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A tale of two Alfas: which one is for you?

Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Sport or Quadrifoglio – the practical or the passionate?

Marc Lachapelle
Published: September 25, 2017, 2:05 AM
Updated: September 29, 2017, 1:44 PM

From sporty to raunchy

It was the best of times for Alfa Romeo to return to North America two years ago, after a 20-year hiatus. The legendary Italian marque first introduced the 4C, a mid-engine, two-seat sports car with a carbon-fibre shell, for 2015. The second stage of this ambitious comeback came last spring, with the launch of the Giulia sports sedans for 2017. Three variants are currently offered in Canada: the Giulia and all-wheel drive Giulia Ti, both powered by a 280-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Then, there’s this raunchy Giulia Quadrifoglio, with a twin-turbocharged V-6 sending 505 horsepower to the rear wheels only. By Marc Lachapelle ▲

The practical choice

All versions of the new Giulia are built on Alfa Romeo’s all-new ‘Giorgio’ architecture, designed by Alfa Romeo engineers as a lightweight, rear- or all-wheel drive platform with a low centre of gravity. The gorgeous, triangular ‘Trilobo’ grille, also shared by all models, is unmistakable and truly iconic. The Giulia Ti we tested should be popular in Canada with a Q4 all-wheel-drive system that combines an active transfer case and a front axle that free-wheels when traction is good, to improve fuel economy. It came with the Sport group that adds these attractive, split-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels. ▲

A badge with a long tradition

The Alfa Romeo crest arguably is one of the most beautiful in the world of automobiles. It was designed in 1910, by a young artist working for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (A.L.F.A.) that had just been founded in Milan, Italy. The red cross is from the city’s emblem and the giant green viper swallowing a Moor (so the story goes) represents the Visconti family that ruled the city in the Middle Ages. The full name Alfa Romeo came in 1920, five years after the company had been taken over by entrepreneur Nicola Romeo. ▲

Proper sport seats

These striking red leather seats in the Ti also come with the Sport package, a $2,500 option that includes a good number of components and upgrades. Eight interior colour combinations are available for 2018 in the Giulia family, as the number of models also goes from three to six. The quality of the leather is quite decent and so are comfort and overall support. Basic adjustments are fine but your fingertips must learn the precise location of the memory buttons that are perfectly hidden, on the side of the seat cushion. Also, the dreaded easy-access feature cannot be deactivated, unfortunately. ▲

Sweet driving ergonomics

The Giulia’s instrument panel is superbly elegant, modern and uncluttered, with traditional gauges and proper analog buttons and knobs where they still do the best job – for the lights, climate control and driving mode selection, among other functions. The flat-bottom steering wheel looks great, has a nicely-shaped, leather-draped rim and good secondary controls. It even houses a big, start-stop button, left of center. Driving position is impeccable, including a flat and wide footrest, unrestricted in height, for once. ▲

A subtle bird of prey

Soaring atop the model pyramid, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is built on the same platform as Ti models but with substantial mechanical differences, starting with its 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V-6 engine. Overall styling is quite similar but the Quadrifoglio has its own body panels, including carbon fibre hood and roof, plus a front splitter, rocker panel mouldings and a rear spoiler made of the same material. It also rides much lower than the all-wheel-drive Ti, on wider front and rear wheel tracks, which produces this much squatter, more menacing stance – a factor soon also appreciated behind the wheel. ▲

Luck of the Italian

The name Quadrifoglio simply evokes the four-leaf clover that has adorned Alfa Romeo race cars since the 1923 edition of the legendary Targa Florio. That year, Italian works driver Ugo Sivocci had finally won this mythical road race after decorating his red Alfa Romeo racer with a large green clover on a white square, for good luck. The famous logo was also subsequently used on performance versions of production models at Alfa Romeo, starting in the ‘60s. The metalflake-like, Trofeo White tri-coat paint on our test car is a $2,500 extra. ▲

