Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio MY2020 Review: Italy At Its Finest
The Giulia Quadrifoglio. Yes, Verde has been dropped which confuses people sometimes if you’re saying you have a Giulia Q. What’s not confusing is the way it drives…
“What’s that the Giulia Q?” That was the first reaction we got most of the time when we told people we were going to drive the MY2020. Our answer was always: “It’s the QV but they dropped the V from the name”. Then people started to get really excited and so did we!
The Giulia Quadrifoglio has been around for nearly 5 years without receiving a facelift. And yet, it still looks as stunning as the day it rolled out of the factory for the first time back in 2016. That doesn’t mean the car remained unchanged underneath. Throughout the years, the Giulia received small improvements. The MY2020 is no exception…
Italian heart
The recipe for this Italian sedan is still pretty much the same good old recipe that you’d want: a 2.9L V6 developed by Ferrari in the front, an 8-speed automatic in the middle, 510 hp and 600 Nm going to the rear wheels through a torque-vectoring differential. Just hearing that sum puts a smile on our faces. But Alfa Romeo has found a way to make it even juicier because they are now offering an optional Akrapovič exhaust system to improve the sound coming from that Ferrari-derived V6.
The result is dramatic, to say the least. The car picks up speed effortlessly and compared to its German rivals, it is not limited by a gentleman's agreement. No, the Giulia Quadrifoglio will blast up to 307 km/h straight out of the box.
And then we haven’t talked about the noise it makes. Just like with the Maserati’s (with a different V6), this Italian V6 has a lot of character in terms of tones that come out of the exhaust. It really becomes a game to find all the different sounds that come out of the exhaust. Accelerate slowly, shift midway and you’ll get this big howl but push it to the limit all the way to the redline and you’ll get this great backfire. And the optional Akrapovič exhaust makes all those noises come to life even better, definitely an option we’d say is worth considering.
There is however one tiny little thing about fully opening the exhaust that’s scary. And that’s because you’ll only find it in that desirable way in RACE mode.
The car has 4 different modes: the well-known DNA modes plus race. Starting off with Advanced, this is the mode that provides a lot of traction control interference to make sure the car never loses traction, exhaust flaps are closed here. Next is Natural which offers the highest level of driving comfort with standard engine and transmission response, the exhaust valves are also closed here. Then there’s Dynamic, the car’s adaptive dampers stiffen up and it also sharpens up the steering, engine and transmission, stability assists are still available although they will interfere just a tad later. The exhaust flaps here start to open but not fully. That seems to be reserved for RACE mode, the car sharpens up even more and the adaptive dampers become insanely firm, I’ve rarely seen adaptive dampers which have an operating range this wide, truly impressive. As said, the glorious exhaust is now fully open and the car tells you to switch to manual shifting for a better driving experience. However, now all electronic stability controls are switched fully off meaning you’re on your own.
And with no possibility for a custom mode, with the exhaust pumping the full philharmonic with the assists on, you’re in this conflict between having assists or having the best sound. In the wet, you’ll better steer clear of RACE.
It’s a really exhilarating piece of kit the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The center of gravity is very low which you can definitely feel in the corners. Steering feedback is great for an electronic one. The car really feels like it’s alive and it absorbs you into the whole experience even more.
Sexy shapes
Another thing that the Italians really know how to do good is making a beautiful irresistible car. Whilst a BMW M3 or a Mercedes-AMG C63 might be good-looking cars, they are pale compared to the sexy lines of the Giulia. It’s hard to realize that this actually is a 5-year-old car now, and yet it hasn’t had any plastic surgery to prevent it from looking dated. It did get sexy new colors to chose from, like this stunning green.
Maybe that’s because it still looks like it just came out. Most of the time, you can see just how much cars age by their lights. But with the Giulia, that doesn't seem to be the way. The head- and taillights are sleek, simple, and extremely contemporary in an age where light technology moves at the speed of itself.
Those sleek and swooping lines are what sets the Italians apart from all the rest when designing a car. For some reason, they can make any car shape look sexy in a way no other competitor ever could manage to do so.
Along with the wider hips, the vented carbon fiber bonnet, the big rear diffusor, and the subtle yet elegant rear decklid make this car a total package that every petrolhead just loves to look at.
Dual Interior
Inside you can see the age of the Giulia compared to other cars. The analog tach and rev counter do look very good, however. I actually think they look better than 99% of all digital alternatives. Behind the wheel, you’ll find 2 very nice shifting paddles. In true Italian fashion (and like its Maserati siblings) they are the best in the business, finished in aluminum and fixed onto the steering column, they provide so much more interaction during shifting.
The rest of the dashboard flows smoothly like the lines on the outside of the car. In the middle, there is an all-new touchscreen infotainment which now features multiple small info tiles on the same screen you can set up yourself. Those tiles can be enlarged or you can mirror your phone through CarPlay. The optional Sparco Carbon holds you in place very well and is still very comfortable on longer trips. A little more cushioning on the seating part would make them perfect. The trunk is fairly big at 480 L, certainly big enough to fit one or two bodies in it.
This or a German?
That is the question everyone will ask you. The Giulia Q is very nicely finished and very close to its German rivals. On an objective note, the Germans are just that better finished yes. However, the Alfa has some small tricks that just make you forget that.
The drive is visceral yet when you want it to but a perfect daily driver as well. It really hits you on an emotional level this car. And the Italians really know how to use that to their advantage. It’s an epic daily and the perfect petrolhead car which leaves his rivals in the dust.
