2020 (70) Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.9 V6 BiTurbo Quadrifoglio 4dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

Take one of the most driver-orientated mid-sized premium sports saloons you can buy - Alfa Romeo's Giulia. Then give it a Ferrari-derived 510bhp 2.9-litre twin turbo V6. Add in a special torque differential to get all that power down through the rear wheels. And assign a Ferrari engineer to finesse this creation. The result was this Giulia Quadrifoglio: and it's rather unique.

History

Prior to 2016, there had been regrettably little from the Alfa Romeo brand when it came to really powerful sports cars and super saloons - the kinds of models that might really appeal to keen drivers. At the launch of the Milanese marque's important Giulia saloon in 2016 though, we saw a car that represented just that, the Giulia Quadrifoglio. This model certainly had a proper engineering CV. Its V6 engine was inspired by a Ferrari V8 - and it was developed by an ex-Ferrari engineer too, Philippe Krief, the man behind the Maranello brand's much admired 456. The Quadrifoglio (or 'Cloverleaf') badge is one the Italian maker applies only to its most focused models. And its use was certainly justified here. There was a 'NRING Edition' in 2018 (limited to 108 cars and offering ceramic brakes, raw carbon fibre in the roof and body kit, Sparco carbon sports seats and extra carbon fibre in the cabin). In 2019, there was a further F1 special edition, with F1-style paintwork, carbon fibre aero parts and a titanium Akrapovic exhaust system. This model was 28kg lighter than the ordinary Quadrifoglio and had a slight power uplift to 520hp. Early 2020 brought an upgrade for the standard Giulia Quadrifoglio model, with technology, design, and safety upgrades. For the outside, changes were limited to LED rear lights, three new paint colours and a carbon fibre front grille. Inside there was a redesigned centre console, a switch away from carbon trim to leather and the addition of Level 2 autonomy features including traffic jam and highway assist. In Spring 2020, the rare Sauber-developed GTA versions of this model arrived - the 'ordinary' GTA version and a more track-focused GTAm. The engines in both cars were turbo-boosted and re-pistoned to 540hp and given a higher capacity cooling system. Track widths at both ends were increased by 50mm and centrelock wheels were added, along with a titanium Akrapovic twin-exit central exhaust system, along with carbon fibre for the skirts, driveshafts, bonnet, roof and wheelarches, a revised front bumper with smarter air intakes, and extra aluminium in the engine, doors, and suspension, which featured revisions to the springs, dampers and bushes. Both cars had rear diffusers, but the GTAm was distinguished by its extended chin splitter, Lexan side and rear windows, racing buckets and belts up front, back seats deleted in favour of a rollover bar, plus there was an enormous boot spoiler in place of the GTA's subtler boot lid lip item. A lot of weight was saved over the regular Quadrifoglio - in the GTAm it was quoted as 100kg. Both GTAs were said to offer the same 0.3sec reduction in the 0-62mph time, to 3.6sec. Sauber reckoned that the GTAm had double the GTA's downforce and triple that of the normal Quad. But then it did cost over £150,000... As for the standard Quadrifoglio, well a further update package was announced for the 2024 model year, but it's the earlier 2016-2023-period Giulia Quadrifoglio models we're going to look at here.

What You Get

The taut proportions of the Giulia work well with the Quadrifoglio embellishment. Enthusiasts will most readily recognise this top Giulia version by its unique 19-inch wheels, through which you can glimpse black aluminium calipers - or optional yellow calipers. There's also a potent rear air diffuser and black gloss window surrounds. At the front, piercing bi-xenon headlamps give the car some serious overtaking presence. And at the rear, there are LED tail lamps, plus a sports exhaust with quad tail pipes. As usual, of more importance is the stuff you can't see, namely the use of ultra-lightweight materials in this variant's structure, including carbon fibre for the bonnet, roof, front splitter, rear spoiler and body inserts, as well as aluminium for the doors and wings. Inside, the cabin is set apart with sports seats upholstered in a leather-and-alcantara combination. You'd ideally want the carbonfibre-trimmed race-style bucket chairs that make you feel you're in a DTM racer. The dashboard and the door panels are also wrapped in stitched leather and there are carbon fibre inserts around the fascia, plus you get aluminium kick plates and an ambient lighting set-up for a classy feel after dark. Otherwise, it's the usual Giulia interior package, with design is centred around the driver, the main controls grouped together on the small steering wheel. When it's time to take a seat in the rear, taller folk might find access hindered a little by the swept-back roofline. Still, the rear door opens decently wide and once inside, you'll find that there's a decent amount of back seat space by class standards, with plenty of space to push forward your feet beneath the front seats. The boot opens to reveal a 480-litre capacity that, surely not co-incidentally, is the exact equal of a BMW 3 Series or a Mercedes C-Class from this era.

