WASHINGTON — The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a passionate performance sedan that is here to steal your heart.
Performance sedans have pretty much been a German staple for years, providing good power and handling with enough comfort for daily use. Lately, more manufacturers have been making luxury sport sedans with either more luxury or all-out sport without luxury. But what’s missing is passion and performance — where looks are as important as the go-fast parts — all in one car. Until now.
The $72,000 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is the top-of-the-line high performance variant of the Giulia line with a very powerful 2.9L biturbo V-6 with 505 horsepower that really moves this sedan. The sound is glorious, especially if you turn on the Alfa DNA Drive Mode System with Race Mode. It opens up the exhaust system and lets the engine sing loudly. The engine revs very quickly, so if you’re shifting the gears, get ready for rapid shifts or face hitting the rev limiter.
Outside, the Alfa Romeo Giulia really nailed the sport sedan look. Why is it that only an Italian carmaker seems to have the perfect shade of red for a car? It’s a $2,200 option on the Giulia, and it’s stunning. Alfa Romeo has a very distinctive front end with an almost triangle grill that has been a staple for all of their cars. The stance is perfect with large 19-inch wheels, and my tester was outfitted with optional, dark five-hole wheels well worth the $500 extra to complete the look.
There is a carbon fiber front splitter that looks good, but be careful with speed bumps or curbs; the same goes with the lower side skirts that jut out from the body especially below the driver’s door. There is a lot of carbon fiber on this car — the roof, hood with functional air vents and front and rear spoiler. Even the rear of the car has a large rear air diffuser that adds to the serious performance look of this sedan.
The interior mostly keeps up with the rest of the car. The leather and Alcantara seats hug and keep you in place, but larger or smaller drivers might not find the seats comfortable. The dash and upper door panels are covered in leather and the carbon fiber trim. Hard plastic is used on the lower door panels and where the power controls for the seats are, which is a little underwhelming in a nearly $80,000 car.
The climate controls seem similar to what I have seen in another car, maybe a Chrysler, Jeep or Fiat. The heated carbon fiber steering wheel looks and feels nice in your hands, and the start button on the wheel adds to the sporty look. The large aluminum paddle shifters are easy to reach and use. One minor, annoying feature is how loud the warning tones and beeps ring. The NAV and radio work with a large central control wheel and are pretty simple to use.
The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a spectacular driver’s car that really stands out in the crowd. No car I’ve driven to date has garnered so much attention and praise from others. You will need extra time to answer questions and be complimented. Alfa is back and they are serious about making it here in the United States. The hard part might be finding this 500 horsepower beast at the dealer.
Mike Parris is a member of the Washington Automotive Press Association. The vehicles are provided by STI, FMI or Event Solutions for the purpose of this review.
