One Week With: 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Worthy of a standing ovation
DETROIT, Michigan —Alfa Romeo's operatic return to U.S. shores - namely, with the carbon-tubbed 4C - was an overture of sexy Italian design and focused engineering. But the 4C is a quirky delight reserved for occasional flights of fancy. To really make its mark, Alfa would need a proper aria. A halo car with vibrant emotional range, but also competence and polish to keep the crowd on their feet and asking for an encore.
On paper, the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is worthy of the hype. Packing 505 hp from its Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6, the four-leafed four-door can bang off 0-60 mph runs in a dazzling 3.8 seconds. Flatten the go-pedal, let the eight-speed automatic swap cogs, and watch the needle brush against the 6,500-rpm redline until the world whisks by at a cool top speed of 191 mph.
Numbers, however, can be misleading. For a car that draws you in with such an expressive, tasteful Italian design, the driving experience needs to be equally stirring for your other senses. In this respect, Alfa delivers the goods. Between real-world driving in Metro Detroit and a wide-open racetrack on the area's own M1 Concourse circuit, the Giulia had plenty of sports-car song to sing.
For starters, the bespoke engine is a feisty, ferocious thing. Response is immediate and momentum builds violently before torque hits its peak at 2,500 rpm, at which point both turbos howl with glee. Power and sound surge in concert like a rising tide. The wail of this beast alone would be enough to lure drivers away from the Cadillac ATS-V or BMW M4, although the delicious burble of the Mercedes-AMG C63's V-8 has an allure all its own. The real appeal of the Giulia's V-6, however, is its manic personality. Stab the throttle and let that upper-laced espresso course through your veins.
Switching the center rotary drive selector to the right and holding it there will dial in Race mode, deactivating traction and stability control and stiffening the suspension. (There's no way to disable traction control alone, which will frustrate snowbelt customers hoping to drive the Giulia year-round with a set of winter wheels and tires.) Accelerating hard through M1's main straightaway, the Giulia's rear rubber chirps with every upshift. The $5,500 carbon-ceramic brakes — usually complete overkill on surface streets — delight in the heat and massive forces endured at the track.
Wild as it is, the Giulia is surprisingly controllable and fluid through some of M1's tighter sections. You still need to be on high alert though. Hyper-quick steering and a rear end that loves nothing more than to test your reflexes (and blood pressure) requires close attention. Alfa's attention to keeping weight down to just 3,749 pounds (courtesy of an all-aluminum engine as well as the driveshaft, active front splitter, hood, roof, and rocker moldings all made from carbon fiber) is noted. It's close to the featherweight of its class — the M3 weighs 3,575 pounds (3,630 lbs with DCT), the ATS-V tips the scales at 3,812 pounds, and the beefcake AMG C63 S clocks in at 3,935 pounds.
