2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio: Beauty and the Beast, in one

The dinner-suited Italian Bond kicks like a mule, but treated with respect, Giulia Quadrifoglio functions like a Swiss watch, strapped to a rocket.

Make no mistake, it makes a mockery of road rules and if you let it, will shred your licence in a single trip. When we drove the Giulia Sport and Stelvio Veloce, we loved the luscious curves inside and out. Veloce’s 206kw seemed plenty, until we got our mitts on the QV.

Download full spec sheet and brochure below:

2021 Quadrifoglio Buyers Guide

2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Above: This Week – 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia QV (Quadrifoglio) Full Review

Help Support Gay Car Boys Subscribe to our Youtube Channel 

ABOVE: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

The Looks:

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is fiendishly handsome. See our Guilia Sport review HERE

For 140-odd-grand, I’d have hoped for fully LED Matrix headlights instead of the bi-xenons. Nonetheless, they look perfect set into the bodacious metalwork, finished off by the gratuitous use of carbon fibre in the lower front splitter, side skirt, and rear spoiler. More carbon fibre has been lavished on the interior for the final touch of verisimilitude.

Eschewing the nondescript look of her luminary opposition, Giulia is awash with charm and personality. She is deeply scalloped along the lower doors, and adorned with the iconic shield grille, leaving no one in any doubt as to her pedigree.

The Power:

A clover leaf and carbon fibre trim let you know you’re in for some serious firepower. The bit that costs double the money is hidden beneath the skin. The 2.9L V6 Bi Turbo has a massive 375 head-banging kilowatts coupled with a brutish 600Nm.

Fun is not confined to high-speed runs on a race track, oh no. City driving ignites every fibre of your existence, even in “normal” mode. You get a blast of testosterone every time you leave a traffic light-controlled intersection, even if you’re trying your be to b gentle. If I’m honest, there are times when I’d rather be cuddling a kitten, than wrestling a tiger.

There is a race mode, which I suggest leaving for track days. With it on, you are unprotected from life’s little foibles, and on a damp road, you wouldn’t make it through the first corner.

Even on a dry road, the rear squirms pleasingly between shifts. In “Dynamic”, the 8-speed automatic shifts as fast as any decent DSG. It goes from being a swarve cravat, to thuggish tatts, with extreme prejudice, at the twist of a knob.

Ride:

Like the ludicrous amount power, ride quality goes from comfortably firm, to something verging on kidney-bleed.

Perhaps I’m overstating slightly, but there is no way a sane person would live day-to-day in dynamic, unless…

Giulia has an additional button allowing the driver to soften things up a bit without sacrificing the sensational performance. You can reconfigure the sports mode if you like, but the button allows a quick flick on the fly.

The comfort:

ECO and Normal modes permit long distance comfort. The constant farting and spitting from the nether regions, gets old fast, in either dynamic or race modes. This flexibility makes Giulia Quadrifoglio a GT in the purist form: a big, powerful, comfortable cruiser capable of crossing continents as easily as it does a car park.

Suspension toughens up for spirited cornering, then settles in to club-lounge cocoon for highway trips. I’d happily hang in for the long term just for bragging rights.

Is it Good, Bad, or Indifferent to drive?

Pressing the starter is an event. The V6 burbles, sounding raspy in a odd-firing-sequence kind of way.  High-revving European V8’s and V12’s have a similar ring to them.

Steering is nice and light when it needs to be, hunkering down for a sportier experience when you want it.

The brakes are brilliant, and you can shell out many more shekels for Carbon Ceramic, if you have a lazy 13 grand to add to the already eye-watering 134k purchase price.

In fact there are many tens of thousands to be spent if you absolutely  must. Carbon Fibre seats are available if you really want to waste your dosh, to the tune of $8,000, but the standard seats have powered adjustments, so I’m fine with that.

Things are fairly quiet inside, unless you sink the boot in.

Favourite Colour?

The Alfa Red is ravishing, but I have an emotional attachment to the Montreal Green, the name celebrating my favourite Alfa, the 1960’s, V8 powered, Montreal. It was available in many colours, but Australian buyers preferred the green.

What’s the Verdict?

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a peach. Our week spent together highlighted a couple of thoroughly Italian quirks which was annoying, but not a deal breaker.

During a biblical storm, some the sensors came over all continental. The anti-crash system said NO! The smart cruise control wouldn’t play ball, and the lane assistant took a holiday. Faulty sensors aren’t exactly news but it is something that would need sorting.

Other than that, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio was a joy to be in, a marvel to drive, and a thing to behold. Its visage makes the Germans look like the ugly step sisters, not that some of them need help.

Giulia Quadrifoglio: $138,950

  • Engine: 2.9 V6 bi-turbo petrol – Euro 6b
  • Power: 375kw/600Nm
  • Econ: 8.2L/100k
  • CO2: 189gm/km
  • Trans: 8Sp Auto (with drive modes)
  • Suspension Rear:  Alfa™ Link with vertical rod
  • Suspension front: Alfa™ Link double-wishbone with semi-virtual steering axle
  • Active dampers
                 
    Quadrifoglio Metallic Paint $1,800
    Tri-Colour Paint $3,650
    19-inch Wheels QV stile Dark $1,150
    Yellow Painted Brake Calipers $1,000
    Black Painted Brake Calipers $1,000
    Carbon Ceramic Brakes $13,500
    Sparco Carbon Fibre Seats $8,250

More GCB Sports Car Stories