2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Review

This week, I find myself behind the wheel of a car I’ve never driven before, the 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, a really fast Italian sedan that competes with the likes of the BMW M3 speedster.  If the rumors are correct, it is good I have it now because America will say arrivederci to this vehicle after this year, and if it comes back to our shores, it will likely be all-electric.

This is the 7^th year of this version, and it is basically unchanged except for new LED headlamps, and a larger digital gauge cluster.  Alfa calls it a luxury car, but to me, it just doesn’t give off that vibe.  It’s very nice, and it is extremely fast and fun to drive, but it is just not a luxury car, although it will probably get parked right in front if you valet it.

Exterior 

The exterior looks great, this car just looks fast, even when sitting still.  The Rosso Etna Red is a beautiful color, and it has 19” wheels and Pirelli tires, Brembo brakes, a carbon fiber vented hood to let heat escape, a carbon fiber roof, and a understated rear spoiler.  

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The body lines are distinct, the front end has the usual triangular grill, there are quad exhausts in the rear, and a four-leaf clover on each side that pays tribute to Alfa Romeos rich racing heritage and is a small reminder of the friendship that forever changed the lives of Enzo Ferrari and Ugo Sivocci.

Powertrain

Under the vented hood you find a Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter V6 dual overhead cam engine with twin turbochargers.  It is putting out 505-horses, 443-pound feet of torque, and it is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that has giant shift paddles on the steering column.  The stats are impressive on this speedster:  0-to-60 in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 191-miles per hour.  Surprisingly, this high-horsepower sedan only comes in rear-wheel drive.  With that much power, all-wheel drive would be a very welcome addition.

By the way, Fiat Chrysler (Stellantis) owns Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Fiat, and a little over 20% of Ferrari, and you see hints them in the Giulia.

Interior  

The Quadrifoglio has a lot of carbon fiber on the inside and outside.  You’ll find it on the dash, center console, steering wheel, and door panels.  The front seats have a good amount of stitching, and they are heavily bolstered to keep you in place when you take those tight turns going way too fast. 

The flat-bottom steering wheel feels great and houses the ignition button, and the new 12.3” digital gauges are easy to read with the tachometer and speedometer in the middle, and it gives you a digital read out of your speed.  The gauge cluster changes when you are in race mode, but is the same in dynamic, natural, and all weather modes.  The drive mode selector is on the center console, you have to hold it to the right to get into race mode, but it is well worth it.  Gas and brake pedals are aluminum, and there is a matching dead pedal.

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Center dash is an 8.8” touchscreen to operate the Harmon Kardon 14-speaker sound system, Bluetooth, navigation, Wi-Fi, SiriusXM, HD radio, driver assistance, climate controls, and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.  The screen is very small by today’s standards, and the rear camera is grainy and just not very clear.

The center console is surrounded by carbon fiber and looks fantastic.  There is a wireless charger for your phone, the drive mode selector, emergency brake, a home button for the infotainment screen, and radio volume.  Two cup holders sit forward of the console and there is a USB and USB-C outlet in the center console glove box.

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 The back seat in the Giulia is a little tight in both headroom and legroom.  Two children could sit there just fine, but adults will be cramped.  Back seat occupants have their own air conditioner vents and USB ports, and a fold down center console.  Beware a very large hump in the back seat area that would make sliding over very difficult.  The cargo area was bigger than expected, offering up 13-cubic feet of storage.

Safety

Standard safety equipment includes full-speed forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, and front and rear parking sensors.

Standard Equipment  and Options

Standard features include active suspension, automatic headlights, automatic temperature-controlled air conditioning, heated but not air conditioned front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, and LED head and taillights.

There are $8,250 in options on my tester, most noteworthy is: the paint color at $1,750, the leather and Alcantara power race seats are $3,500, the Active Assist package is $700 and gives you semi-self-driving abilities including a driver attention alert if you don’t keep your eyes on the road, and the full carbon fiber roof will set you back $2,500.  Honestly, I don’t see any of the options I would delete if I were ordering one of these cars.

Ride and Drive

The driving dynamics of the Giulia Quadrifoglio are fantastic, the engine sound and exhaust sound are unlike any car I’ve driven, including the Maserati I owned for 3-years.  Acceleration is insanely fast, the transmission shifts hard and quick, and it feels like the power will never stop.  The steering is tight and responsive and for a rear-wheel drive only sedan, it is very planted.  Braking is exceptional with the big Brembos.  Suffice it to say, this car has a real race feel to it in city driving, and I can imagine on the track it would be incredible.

Fuel economy is 17 in the city, and 25 on the highway, for a combined 20 overall, not that this should be a factor in a car like this.

What You'll Pay

Only about 10,800 Alfa Romeos were sold in the U.S. in 2023, about half of those were Giulia models, and I suspect only a fraction of those were the Quadrifoglio models.  Price would be an inhibitor with this car.  My review vehicle has an MSRP of $91,415 with destination.

Verdict 

It is no secret I love fast cars, I love cars that handle great like this one, and if the car sounds wonderful, that is icing on the cake. With all due respect to this revered car, it’s just not my jam when I look around at other fast, $90,000+ cars. Those people who buy them dearly love them, and that’s awesome, just not for me personally, although I did enjoy my time behind the wheel very much.