FINAL RESULTS
VEHICLE
DRIVER COMFORT
ERGONOMICS
REAR-SEAT COMFORT
REAR-SEAT SPACE*
TRUNK SPACE*
FEATURES/AMENITIES*
FIT AND FINISH
INTERIOR STYLING
EXTERIOR STYLING
REBATES/EXTRAS*
AS-TESTED PRICE*
SUBTOTAL
POWERTRAIN
1/4-MILE
ACCELERATION*
FLEXIBILITY*
FUEL ECONOMY*
ENGINE NVH
TRANSMISSION
SUBTOTAL
CHASSIS
PERFORMANCE*
STEERING FEEL
BRAKE FEEL
HANDLING
RIDE
SUBTOTAL
EXPERIENCE
FUN TO DRIVE
TOTAL10
10
5
5
5
10
10
10
10
5
20
10020
5
10
10
10
5520
10
10
10
10
6025
2409 8 3 5 5 5 8 9 9 020
8120
4
8
8
10
5020
9
7
10
10
5624
2119 8 4 5 5 5 9 8 8 118
8018
4
10
7
7
4619
8
8
8
6
4921
1969 6 2 2 4 9 7 6 7 120
7319
4
8
6
7
4419
9
9
9
9
5523
1958
8
3
5
5
10
10
8
8
0
16
8120
4
8
10
8
5018
8
9
8
8
5123
205045RANK
Maximum points available*These objective scores are calculated from the vehicle’s dimensions,
capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.ALFA GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO
MERCEDES-AMG C63 SBMW M3CADILLAC ATS-V1 2 3 4
W hile braking into corners, we did notice an annoying and incon-
sistent brake pedal. Alfa fits electrically assisted brakes to the Giulia,
and they don’t mete out braking forces with much consistency. Creep-
ing to a stop in traffic is made difficult because the brakes keep slipping
when you expect them to grab. Emergency stops are no problem,
though, as the Giulia stopped from 70 mph in 143 feet. Credit the tires
and the expertly calibrated anti-lock system.
Let’s discuss tires for a moment. Alfa equips the Giulia Quadrifo-
glio with Pirelli P Zero Corsa Asimmetrico 2 rubber. Far more extreme
than the Michelin Pilot Super Sports on the other three competitors,
the Corsas are track-day numbers that owners will likely need to
replace every 5000 to 10,000 miles. We’d call them cheater tires, but
there’s no rule stopping the others from offering equally aggressive
rubber. Rolling on Super Glue, the Alfa pulled 1.00 g on the skidpad.
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 elec-
tronic 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 unfa-
miliar corners. It’s not until you step into the other cars that you fully
appreciate how well the Giulia changes direction.
There are a few things the Giulia doesn’t do well. Apparently, no
one thought of making it possible to disable the automatically back-
tracking driver’s seat when you turn off the car. Alfa promises to fix
that for 2018. The bottom cushions are a bit short, and the hard B-pil-
lar trim is an elbow poker. Despite that, we did find a comfortable seat-
ing position. The interior design blends a lot of Mazda cues with some
Ferrari flair. It’s familiar and attractive, but not as rich as the AMG’s
interior. A leather-topped dashboard looks and feels expensive, but the
lower you look here, the harder and cheaper the materials become. The
audio-system controls and displays are easy to decipher, but the sound
from the optional stereo lacks the depth of the other systems. In a
world of Google Maps, every new car should have a sharp and clear
navigation system. The Alfa’s is years behind the Germans’, although
the map view that makes houses into little Italian villas is a charming
reminder of the Alfa’s roots.
Another reminder that we were in an Italian car hit us when we
briefly warmed up the Giulia using the remote-start feature. After we
entered the car and pushed the start but-
ton, the Alfa died. A quick restart illumi-
nated the check-engine light and brought
up two messages: “Service Electronic
Throttle Control” and “Service Engine.”
The Giulia still drove, but it wouldn’t move
out of its low-boost advanced-efficiency
mode. Fortunately, at the next stop, our
always prepared assistant technical editor,
David Beard, plugged in his OBD II scanner
and cleared the codes. It cured the Alfa, but
the fault returned when, in the interest of
science, we tried remote-starting the car
again. Alfa should include an OBD II scan-
ner as standard equipment, and customers
should consider themselves part of the
development team.
We are willing to overlook this hiccup,
but it’s a reminder that Italian cars are part
comedy and part tragedy. In the Giulia’s
case, the comedy far outweighs the tragedy,
at least for now.