All Sections

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio: Meet the 510hp saloon that wants to upset the Germans

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio has been unveiled at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of speed and with it a UK price and full specs of the BMW M3 rival have been revealed.

Most notable is the power output of 510hp and 600Nm of torque, which comes from a 2.9-litre Bi-Turbo V6 petrol mated to an eight-speed paddle shift automatic as standard. CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency come in at 189g/km and 49mph, respectively.

What really matters, of course, is how fast it goes. Top speed is said to be 190mph, while 0-62mph takes 3.9 seconds, making it more than competitive with the BMW M3 and M4.

To put into perspective just how competitive the Giulia Quadrifoglio is, a BMW M3 is79hp less powerful before any extras and £100 more expensive when equipped with the automatic. Yet its size is more akin to a 5-Series. In the Mercedes camp, you need to spend £66,545 on the C 63 S to get an equivalent output.

Alfa Romeo has managed a 50:50 weight distribution. That and a ‘sophisticated Alfa Link rear suspension’ and new double-wishbone suspension setup up front should help it feel good in the corners without rattling you to bits.

The Giulia Quadrifoglio also comes with Alfa Torque Vectoring, which uses a double-clutch rear differential system to allocate torque to the rear wheel to improve traction ─ and it does so without the need for what Alfa calls ‘an invasive stability control system’.

Expensive materials have been used throughout the car to save weight and improve rigidity. The bonnet, for instance, is carbon fibre, as is the rear spoiler and roof. Meanwhile the doors and wings are aluminium.

Chuck more money at Alfa Romeo and you can enjoy brakes of the carbon ceramic variety, improving stopping power, and seats with a carbon fibre structural frame for saving a few kilograms and a bit of cool factor.

The level of standard equipment is described by Alfa Romeo as ‘outstanding’ and includes 19-inch Quadrifoglio alloys, sport front bumper with Alfa Active Aero, sports exhaust with four outlets, bi-xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights, Autonomous Emergency Braking and a rear-view camera with guide lines to help you reverse park.

Inside the standard extras extend to sports seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara with front seat heaters, seven-inch TFT instrument cluster, the latest Uconnect 3D 8.8-inch infotainment system with navigation, dual-zone climate control, automatic lights, automatic wipers and cruise control with a speed limiter.

Orders will open ‘shortly’ ahead of deliveries, of which a date is yet to be specified. Expect to pay £59,900 for the most basic Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Details of the rest of the Giulia range will be released in due course.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *