Sadly, the end is here. The 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, as we know it today, will cease production as of June 2024. Alfa Romeo says that the Quadrifoglio badge will return but it will not be on a gasoline-only Giulia. It will probably be a hybrid or an EV. Seeing as how this is the last ever, good ol fashioned gas-only Giulia Quadrifoglio, what’s this car like to live with on a day to day basis?
Performance
Engine – Under the carbon fiber hood with functional air vents, lies the heart of a Ferrari derived engine. It is a 2.9L twin-turbocharged V6 which produces 505 hp & 443 lb-ft of torque (376 kW & 600 Nm). Alfa Romeo claims that the Giulia Quadrifoglio can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. From behind the steering wheel, this feels like a properly fast Italian stallion. This engine doesn’t provide much punch below 3,000 rpms. Once it goes past that threshold, it is a stereotypical Italian engine. It loves to rev. The redline is not all that high at just 6,000 rpms but it pulls hard right up to it all while making an intoxicating V6 noise. This is a noise that is not far off from the old V6 of the Alfa Romeo SZ. This engine loves to rev so much that the idle speed is at 1,000 rpms. Normally, engines idle between 600 to 750 rpms. Not this one. This is a wonderful engine with loads of character and power.
The Giulia has three drive modes with this Quadrifoglio providing a fourth. The drive modes are Dynamic, Natural, and Advanced Efficiency. They spell out the acronym for “DNA”. The fourth mode is Race. By default, the car will start up in the Natural mode which is perfect for everyday driving. Advanced Efficiency makes the throttle response a bit more lazy and makes the transmission upshift more quickly. Dynamic sharpens the throttle response, keeps the transmission in one lower gear, stiffens the adaptive dampers, opens up the exhaust valves, and makes the steering stiffer. Race makes the throttle response react as fast as light moves, the gear changes are as though the transmission is a DCT, it disables the traction & stability controls, and allows the tail to slide out more often thanks to the mechanical limited slip differential.
Fuel Economy – This engine is also economical, relatively speaking that is. It’s rated for 13.5 L/100km (17.4 MPG) in a city and 9.3 L/100km (25.3 MPG) on a highway. Now before I tell you what I managed to average, I should say that I took a 1,000 km (roughly 600 miles) trip with this car which involved a lot of highway driving. Before the trip, I averaged 12.5 L/100km (18.8 MPG) which is still very respectable for a 500+ hp car. After the trip, I returned the car to Alfa Romeo with an average fuel consumption of 10.1 L/100km (23.2 MPG).
Transmission – This exuberant engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This is not a DCT but rather a traditional automatic from ZF. In the Natural drive mode, the shifts between gears are silky smooth both on upshifts and downshifts. Switch to Dynamic mode and the shifts are faster but also a bit more noticeable. Additionally, as I mentioned earlier, Race mode makes this transmission feel like a DCT with lightning quick changes. Great thing is that the massive column mounted paddle shifters are nearly instantaneously responsive to a pull of the paddle.
Braking – An Italian car must have Italian brakes. As such, 6-piston front Brembo calipers provide the bulk of the stopping force. In the back, there are 4-piston calipers with separate calipers for the parking brake. The brakes are overly assisted, however, because it takes almost no effort from your right foot to bring the car to a stop. So if you do have a heavy foot, it’ll take you a while to get used to them.
Handling – With a nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution and the new mechanical limited slip differential, the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio is a joy to drive on winding roads. It has a fast steering ratio with a stable front end which reacts immediately. In dry conditions, the back end feels planted with the LSD providing predictable and controllable slides, should you apply too much throttle out of a corner. And the adaptive dampers provide good body control and ensure that the tires are staying planted to the tarmac. It’s as though Ferrari created a compact sedan at ⅓ the price of their supercars. It is an absolute joy to drive the Giulia Quadrifoglio on back country roads.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – With the 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio being a blast to drive outside of a city environment, inside a city it is genuinely a good commuter vehicle. The adaptive dampers provide a firm but not an uncomfortable ride. It is possible to change their mode to Soft in the Dynamic drive mode or to Sport in the Race mode should you want to use those drive modes but with slightly softer suspension settings. On my trip, I drove the Giulia over different types of roads and not once did the ride feel unbearable.