Noble stallion blood

The Quadrifoglio’s 2.9-litre, 90-degree V-6 engine, force-fed by two variable-boost turbochargers, delivers 505 peak horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 443 lb-ft of torque already at 2,500 rpm. It’s good for a measured 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.3 seconds and a 12.3-second 1/4 mile, with a peak of 190.8 km/h. This engine essentially is three-quarters of a Ferrari V-8, and it has the fabulous sound to prove it. Traction is also excellent with the twin-clutch rear differential and the stout eight-speed gearbox is exceptionally quick for a pure automatic. The carbon fibre driveshaft, standard on all Giulia models, helps too. ▲

Ignition plus

The steering-mounted start-stop button also turns red for the Quadrifoglio. Other features exclusive to the top Giulia sedan include cylinder deactivation for the engine, torque vectoring provided by the twin-clutch differential, larger brakes, a performance-tuned ‘adaptive’ suspension, a Race mode to complement the existing three, full xenon headlights with auto-leveling technology, corner illumination and washers, plus additional safety systems such as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic and obstacle detection. ▲

Long tall paddles

Standard in the Quadrifoglio and included with the optional Sport package are these tall, aluminum shift paddles with the plus and minus symbol neatly cut out at the top. Their height is dictated by the fact that they are mounted on the steering column, rather than behind the wheel, and must be easily reached if you need to shift, down or up, while the wheel is turned. The paddles work quite well with manual modes that provide exceptionally quick shifts for conventional, torque converter-based automatic gearboxes, in both the Quadrifoglio and Ti models. ▲

A balancing act

With perfect 50/50 weight distribution and a commendably low center of gravity for all models, balance is the key to the inspired road manners of Giulia sedans. As expected, this low-slung and muscular Quadrifoglio feels radically different than the lighter Ti. Especially models equipped with Q4 all-wheel drive that ride a full 24mm higher than their fastest sibling. Yet, the Giulia Ti Sport is agile, precise and a joy to drive at all times. Its turbocharged ‘four’ doesn’t quite deliver the punch you expect from 280 horsepower but still pushes it to 100 km/h in a decent 5.8 seconds. ▲

Saving weight seriously

The unpainted underside of the Quadrifoglio’s hood, with its apparent carbon fibre, is a thing of beauty for gearheads and anyone who appreciates technical refinement. The functional air intakes, on each side, are exclusive to the stallion in the Giulia family. The appreciable weight reduction was judged to be worth the additional cost. The same reasoning led to the use of a carbon fibre roof to which no glass sunroof can be added. The weight saving is substantial and also helps lower the centre of gravity a bit more. The roof is painted, though. ▲

A useful upper lip and more

The small, finely-crafted carbon fibre spoiler at the rearmost tip of the Quadrifoglio’s trunk does its part in the quest for optimal handling and ultimate stability for a sport sedan that can touch 305 km/h, according to its makers. It also helps it achieve a claimed 0.32 coefficient of drag, in spite of its wide tires, along with an exclusive ‘active’ front splitter that can generate up to 100 kilograms of downforce, constantly adjusted by a pair of electric actuators. ▲

Unimpeachable grip and stopping power

The Quadrifoglio comes with Pirelli P Zero Corsa ‘three-season’ performance tires, which are among the very best you can get, in sizes 245/35ZR19 and 285/30ZR19 at the front and rear. They provide amazing grip, thanks to an exceptionally low treadwear rating of 60, which means they need to be replaced frequently. Our test car also had Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes with huge 390 mm rotors in front and 360 mm rotors at the rear, clamped by six- and four-piston calipers, respectively. Good for an excellent braking average of 34.3 metres from 100 km/h. The option costs $6,500, though. ▲

All business at the rear

This view of the Giulia Quadrifoglio, straight from the rear, shows its square-shouldered stance, wide tires and track, subtle carbon fibre spoiler and quadruple exhaust tips. The low shot also reveals the deep ribs of the fully-functional extractor that channels the air rushing underneath and spews it upwards, further improving both handling and stability at speed. ▲

