2nd ALFA GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO

Newcomer is a great return to form for Alfa Romeo, with plenty of character and performance on offer

THE standard Alfa Romeo Giulia has proved more than a match for its compact executive rivals, so hopes for the hot Quadrifoglio are high. It certainly looks the part, with subtly muscular lines and neat details such as the bonnet vents, four leaf clover badges on the front wings and a small, carbon fibre tailgate spoiler.

Inside, the Giulia has one of the best Alfa Romeo interiors in a generation, thanks to its slick design, decent materials and solid build quality. Yet it still doesn’t have the premium appeal of its rival, while details such as the flimsier feeling switchgear are out of place in a £60,000 car. But the thin-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel feels great in your hands, while the green and white stitching on the seats and dash let you know you’re in something a bit special. However, it’s worth noting that the figure-hugging, carbon-fibre shelled bucket seats fitted to our test car are an eye-watering £2,950.

At the track, poor traction off the line meant the Alfa needed 5.3 seconds to sprint from 0-60mph. However, once up and running, the combination of 600Nm of torque and an eight-speed gearbox meant the Giulia narrowly had the upper hand over the C63 during our in-gear tests. It completed the fourth gear 30-50mph run in 2.5 seconds.

On the road, the Alfa feels blisteringly quick, an impression that’s aided by a sharp throttle response and a slick-shifting transmission that can be controlled via large column-mounted paddles. So it’s a shame the Giulia’s 2.9-litre V6 sounds a little flat. Engaging Dynamic mode increases the volume and adds some cracks from the exhaust on upshifts, but it’s not as characterful as the Mercedes’ V8.

The Giulia’s steering is a bit lifeless, but it’s quick and there’s bags of front end grip. Agility is further boosted by the torque vectoring differential, which shuffles torque to the outside wheel to help fire the car out of corners. Like the Mercedes, you can alter your line using both steering and throttle. However, there’s not as much traction as in the Merc, particularly in slippery conditions.

The standard adaptive dampers don’t control body movements quite as well as in the Merc, even in the firmer Dynamic setting. The flipside is that the Alfa is a more supple and relaxing car than its rival in Comfort. Combined with the low levels of wind and engine noise, it makes the Giulia a better long-distance cruiser. Our car was also fitted with the crushingly expensive £5,500 carbon ceramic brakes. This offered fade-free stopping at the track, but on the road the set-up is snatchy and requires hefty pedal pressure to perform effectively.