alone one at that price point car. To make matters worse, our 2024 Giulia Quadrifoglio’s sound system wasn’t working properly. Yes, you read that right. Useless Not at all.
This is an issue I noticed shortly after picking up the car. All the usual jingles work as you’d expect. However, if I connect to Bluetooth, plug in my phone, run Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, or try to listen to the radio, no sound comes out of the speakers. I didn’t miss any hidden “mute” buttons either. Even disconnecting the battery and running a full diagnostic test through ODB-II failed to reveal the problem.
The next day, the light no longer clicked when turned on. The next day, they started working again.
Some may view these as Italian car problems or typical Alfa Romeo problems. But it’s 2024, and there’s no valid reason for a new car’s speakers and/or amplifiers to fail so quickly. As a result, I spent a week driving the Giulia Quadrifoglio in complete silence. Fortunately, this allowed me to really enjoy the glorious engine and the wonderful sound it produces.
The perfect driver-focused sports sedan?
According to many experts and so-called experts online, there is no V6 engine that sounds good. I challenge them to drive a Giulia Quadrifoglio and not walk away with a huge smile on their face. This thing is jaw-dropping to drive and nearly perfect dynamically.
Having driven the Stelvio QV a few months ago, I knew what to expect from the 2.9-liter engine. It revs all the way to nearly 7,500 rpm, makes a lovely bark, and pulls hard. When I say ferocious, I mean it. Above about 80 km/h (50 mph) it feels like it pulls just like the Audi RS e-tron GT I also recently drove, albeit at a 134 hp (100 kW) disadvantage and having to shift gears.
When it comes to swapping gears, the eight-speed automatic is excellent. Aside from a full 1-second delay from hitting the accelerator from a stop to when the car is actually moving, it shifts hard and feels noticeably quicker than the same 8-speed in the Stelvio. It’s a bit surprising that a car like this doesn’t have launch control, but it’s nothing that some old-school brake boost can’t fix.
Driving down the highway, drop down to third or fourth and floor the accelerator, and this thing cranks out power at an alarming rate. There are a lot of cars and they can easily and quickly cause you a lot of trouble.
Full of motivation
There are four driving modes selectable via a “DNA” switch. At first I almost exclusively used Dynamic as it makes everything more responsive and allows you to put the adjustable dampers in their softest setting. After building confidence in the car, I tried Race mode and quickly started using it most of the time.
Novice drivers are best advised to stay away from the race as it completely disables stability control and traction control. Oddly, there’s no ESC or TC switch in the car, meaning it can’t be driven in race mode with these systems switched on. That’s a shame, because you need Race mode to unleash the full roar of the V6 engine and exhaust and experience the fastest possible gear changes.
Surprisingly, traction is excellent even in Race mode. Alfa Romeo has equipped the Giulia Quadrifoglio with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires measuring 245/35 at the front and 285/35 at the rear, but our car was later equipped with Mercedes-AMG-spec Michelin Pilot Super Sports. While its rocker tires weren’t designed for it, once warm the rear tire stayed in first gear even with my right foot buried deep in the carpet. If any slippage occurs, the car maintains a straight, true trajectory and is easy to control.
Photo: Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Like its SUV siblings, the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s steering ratio is as quick as some high-performance supercars. It takes some getting used to, but is very precise, although we wish the steering wheel had a little more weight. Front-end grip feels limitless and handling is absolutely superb. It’s sportier than many sports cars and can pull away from just about any four-wheeled vehicle on winding roads. marvelous. What a great experience.
It also doubles as a comfortable cruiser. The adjustable dampers work wonders at smoothing out bumps and inconsistencies in the road, and I never felt tired, even on long highway drives.
judgment
Buyers should note that it does consume fuel. Alfa Romeo quotes combined cycle fuel consumption of 8.2 L/100 km (28.6 US mpg), but I doubt there’s a Giulia Quadrifoglio on the planet that averages anywhere near that figure. For much of the week, our trip computer showed fuel consumption approaching 18.0 L/100 km (13 US mpg).
Living with the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a joy, but the squeaks, rattles, and non-functioning sound system can be very frustrating. It’s one of the most beautiful and thrilling sedans to drive, and it’s impossible not to come away mesmerized by the compelling Italian style. Yes, it had some flaws, but it was an experience I won’t forget for quite some time.
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