Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio | Test Drive

31 May 2021 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Jay Tomei

They say that finding a four-leaf clover is a lucky sign, so the day will almost certainly take a positive turn. That’s why when we end up with our feet in a field covered with clovers, we struggle to find that stem that ends with four leaves. After searching for long, almost certain that perseverance and patience will reward such constancy, most of the time you find yourself with nothing in your hand and the firm belief that the four-leaf clover is an insensitive invention told to us since childhood. Today it is different. Spring, now ready to make its long-awaited entry on the calendar, offers a morning that seems unable to break off the thick blanket of clouds of a humid night. All around you can still see a bare vegetation, with almost autumnal colors and which however allows a fair visibility even where the curves chase one after the other, in some points almost massed together, in others interspersed with hints of straights where you can unload the desire to press hard on the throttle. The silence of a morning at the beginning of the week like so many others is literally torn apart by the roar of a creature that many consider mythological for the simple fact that it is too beautiful to be real.

The asphalt below tries in every way to satisfy the need for grip of the rear wheels, left almost completely free once in Race mode, the one that lets the exhaust system accompany every acceleration with a symphony that seems coming from the center of the earth. Even the slightest pressure on the gas pedal is perceived by all five senses, but when the tachometer needle reaches 2,500/2,800 and the valves are in “fully open” position, goosebumps take over the scene and tickle that unhealthy need to push even further. The ergonomics of the Giulia is that of a glove sewn onto you, it follows every millimeter of your body and envelops you thanks to a sports shell seat made out of carbon fiber, Alcantara and leather. At that point it does not matter if, over long distances, my poor back suffers as usual, because the stops at the petrol pump will be frequent and allow me to stretch my legs and find other good reasons to continue where the road is curvy.

The mid-life refreshment that it shares with the Stelvio, however, sees some slight updates dedicated to the optical groups, the electronic systems for semi-autonomous driving and the multimedia system, now pretty much flawless. The Giulia Quadrifoglio, however, goes beyond speeches that do not include the primordial sense of speed and the adrenaline unleashed by the pores of an engine that has Ferrari fingerprints all over it, a 2.9-liter turbocharged V6 grounding 510 horsepower. And although it is perfectly capable of taking you from one point to another in the utmost comfort offered by a sedan with four doors, five seats and a rather large trunk, the Quadrifoglio is an object that knows how to touch those keys that immediately recall to mind the glorious past of the Arese snake, that row of successes that have granted Alfa Romeo the nickname of Cuore Sportivo.

There is carbon everywhere, but when I finally reach the border between a road like many others and the ideal one to transform a simple day at the office into a 100 octane war, the right foot starts sinking more decisively. Hands clasp the steering wheel – also updated and more ergonomic than before – with fingers that do not struggle while looking for the paddles to manage gear changes. The constant here is the presence in the cockpit of the infernal roar of the V6 spit out of the two pairs of tailpipes at the back. Within a few minutes, it all comes down to the road that is outlined moment after moment in front of my nose. There is no time for any distraction, while I pinch that limit that allows me to manage cornerings that I thought impossible for a 1,700 kilogram sedan. When there is enough space, unleashing the 510 horses is the best way to gulp down the road, throwing yourself into the bends with the car body that does not break down by an inch, provided you have the guts to keep it down. At the exit, the slightest uncertainty can cause the rear to widen, but even in that case it is a hint that allows you not to lose the moment and not to risk the pendulum effect. The 285” rear tires really do everything possible to accommodate the driver’s intentions, but it is the reactivity that is distributed between the wheels, transmission and steering wheel that offers such an intense driving experience that you forget you are in a car of a similar size.

