The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is one of the best cars money can buy right now. Sure, it doesn’t have the greatest reputation for reliability and its dealer network is sparse, but it’s bristling with charm, character, and chassis brilliance that most competitors can’t quite match. Even the regular Giulia is a slice of greatness, and a relatively cheap one depending on where you look. For 2024, Alfa Romeo has updated the Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio, honored an important anniversary with two new special edition models, and hasn’t messed too much with a good thing.
As far as styling goes, not much has changed with the updated Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Both get a set of LED matrix headlights with three curved daytime running lights per side to mimic the Tonale crossover, a new set of tail lights with clear lenses and black inserts, and that’s it. Same bumpers, same hoods, same skirts, same fenders. Not only is this a testament to how well-styled these cars are, it also highlights how the internal components of lighting assemblies are styling elements.
Go back to the turn of the millennium when companies were still using reflector-style xenon headlamps as upmarket options, and the agreed-upon way to really update lights was to change the shape of the entire assembly. This often necessitated new stampings, which are really expensive. While some will argue that the modern headlight styling revolution was kick-started by Audi’s fancy LED daytime running lights, I have to also credit BMW’s corona rings and the Infiniti Q45’s Gatling gun projectors as great contributors to the genre.
Arguably the biggest change comes on the inside, where both models ditch analog dials in favor of digital instrument clusters. While I’d argue this isn’t necessarily a step forward, it isn’t a step backward either. There’s a certain luxury appeal to a well-designed analog dial, much in the same way there is for nice watches. Because of the printing process, physical dials will never feel low-resolution, and because they aren’t screens, black levels looking low in the future isn’t something to worry about. However, the new digital cluster puts a virtual tachometer right in front of the driver where it’s more easily visible, which can help in performance driving environments.
As for the rest of the interiors on both of these cars, they’re basically unchanged. Mind you, it’s not like they needed to change. Both the Stelvio and the Giulia offer just enough tech to keep up with modern standards but not so much it’s overbearing. Instead, emphasis is placed on things like metal speaker grilles, lovely gunsight air vents, and nicely-upholstered touch points. I have a feeling that these cabins will age far better than something like the new BMW 3-Series with its enormous screen setup.
As for the 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6, it gets a bump in power, but only if you live in Europe, the U.K., or China. Granted, an extra ten horsepower on top of 503 likely won’t be noticeable, so don’t feel like you’re missing out just because you live in America. What you probably will notice is a new all-mechanical limited-slip differential borrowed from the Giulia GTA, which could eliminate some of the inconsistencies of the outgoing car’s torque-vectoring diff. As ever, power goes through a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels on the Giulia Quadrifoglio and all four wheels on the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. While four-weather traction sounds very responsible, I’d recommend going with the Giulia, then using the new diff to rip big, dirty burnouts in the faces of people you don’t like.
Of course the big news that Alfa Romeo wants to draw heaps of attention to is that 2023 mark 100 years since the first appearance of its now-iconic quadrifoglio verde emblem. It first appeared on Ugo Sivocci’s Alfa Romeo RL race car, which promptly won the Targa Florio. Alfa initially adopted it as a good luck charm, and it’s since appeared on some of the greatest road cars the world has ever seen.
To celebrate, Alfa Romeo is building 100 each of the Giulia Quadifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversary models to sell worldwide. Available in black, red, or green, these cars get a whole host of gold accents along with special badging and some extra carbon fiber. It’s a rather tasteful way to mark a century of an icon.
Pricing for the updated 2024 Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio hasn’t been announced yet, but expect to hear more information closer to their third-quarter arrival in showrooms. I’d be genuinely surprised if Alfa Romeo moves the needle very far on pricing, which means that both models should represent fair value in the world of everyday luxury performance cars. More importantly, they’ll both continue to make our roads that much prettier and more interesting, which always matters.
(Photo credits: Alfa Romeo)
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I came oh so close but could not get past predicted residual values.
Best available color palette of the mainstream luxury Euro marques.
Wonderful heritage.
Pleased they made it 100 years.
Doubtful they will see 110 at today’s volumes.
Shame.
I know I’m missing the point here, but I’m not feeling the shift from analog to digital gauges. I’m good with infotainment screens and I’m good with gauge cluster information screens, but I can’t tell you how many times they get completely washed out in direct sunlight. I appreciate that my ’22 Camry has a pair of analog gauges in addition to the previously mentioned screens; they don’t become unreadable in direct sunlight and they look very classy.
I don’t understand the preference that many people (and auto manufacturers) have towards replacing the entire gauge cluster with screens. Unless they can crank up the brightness a ridiculous amount, they will always be harder to see in direct sunlight.
I think that it’s a problem of technology for technology’s sake. More screens don’t make your gauges better (the author’s comment about “can help in performance driving environments” notwithstanding) so much as they are a cheap way to make a car look newer and more ‘with the times.’
The Giulia quadrifoglio is pretty high on the list of cars I want to drive but never own.
My Giulia got towed 4 times in 13,000 miles. There was no feedback from the steering or brakes. I turned it in early from the lease. Yet every time I see one I sigh. Such beauty!