Interior Space – The Giulia Quadrifoglio has a little bit more legroom in the front seats than the BMW M3. However, it has less headroom in the front row. But even so, with the seat in its lowest position, there is just enough headroom for my tall height of 6’4” while wearing a helmet for a track day. Additionally, the standard Sport seats are comfortable with just the right amount of support and adjustments. The side bolsters didn’t dig into my sides and I didn’t have any numbness on my long trip. You can get optional carbon fiber bucket seats for the front.
Visibility out of the car is good for seeing out of the front and directly to the side. The exterior mirrors are well sized and the view out of the back is acceptable. It’s the blind zone over the left shoulder that is limited as the Giulia has a very thick B-pillar.
The back seats of the Giulia are not as commodious as the fronts. For my tall height behind my tall driving position, there is very little legroom. The BMW M3 has a little bit more legroom in its back seats. Headroom is also tight for my tall stature.
The trunk is a little bigger than that of the BMW M3 at 374 L (13.2 cu-ft). The back rests can fold down 40/20/40 and with this being a performance sedan, there is no spare wheel under the floor to weigh the car down.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – With the car in Dynamic or Race mode, the V6 engine provides an operatic orchestra of sounds. It’s just too bad that you, as the driver, can’t hear the noises as those outside of the car can. The cabin is well insulated from unwanted, and some wanted, sounds. It’s also a shame that this car does not have a dedicated button to open up the exhaust valves regardless of which drive mode the car is in.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio starts at $99,840 CAD ($83,570 USD). The Misano blue paint and red brake calipers were the only options to this demo car which added just $1,650 CAD to the price.
Gadgets – Though the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a luxury car with a 6-figure price tag, it has just enough convenience features but it is missing a few. For a start, it has heated front seats along with a heated steering wheel, leather upholstery, fully adjustable front seats, built-in navigation system, front & rear parking sensors, a full suite of advanced safety & driver aids (which include automatic emergency braking, lane keep system, adaptive cruise control, & blind spot sensors), and wireless phone charging pad. What’s missing and would have been nice add-ons are features such as a head-up display, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and surround view cameras.
However, there is a big elephant in the cabin which is the infotainment system. It is displayed on an 8.8” touchscreen which responds quickly. The infotainment can also be controlled through the rotary dial on the center console should you not want to get fingerprints on the screen. But the system itself is laggy with choppy graphics. Navigating around it isn’t too bad once you know where every function is but I’d go so far as to say that the latest uConnect system from Stellantis is better than this one. The slow responsiveness of this system is what frustrated me the most.
Interior Design – The interior of the Alfa Romeo Giulia is matched by no other in this category. The leather is soft and all encompassing in the cabin. The buttons and knobs have a premium, tactile feel. Visually it looks stunning and I love the exposed carbon fiber along the center console, dashboard, and door panels.
But I do wish that one thing, in particular, would be changed. The paddle shifters are great to touch and behold but they are the exact same outer diameter as the steering wheel. When you go to use the wipers or indicator stalk, the paddles get in the way of your fingers. Furthermore, it’s hard to see the beauty of the paddles when looking dead center at the steering wheel. If only they were a bit smaller.
Exterior Design – From every angle this car is gorgeous to behold. It has just enough sharp lines merging with smooth flowing curves all over the body. The large 19” wheels fill the wheel wells perfectly and the car has a good looking ride height but without being so low that it’ll scratch the carbon fiber splitter. Speaking of which, it moves up and down depending on the speed of the car for better aerodynamics & stability. This car is a headturner wherever it goes.
Warranty – Stereotypically, Italian cars have the reputation of being unreliable. But all I can say is that during my week with the 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, including the trip, the car performed flawlessly. It drove through gridlock traffic, up & down mountain roads in 30+ degree Celsius temperatures, and on long boring highways without any issue. No check engine light, no overheating, it didn’t even get a tire puncture. It was perfect.
If you’re still on the fence about an Italian car, Alfa Romeo still covers their vehicles with the same warranty as the other luxury brands; 4 years / 80,000 km new vehicle & powertrain warranty. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For information on USA warranty, click here.
Conclusion – In the end, this is just about the most perfect sedan that you can no longer buy brand new. There are just a couple of things that I’d want to see change if this model of the Giulia had kept going. It needs a far better infotainment system and a configurable drive mode option. But otherwise, it is comfortable to live with on a daily basis and absolutely glorious to drive on back-country roads.
Thank you to Alfa Romeo Canada for providing the vehicle. www.AlfaRomeo.ca
2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Gallery
