When did BMW’s M division stop being the benchmark for makers of fast sedans? Some might point to the launch of the X5 M, some might point fingers at the CLAR chassis and its serious mass, some might cite the unnecessary stiffness of the X3 M, but I reckon the launch of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is as good a marker as any.
I still remember the frenzy when this mesmerizing Italian super sedan debuted. Huge output, huge speed, a bit of Ferrari DNA, all in a credible competitor to the BMW M3. Road testers adored it, enthusiasts craned their necks when they saw one in traffic, and everyone declared it the compact sports sedan to beat.
Unfortunately, sales never really took off, which means this 505-horsepower super sedan isn’t quite as common a sight as any of its German competitors. However, thanks to biblical depreciation, you can now get an example of this Italian super sedan for the price of a new Honda Civic. That’s not a lot of scratch for something this quick.
What Are We Looking At?
Through the 2000s, Alfa Romeo was in a bit of a slump. Sure, the Brera was cool and the 8C was an interesting low-volume coupe, but compared to the halcyon days of the ’60s and ’70s, there weren’t a ton of all-Alfa vehicles on sale. The 159 and Brera were technically built on a platform co-developed with GM, which GM then abandoned. Then, in 2013, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne gave Alfa the mandate it needed: Develop a no-nonsense front-engined rear-wheel-drive all-Alfa sports sedan. It was time for the legendary brand to truly compete with BMW again. Marchionne tapped into the talent of Former Ferrari technical director Phillipe Krief to get the job done, and Krief assembled a dream team and got to work.
It started with a clean-sheet architecture with multi-link front and rear suspension, designed for an even front-to-rear weight distribution and using aluminum in the strut towers, the doors, and front fenders to keep the weight reasonable. From there, Alfa Romeo went with fast steering, gorgeous sheetmetal, and suspension that breathed with the road to produce a proper 3-Series competitor, the Giulia. However, in an age when every luxury automaker had a small performance sedan, Alfa Romeo also needed to take on the BMW M3. It dusted off the Quadrifoglio nameplate from previous high-performance models, and went a bit nuts.
At the heart of the Giulia Quadrifoglio sits a 90-degree V6 derived from the Ferrari F154 V8. While it isn’t just that engine with two fewer cylinders, the 2.9-liter 690T V6 shares a bore, stroke, bank angle, and chief engineer as the V8 in the Ferrari Portofino. Perhaps thanks to borrowing some lesson plans, the V6 kicks out a whopping 505 horsepower and 443 lb.-ft. of torque, and hitched to the mandatory-for-America ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, that’s good enough to get the Giulia Quadrifoglio from zero-to-60 mph in 3.6 seconds in Car And Driver testing, and onto a top speed of 191 MPH.
However, this hot Alfa doesn’t just offer more firepower than an F80 M3, it also holds up in the bends. There’s a bumpy road mode for the adaptive dampers, a torque-vectoring differential, and the most egregious set of tires likely ever fitted to a production sedan. They’re technically street-legal, but these special Pirellis have a treadwear rating of 60. Yeah, 60. The result? When Car And Driver pitted the Giulia Quadrifoglio against the BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S, and Cadillac ATS-V, the Alfa won, aided by its spectacular chassis. As per the magazine:
With the exception of Porsche’s 911 and 718 Boxster/Cayman, there is no other 1.00-g chassis that rides as well as the Giulia’s. The electronic dampers provide transcendent wheel control and somehow round off bumps that would ring through the BMW and Mercedes. Even in the hardest of the three modes, the suspension remains civil in a way that eludes the German sedans.
Next to the competition, the Giulia’s steering is on the light side, but that lightness and the chassis’ agility helped it ace the slalom test and made the Giulia the go-to car for leading the group through unfamiliar corners. It’s not until you step into the other cars that you fully appreciate how well the Giulia changes direction.
The result is one of the best sports sedans of the 21st century from a driver’s perspective. Sure, the interior might not be as upscale as in a Mercedes-AMG C63 S, and you can’t get it with a manual transmission like you could with a BMW M3, but giant column-mounted paddle shifters aren’t a bad consolation prize, and your passengers will be fine without excessive amounts of ambient lighting.
How Much Are We Talking?
Let’s start with a benchmark: A mid-range Civic Sport Hybrid sedan stickers for $30,100 including freight. Now that the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a whopping nine years old, you can easily get this once-$73,595 sedan for Civic money. Check out this 2017 model that failed to meet reserve on Cars & Bids but sold after the auction for $28,000. With 75,500 miles on the clock, it’s not a particularly high-mileage example, and it has a clean Carfax. Sure, minor aftermarket modifications like H&R lowering springs, Apex wheels, the wrapped roof, and what appears to be light tint on the taillights may have affected resale value, but this is a serious amount of car for the money.
