ALFA ROMEO GIULIA BUYERS’ GUIDE
so well – with paddle-shifts – that you soon realise
that you get the best of all worlds. If you want to let
the car take the strain you can leave it in auto, but if
you want some fun and switch to manual, the gear
changes are fast and smooth.
If the four-cylinder Giulias are appealing, the
Quadrifoglio is a complete animal. To tame its 510hp
there are adaptive dampers, a torque-vectoring
differential working through two clutches that can
send 100% of drive to either rear wheel, a weight-
saving ‘by-wire’ electromechanical braking system
and a Magneti Marelli electronic chassis
management computer.
The result of all this jiggery pokery is a car that,
even on 19-inch wheels, rides amazingly well. The
standard brakes work OK if you're not caning the car
but if you drive really hard, such as on track, themade interior and it rides very well, even though it has
run-flat tyres – which seem to wear very slowly despite
the amount of grip they provide.
"I used to have a Ferrari 308 GTS and the Giulia is
quicker, plus it's every bit as much fun to drive, yet
there's plenty of space for four or even five people
with their luggage. I also love the Alfa's rarity and the
fact that people notice it; I regularly get compliments
on how great it looks. Even though I've had my Alfa for
almost a year, the thrill of driving it hasn't gone away –
I still take it out regularly, just to enjoy the drive. When
it goes back next year I might have to break my golden
rule and get another Giulia, because this really is the
consummate all-rounder".
The lack of a manual transmission might seem like a
big error on Alfa's part, but as Dave confirms, in reality
the eight-speed gearbox is silky smooth and it worksPrices for Quadrifoglios
now start at around
£40,000, but beware of
Category S write-offs at
lower prices