“THE BREMBO BRAKES HAVE MORE BITE THAN A WELL-AGED CHEDDAR”
kilowatts and 600 newton metres of torque that produce devastating urge with just the gentlest touch of your right foot.
Nail it and the Quadrifoglio rushes to the redline in each of its eight gears as the speedo, in a blink, rockets deep into triple figures. How the traction control contains the immense power through its carbon fibre drive shaft, to the wide rear Pirelli P-Zeros without leaving smouldering rubber everywhere is astounding. Then there is the vast mid-range torque giving the Quadrifoglio huge flexibility for passing and climbing hills plus lashings of top end power.
Like the entry model Giulia I drove last year the steering is exceedingly direct with just two turns lock-to-lock, which, on winding roads means you can steer it almost telepathically. Of course several drive modes are available for extra sparkle, including a race mode that switches off the traction control and should be confined to track exploits, which I can imagine would be huge fun.
The Brembo brakes have more bite than a well-aged cheddar and, like the fast steering, they take some getting used to, but once you’ve mastered the volumes of feel and feedback from both you’ll feel very confident when having a decent crack on a favourite road. Weight is kept to a minimum with carbon fibre used for the roof, bonnet and boot, while aluminium is employed for the suspension, guards and doors.
Point to point the Quadrifoglio’s huge speed,
quick steering, powerful brakes, planted ride and racecar handling make it a very special car.
It’s luxurious and spacious inside and though it rides on wide, low profile tyres and taut suspension it’s remarkably comfortable and doesn’t jiggle about over road blemishes. The same goes for cabin quietness despite the exhaust note barking out an entertaining stream of bangs and pops up and down the gears.
There are a couple of niggles: the steering wheel mounted start/stop button isn’t illuminated at night; the paddle shifts tend to foul a quick grab for the indicator and wiper stalks and it misses out on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That’s about it. And none are deal breakers.
But in every way the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio is mightily impressive. The way it looks, the way it sounds and the way it drives are the products of the overwhelming passion that Alfa Romeo focuses on creating something very special. The result comes into focus for the driver from behind the wheel.
If you have but one fibre in your body that is passionate about driving, it will be impossible not to enjoy the Quadrifoglio.
ABOVE RIGHT
Grille styling is unmistakable.
BELOW QV meets SZ forebear. Both are serious performance cars from their respective eras.