Plenty of the wonder fibre

The carbon fibre and leather steering wheel in the Quadrifoglio we tested is a $600 option. The expensive shiny parts match slim carbon fibre mouldings on the instrument panel, door handle surrounds and center console. The quality of materials and overall fit and finish were quite decent in both cars tested, if not entirely equal to the best offerings from Germany. The navigation maps displayed on the 8.8-inch screen are nice and decorative but far from the best in terms of clarity and usefulness. ▲

Cleared for take-off

In this age of huge virtual displays, the Alfa Romeo goes old school with this set of large, classic white-on-black analog gauges. In the Quadrifoglio, the speedometer reaches past the 200 mph mark to hit 330 km/h a few millimeters lower. The small, four-leaf clover crest to the right is a nice touch. Between the large speedometer and tachometer gauges sits a full-colour, 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) screen with some basic information. Not much. ▲

Driving modes

All Giulia models have a round selector that lets you pick one of three basic driving programs: Dynamic combines sharper suspension, steering and braking feel with more aggressive engine, transmission and throttle reactions; Natural is for normal driving and Advanced efficiency adds cylinder deactivation, to improve fuel economy. The names were obviously chosen to match the famous acronym DNA. The Quadrifoglio also gets a self-explanatory Race mode that activates the engine’s overboost function, opens up the two-mode exhaust, turns stability control off and sets all systems to their sharpest settings. It effectively is too radical for the road! ▲

Fancy footwork, or not

The Quadrifoglio comes with these aluminum pedals as part of its standard kit and they are included in the Sport package that is available as an option on other models. The wide rubber strips ensure proper grip even for the occasional wet soles. The brake pedal is just wide enough for left-foot application and the flat, tall and wide footrest (a.k.a. dead pedal) is just about perfect. ▲

All in a famous name

All models in the Giulia family come with neat aluminum door sills that carry the legendary, 107 year-old Alfa Romeo name carefully embossed. ▲

Glancing sideways

The side mirrors on the Giulia certainly are big. They are also mounted high and far enough forward, at the base of the A-pillar, to very effectively block the view on the topography of an upcoming left turn, for most drivers. Or then the apex of the next corner, since the Quadrifoglio will most certainly tackle a road course or race track with great ease and aplomb. Giulia needs mirrors standing on more slender bases, with plenty of room to see around them. ▲

Good for two

The Giulia’s rear seat provides acceptable comfort and room for the two passengers who will also enjoy the cool air from a pair of large air outlets on warm days. The middle spot is much less inviting, with the tall transmission tunnel and space-robbing aft section of the centre console. ▲

Think trunk

Trunk space is decent, not exceptional, in all Alfa Romeo’s new Giulia sedans. If the trunk itself is neither high, nor wide, the opening is both, ironically. While other Giulia models come with a handy 60/40 split-folding rear seatback, the Quadrifoglio’s is fixed, most likely in the name of body rigidity. And the hot-rod Alfa Romeo is exceptional in this respect, which benefits both its handling and ride quality greatly. Our Quadrifoglio came with a luggage net and some solid chrome anchors, a $150 option, plus this nylon bag with a full, custom-fit car cover. ▲

Italian charm and a beautiful beast

The Giulia Ti Sport we tested, priced at $62,090, is an elegant, swift and sweet-driving sport sedan. And its all-wheel-drive layout is an invitation to drive it year-round, in this country. The Quadrifoglio, on the other hand, is a brawny and remarkably capable performance sedan in the best European tradition. And quite possibly the best of the moment, in terms of overall handling and performance. The Trofeo White car we drove had a suggested price of $101,345, including all options, but not a hefty delivery fee of $2,495. So take your choice – and let’s just hope these Italian charmers also prove reasonably reliable. ▲
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