However, if you’re looking for something less perfect, you may be able to score a Giulia Quadrifoglio for even less. This 2017 model sold on Cars & Bids a few months ago for $23,000 with 84,000 miles on the clock. The catch? Well, there are two. The first is that this example is equipped with carbon ceramic brakes, which should last a long time but are seriously expensive to replace if a disc wears out or gets damaged. The second is a minor hit on the Carfax from 2022. Still, if neither of those things are a big deal to you, $23,000 for a Giulia Quadrifoglio is a steal.
Don’t want to wait for an auction to pop up? This grey 2017 Giulia Quadrifoglio is up for sale in Georgia for $29,000 with a reasonable 55,037 miles on the clock. It’s not a mega-spec example, but the standard seats are better than the carbon-backed Sparcos if you have kids who may kick the seatbacks, and grey-on-black is a quiet spec for those who want to stay under the radar. It’s still a lot of car for $29,000,
What Can Go Wrong On A Giulia Quadrifoglio?
Now, the common thread for most of the cheapest Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio examples on the market is that they’re 2017 models, and those came with some teething issues. While a litany of dealer-installed software updates has significantly reduced the instances of ghosts in the machine, there are still some common problems you should know about. The first is that these cars are hard on batteries, and a discharged battery can lead to all sorts of error messages. Could early software iterations, a discharged battery, and poorly seated e-throttle connectors have contributed to Car And Driver‘s legendarily abysmal experience with its Giulia Quadrifoglio long-term test car? It’s possible. Strangely, though, most owners report that aside from keeping a code reader handy to clear occasional CANBUS communication errors, their cars have largely been mechanically solid.
That being said, don’t equate relative mechanical decency with inexpensive running costs. Aside from the tires, which are made of mozzarella and have the lifespan of dragonflies, the most common absurd expense with these cars is that it’s absolutely heinously awful to change the serpentine belt, beyond what even high-performance German sports sedan masochists would consider sane. Official procedure involves draining some of the coolant and removing the front wheels, among other things. It’s a roughly ten-hour service that’s due every four years, so you’ll need to budget some serious money for this piece of scheduled maintenance.
Beyond that, a pair of iron front brake discs will run you around $1,600, spark plugs cost nearly $40 each and have a 60,000-mile service interval, and you’ll want to be careful around steep driveway entrances and parking blocks to avoid damaging the active front splitter. Still, it’s not like a modern BMW M car is much cheaper to run, but you wouldn’t want to go into this genre of car with no research done.
Should You Buy A Giulia Quadrifoglio For The Price Of A New Civic?
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is an utterly bewitching car, yet I’d hesitate to recommend one for new Civic money. Would I buy one with my own money? Sure, but I’m an optimistic idiot. That being said, if you’re also an optimist with solid diagnostic skills and the ability to differentiate between what’s a real problem and what’s just a ghost in the machine, and you have the money to keep ahead on maintenance, a used Giulia Quadrifoglio can be a lot of fun.
Top graphic credit: Cars & Bids
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If you’ve never driven one of these, mandatory viewing of Clarkson’s experience getting in and out of the driver’s door. You may still want it after that, the engine is great, but having driven a manual Giulia in Italy, the automatic is pretty meh.
You could also marry a 400 lbs woman with seven kids, move to Oklahoma and live in mobile home in tornado alley and drive a rusted out 1977 Dodge pickup, but why would you do that to yourself?
Came for “Aside from the tires, which are made of mozzarella and have the lifespan of dragonflies,” leaving satisfied. This is where my Autopian love springs from.
“Official procedure involves draining some of the coolant and removing the front wheels, among other things. It’s a roughly ten-hour service”
To replace a SERPENTINE BELT?
I was thinking about it then I saw this. At that moment I decided to screw modern sports cars and LS swap my old Civic instead.
Unless you love torque steering into the nearest ditch I’d stick with a RWD platform.
Pretty sure you can still pick up an E30/36 BMW for a reasonable price.
But everybody loves a good death trap!
Oh I’m pretty sure a LS swapped 1980’s E30 counts as a deathtrap.
They’re a great value if you can afford the maintenance costs. If I ever find a red or green one in good shape I’d buy it. There are a lot of independent shops here in Orange County that could handle working on it for a bit lower cost.
Basically, someone who can only afford a new Civic shouldn’t come near these, but if you could afford to buy (not lease) a new midlevel luxury car, you’d be alright with one of these. They may not be cheap to run, but the low prices leave lots of extra money for maintenance.
The green these came in is an absolutely gorgeous color.
Even if I ignore the service costs and glitches, the flappy paddles kill it for me. Then there is the fact that a Civic type R or an Integrated Type S exist. Yes they are down on HP, but they have great shifting feel in a 6speed manual. That is what I seek in a performance driving vehicle. It’s a last gasp of driving connection in a world of screens and apps. (yes I know it is slower)
Integrated Type Sexist
Ha! Autocorrect got me. Lesson learned to proofread before posting. Thanks for the note.