None and I mean no other is able to put you into such an excited situation, punctuated by the screams of the engine and the grip of a precise front axle that brushes entries through corners that are especially useful when you begin to fully exploit the incredible torque of 600 Nm. This comes into play quickly – at 2,500 rpm – and offers the perfect meeting point between an increase in delivery and the typical thrust of the two turbochargers. You fire a couple of gears, for the simple fact that the road is not wide enough to allow you to throw more than half of the 8 speeds made available by the gearbox, now exclusively ZF automatic. The self-locking differential makes its effort felt and is one of the many aspects that makes it necessary to drive in Sport mode, even on uneven surfaces like these.

Giulia in Wonderland, but it almost sounds obvious, a bit like the fact that a lot of fun does not only have a price starting at just over € 90,000, taxes, or those costs represented by the various fuel runs at which you will have to get used if dealing with the Giulia with an eye to the four-leaf clover. In return, however, you get the perfect forerunner of the more visceral involvement behind a steering wheel and this, especially in a historical period in which it seems that the future far from electric cars is out of fashion, plays an even more important role to keep the heart of enthusiasts beating. It is not even a question of brand loyalty, because after all we are simple creatures and even those who fly the German flag and swear loyalty to the Audi, BMW, Mercedes triptych can find in the Giulia Quadrifoglio an intensity that knows no colors, but just the way of speed.

Curves, hairpin bends, straights, the Giulia is devouring the world, making it its own and while I keep driving and enjoying the fact of being the only living soul in this dispersed hill between Piedmont and Liguria, I immolate more petrol in the good name of driving pleasure. Accelerating from 0 to 100 takes just 3.9 seconds, obviously making sure that the power is not lost with wheel-spin. Still in the same Cape Canaveral-style launching argument, 200 per hour is reached in 12.8 seconds. Full speed? 307 kph. Yes, the Quadrifoglio is serious and has no idea about what politically correct means – that’s why there’s the excellent Giulia Veloce, equipped with an amazing 280 horsepower 2.0 turbodiesel engine. From the first lights of dawn to the long shadows of sunset, after a few full tanks of petrol, a bit of tread left as a pledge in the most intense turns and a lot of noise echoing in the valley, creating that magic that is usually reserved to those more typical poster cars, those with unmistakable shapes, closer to modern spaceships than to the car you would use to go to the grocery.

The beauty of the Giulia Quadrifoglio is also this, because despite an all in all sober appearance and mainly distinguishable by different bumpers, side skirts, the air intakes on the bonnet and the small carbon spoiler at the rear, it could almost blend in with the sedans that accompany a family that can’t even imagine what it means to bring milk home at 300 per hour. The Giulia Quadrifoglio is an extremity inserted in the most typical of everyday context, but unlike its competitors it is not the standard model dressed up to check the fastest box of the list, but rather a mission of rebirth that the brand had damned need for a long time. It is an injection of confidence straight to the heart, a show of strength and courage that does not need fine words to demonstrate how much the best high-performance sedan on the list is. It pays homage to its illustrious past by writing a wonderful present time page and ensuring a future full of happy days, where for proper enthusiasts, all that matters is the perfect marriage between chassis and engine.

You look at it on the side of the road, silent, exactly placed where until a few seconds ago it was raping turns without the slightest regard. You begin to talk to her, to create an insane relationship also helped by the fact that she is called like your neighbor next door, the daughter of those family friends you have known for years and who finally decided to take back her rightful place, in the ‘Olympus of performances. Another full run, other curves to bite. I still need to hear how the chassis reads the asphalt, to hold that steering wheel tight and to play that voluptuous symphonic instrument that makes you feel alive in a way that hasn’t happened for some time. The Giulia Quadrifoglio is one of those cars that happen once every decade, capable of freezing in time the moment you settle into the driver’s seat and unleash hell once the engine comes to life. It’s a masterpiece.

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO

Engine V6 cylinder Turbo, 2.891 cc Power 510 hp @ 6.500 rpm Torque 600 Nm @ 2.500-5.500 rpm

Traction Rear-wheel-drive Transmission 8-Speed Automatic Gearbox Weight 1.695 kg

0-100 kph 3,9 sec Top Speed 307 kph Price from €90.500