2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Last Test: So Long, Old Friend
The Italian sport sedan’s heritage, fantastic handling, and ample power will be greatly missed.
Pros
- Very, very quick
- Very, very handsome
- Very, very agile
Cons
- Pricey
- Tight back seat
- Discontinued after '24
Getting the keys to the Verde Montreal tri-coat-sprayed 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio felt more special than all the other times we’ve driven and tested Alfa’s signature sport sedan over the years. No, it wasn’t because of its superb, Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 with 505 hp, or its still sexy styling. Those are just some of the things we’ve been admiring about our former Car of the Year since it first arrived in America back in 2015.
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This time it was more emotional, more personal, like we were saying goodbye to an old friend. And that’s because we were. Our drive was likely the last time we’ll spend behind the wheel of a brand-new Guilia Quadrifoglio in America, as the final models will be leaving the Cassino, Italy, factory this summer. Although we’re sad to see the Giulia go, as we experienced once again during our last test run, the Quadrifoglio is still a dominating force at the track and on the open road despite its aging bones.
Arrivederci, Amico!
Whether it was because of its stunning color, its four-leaf clover badge, or because it’s going away, the Giulia Quadrifoglio was quite popular among MotorTrend employees who saw the car parked in the office lot. Multiple joy rides were given, its roaring exhaust heard loud and clear from inside the office. Everyone who emerged from the cabin did so with a smile on their face. One of those employees, whose wife drives a Giulia sans the QV badge, said he had found his wife’s next car.
While we often have access to various sport sedans at MotorTrend, few garnered the attention this Giulia did. People were shocked to learn the Quadrifoglio was bidding goodbye to Americans. We still can’t process it, either. Alfa’s boss, Larry Dominique, has loudly hinted that the Quadrifoglio badge will return, but likely with some sort of electrification, whether as a plug-in hybrid or full EV. But the glorious roar of the twin-turbo V-6 and the progressive power delivery that comes along with it will soon be a part of history.
Giulia Quadrifoglio: The Q Is for Quite Extraordinary
The praise starts from the moment you press the red push-start button on the steering wheel and the engine erupts. Pulling up to a stop sign with an open road ahead gets the experience started. Step on the throttle, and a big roar will fill up the cabin while your back is pressed against the seatback, with pressure mounting as the engine’s 443 lb-ft of torque are delivered to the rear wheels. The eight-speed automatic transmission will quickly shift as the revs climb closer to redline; it's a punchiness that feels like it will never end.
In a straight line, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is intense. For this car, 0 to 60 mph arrived in 3.9 seconds and the quarter mile in 12.2 seconds at 117.6 mph, which is on par with other Giulia QVs we’ve tested. Braking from 60 mph to a stop happens in 100 feet. Not a lot of cars can do that. And not a lot of cars bring the same kind of smiles the Quadrifoglio does. “What a fabulous engine” associate road test editor Erick Ayapana said after several launches of the Quadrifoglio during our instrumented testing. “The sounds, the power, everything.”
On our figure-eight test, the Giulia’s steering feel and overall power shined. But road test editor Chris Walton had a hard time sorting out the brake pedal, and the throttle proved sensitive in Race mode. But the Quadrifoglio managed to complete the test in an impressive 24.1 seconds at 0.83 g. “But for the Novocain brake pedal, this is a brilliant sport sedan,” he said.
No matter where you drive it, the Quadrifoglio’s steering is precise, quick, and not overly heavy. And despite being the performance model, its ride is sporty but not punishingly so—in some ways softer than the ride of our long-term Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Fun Ride, Tight Packaging
We didn’t have many complaints about the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s driving abilities, but we had a few gripes about its packaging, primarily its overly tight back-seat and trunk space.
For instance, our golf bag didn’t fit in the trunk of the car, causing us to fold down the second-row seats to accommodate it. Instead of having deep pockets on the side of the cargo area like most sedans, the Giulia has flat panels, which prevents long items like the golf clubs from fitting properly. During one of the weekends we had the car, two of our friends and their golf clubs rode in the Giulia, and we had to take some clubs out of one bag to fit three golf bags with 60 percent of the rear seats folded.
The second row’s legroom is also compromised for adults. The space is tight for anyone 6 feet or taller, and foot room is a bit cramped given the big hump. While we know Alfa spent its resources making the Giulia a great car to drive, we wish it had put more thought into making the second row and the cargo area more accommodating.
The Alfa Romeo's Familiar Interior
We recently spent time driving the 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Competizione RWD, the more mainstream variant of this sedan. Both the Competizione and the Quadrifoglio share the same interior, which is comfortable for daily driving. The 8.8-inch touchscreen has decent graphics, but its infotainment system takes some getting used to, with many settings buried in menus. We spent most of our time connected to Apple CarPlay; Android Auto is also available, and both are wired only.
We dig the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the attention to detail that Alfa software designers put into it, using the same font and designs as Alfas of yesteryear. We wish the display could be further optimized, as there are many blank spots that could be filled with graphics or navigation.
There aren’t many differences in the interior between the Quadrifoglio and less expensive Giulia variants. The four-leaf clover is only on the steering wheel and the push-start button on the steering wheel is red instead of black. Some carbon-fiber details also adorn the steering wheel and door panels, but both interiors are otherwise similar.
End of an Era
The 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio marks the end of an era for the Italian brand. The Quadrifoglio nameplate may indeed return, but it will almost certainly be affixed to some sort of electrified model. Whether or not that model is fun to drive, it will no doubt be heavier and won’t come with the same exhaust pops and crackles that make this Giulia stand out.
Perhaps one of the reasons the Quadrifoglio didn’t sell as well as Alfa executives hoped is its price. At $86,365 all in, our test car was expensive, and despite the suave Italian style and great hardware, it’s been getting harder to justify the QV’s value against its competitive set as it’s aged. But alas, we’re going to miss it. People tend to quickly forget about cars like the Giulia, but the Quadrifoglio has left an indelible mark on our automotive hearts.
Miguel Cortina is Mexico Editor at MotorTrend, covering the auto industry in the U.S. and south of the border. He joined MotorTrend in January 2015 and is an avid automotive enthusiast who enjoys playing golf, surfing, and running in his free time.
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