What to Look For

Though quite a few owners in our survey seemed happy, there are certainly things that you'll need to look for. We have come across reports of warning lights coming on to 'service electronic throttle control' or 'check engine', sometimes for no apparent reason. Also look out for unnecessary warning lights for things like low oil levels, unlatched doors and malfunctioning parking sensors. Some items required things like a software update or a tightening of plug connections, but issues can also be down to broken wiring through harness abrasion. If you're looking at an early car, make sure the owner dealt with the needed fitment of an updated scuttle panel - the original one allowed water to infiltrate the ECU. And an early cars, poor quality control could lead to coolant leaks through poorly tightened hose clamps. We've heard of fuel pumps blowing, but these were usually replaced under warranty. Turbo overboost valves also have a history of malfunctioning, as have batteries. Look out for a whine from the rear on the test drive - this could turn out to be a faulty differential, but it could just be a malfunctioning wheel bearing. Tyre replacement costs won't be cheap: expect a replacement front Pirelli P-ZERO, for instance, to be around £130. Regular short services shouldn't cost you too much more than £200, but you need more than £500 for the 30,000 mile service that includes replacing the spark plugs and can hoist. Look carefully for signs of crash damage. We've heard of alarm system problems. And obviously insist on a fully stamped-up service history.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2020 Giulia Quadrifoglio - Ex Vat - autodoc.co.uk) An air filter costs in the £15-£76 bracket. An oil filter costs in the £19-£44 bracket. Front brake pads sit in the £25-£277 bracket for a set; for a rear set, it's in the £35-£185 bracket. Front brake discs sit in the £82-£270 bracket; for rears, think in the £57-£267 bracket. An alternator is in the £503-£698 bracket. And a starter motor is in the £74-£186 bracket. A water pump is in the £166-£280 bracket. A cabin filter is around £5-£14.

On the Road

This Giulia Quadrifoglio model is a four-door Ferrari in all but name. Under the bonnet lies a 2.9-litre petrol V6 Biturbo that's essentially a cut-down version of the 4.0-litre V8 used in Maranello's 488 GTB. It develops a thundering 510bhp, which at the time of this test was an output matched only by the upgraded and much pricier 'S' version of this model's other most obvious rival, the Mercedes-AMG C 63. This Alfa storms to 62mph in a 3.9s time that identically matches that Merc, this figure only slightly slower than that Ferrari we just mentioned. And should you find yourself a track or a stretch of unrestricted autobahn, it'll keep powering on up to 191mph. Alfa's thrown all the performance technology it has at this halo model, though interestingly, not its Q4 4WD system. Not for our market anyway. In lieu of that, 'Active Torque Vectoring' helps get the power down through the bends, 'Active Suspension' varies the damping and 'Alfa Chassis Domain Control' connects the different systems to deliver the best set-up as the car is being driven. There's also an 'Alfa Active Aero' system that alters the angle of the front splitter to help this model scythe through the air more cleanly, plus the 'DNA' drive modes system gets an extra 'Race' setting for tyre-smoking starts. Other markets get a manual gearbox option but an 8-speed paddleshift auto transmission is mandatory for the UK.

Overall

We can't help being reminded here of another car developed by a premium Fiat Group brand with Maranello assistance, the Lancia Thema 8.32, known popularly as the 'Thema Ferrari' and produced between 1984 and 1994. That car used a 3.0-litre V8 that developed around a third of the power boasted by this Giulia Quadrifoglio. Time has moved on - and how. You could argue that this top Giulia doesn't offer anything you can't already get from a rival Mercedes-AMG C 63 or BMW M3 saloon from this period - and in some ways that's true. But this Alfa delivers its performance in an even more beguiling way - and of course it's much rarer. One for collectors we think.