AlfaRomeo‘s answer to the Germans.
Alfa Romeo. This brand is known for many things and is regarded as one of the most legendary motor companies of all time. It is also known for being a brand that cares a lot about its heritage. Maybe the reason they build fantastic sportscars to this day. One of these sportscars is the AlfaRomeo Giulia. The name Giulia has been used before in the 60s and 70s and AlfaRomeo has reincarnated the name since 2016. Sadly, AlfaRomeo is also known for being unreliable, would that be the case with the new Giulia? AlfaRomeo's of old were indeed very spontaneous and seemed to have a mind for their own. But this means that AlfaRomeo's have an actual soul and character to them unlike any other car manufacturer out there, and this is very true. The two words most associated with AlfaRomeo are Soul and Passion.
When the new Giulia came out in 2016, everyone hoped that the reliability clichés would finally be gone, but they were also scared that those two words would be gone, WRONG. We had the chance to drive the 2021 model year Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde and it is fantastic. The Giulia looks and goes like an AlfaRomeo should. Under the bonnet, you get a Ferrari-derived 90° 2.9l twin-turbo V6 that makes 510 horsepower and 600 NM of torque. In fact, this engine is the same engine that Ferrari puts into their Roma. The madness continues with a carbon-fiber roof and bonnet to lighten the car plus active aerodynamics on the underside of the car. The Giulia QV can reach a top speed of 307 km/h. Maybe this is the car that can finally dethrone the BMW M3 as the best performance saloon. These facts sound very exciting and they become terrifying when you hear that the Giulia is only rear-wheel drive. In Dynamic Mode the car knows when you're giving it too much gas, so the engine doesn't even bother with giving power, but in Race Mode, the traction control and engine restrictors are shut off. This is the part where you have to be really careful, the Giulia QV can bite you in the a**. We have driven a lot of sports cars and most of them aren't intimidating anymore, they have so many safety systems on them and they grip like crazy; a good example is the Golf R. Everyone can mash the throttle and can go fast, without much work. But in the Giulia QV you have to work, you have to concentrate if you're brave enough to put it in Race Mode because now the traction control is OFF (and off means off). In modern cars the traction control is never fully off, it'll save you when you get it wrong, but the Giulia QV is old school. The fact that the Giulia QV is so scary makes it so memorable. It's a fantastic driver's car.
The interior quality is spot on with the Germans and Japanese. Inside you get analog gauges with a central digital display that is customizable. In front of you, there are two huge metal paddles, which feel amazing to the touch, and a red starter button. This elevates the racecar experience. The nice thing about a performance sedan is that you get all the perks and practicality of a regular sedan. Spacious back seats and a large rear boot. We sadly have not driven the new BMW M3, but it would be a very interesting comparison, given that these cars are very similar.
It seems then that AlfaRomeo has done everything right with the new Giulia QV. Reliability issues are gone, performance is great and you still get the same qualities that AlfaRomeo Sportscars are known for. We think that the Giulia QV is a true competitor to the M3, C63 AMG and Audi RS5 Sportback. Our pick is the Giulia.