I put 15k on my 2018 in 2.5 years, turning it in 6 months early. Two tows and a few more times I drove it to the dealer. Brake by wire servo went out and fell back to mechanical. That was about 2 months at the dealer while they talked to tech support. They finally sent the instructions to program the new system to the car, and it was all in Italian, which led to more waiting. TBH I didn’t feel like the driving dynamics lived up to the hype. It drove good, but I felt it was down about 50hp from ideal and it was let down by the 225 tires. Gorgeous car that turned heads everywhere it went, though. It was red with Nero accents and 19″ 5 holes. I had to replace one of the wheels and the old one is now decoration in my house.
One time I was in one of those lanes that ends just after a stoplight, there was an old man in a Rav4 next to me. I figured I’ll just give it a little gas and get in front of this slowpoke before the lane ends.
I got smoked. Old man in his crossover took me straight to Gapplebee’s.
The RAV4 Prime does 0-60 in 5.4, so yeah, if you weren’t launching hard, you might see taillights.
Don’t underestimate old people heading to bingo.
My favorite quote from an Alfa owner: “Some cars are worth repairing.”
“only if you live in Europe, the U.K.,”
The UK is still in Europe. It’s not even the only European country not in the EU.
Nice green, still fugly.
My buddy has a 2019 Giulia QV. It’s an amazing car to drive. Handling is spot on, and you can’t ask for much more from the powerplant. Reliability from most owners in forums has been fine; if anything I hear about wonky first-gen Stellantis issues like a broken hood latch. If I had to buy a new sports car with 4 doors, I don’t think there’s any real competition, and the quality of the driving experience outweighs any questions of reliability for me.
Flaws?
-Some areas of low build or material quality in the cabin, such as the squeaky-carbon-bucket-seat option or low-quality plastics in frequent touch areas, but nothing too egregious.
-It’s such a good sports car in so many ways that it desperately needs a quality manual option.
-I think the car is absolutely gorgeous from any angle until the front bumper comes into view. It looks like it is angry because it just smelled a fart.
I kind of like these unapologetically weird, flawed cars. They’re apparently amazing to drive, particularly in quadrifoglio form, and I honestly like the styling and a lot of the colors they come in. Alfa reliability is spotty to say the least, the dealership network is nonexistent, and they depreciate like lead balloons, but still…I’m glad they exist.
I might consider buying one secondhand in a few years. I know it’s an absolutely terrible idea and that it will only bring me pain…but that screaming twin turbo, Ferrari derived V6’s siren song is calling out to me.
My wife has a 2020 Stelvio Ti. When I last took it in for service, I asked the service manager about the new Maserati Gracale. He said he thought about getting one for his wife but it is $20,000 more than the Stelvio but mechanically they are identical. He did say that the interior is nicer. He also said that the engine in the Stelvio and Guilia since 2019 have been the best engines ever for Alfa Romeo (in terms of reliability). He said they rarely come in with engine problems or any other problem for that matter, just regular maintenance.
I mean AR hasn’t made a longitudinal engined mass production car for a long long while (Their Euro mass market. golf ish competition seem to do fine). It is after Ferrari got spun out that they (and Maserati) get to do their own thing again for NA. I think the last stain on “their” reliability was the Maserati Quattroport (1st gen) gearboxes while Ferrari was still in play. The issue is not while they are under warranty is *after* that scares people, like any new comer to NA, parts can be harder to find (at least compared with its competitors). We still need datapoints to point either way, the question is do you and your wallet want to be that test subject. Usually I would say wait for second generation, but with EV looming so close, I would rather go for a coupe 4C/ non EV fillable niche.
That paint color is beautiful to me. I actually see Alfa’s out and about fairly often, but mostly the SUV.
I love this green. Sign me up.
Counterpoint: Alfa’s are not weird, flawed, or unreliable.
Yes, you can make the argument that some of the earliest first gen Giulia QV’s had their share of electrical gremlins, most notoriously documented via a dumpster fire Car and Driver long term test.
The reality is the Giulia /Stelvio are solid, reliable, and amazingly engaging vehicles.
It is accurate that the dealer network is sparse, though. You definitely want to consider your nearest dealer’s location(s) before taking the leap into Alfa ownership.
Otherwise, that siren song is absolutely worth chasing down.
Motor Trend had theirs for a year, and reported zero problems with it. During the same period, their Genesis G70 and Subaru Ascent spent literal months in the shop.
I got a Stelvio new in 2020, and the first impression for my wife was less than stellar. Three days into ownership CEL comes on and the thing goes into limp mode. Code is for bad coil packs. This happened early summer of 2020 and they had to order the packs from Italy which was still in complete lockdown. Anyhow I got to tool around in a Gulia for a month while waiting for the repair. The new packs were installed and the CEL tripped again almost immediately, so they asked me if what I put in it for gas, and I told them I didn’t have it long enough to have needed to put fuel in it. Anyhow the problem was bad gas. Since then–knock on wood–it has been mostly fine. There was some weird minor issue with the AC sometimes not functioning without restarting the car that was fixed with a software update. There are some creaks and squeaks starting to develop. Anyhow it drives very well for what it is, but I have no desire to be in an SUV, and I am not sure I trust it long term.
I know there’s a giant argument about it, but Alfa is the only automaker in its class that doesn’t offer cooled seats as an option for their cars and I’m disappointed they didn’t install it for the facelift.
They want you to step up for just $20,000 more to the Maserati Gracale for the vented seats!