Alfa Romeo Giulia QV 2017 review

Tim Robson tests and analyzes the new Alfa Romeo Giulia QV at the Sydney Motorsport Park, and reports on performance, fuel consumption and results from its launch in Australia.

It's time for one of the world's oldest automotive brands to get back on its feet. Founded in 1910, Alfa Romeo has to its credit some of the most beautiful and inspiring cars ever made…but the last 15 or so years have been but a sad shadow of bygone glory days, with a boring lineup of Fiat-derived modifications that sold poorly and brought very little value to the brand.

However, despite this, Alpha still harbors a lot of goodwill and affection, which claims to have spent the last five years along with €5bn (AU$7bn) and a team of FCA's best and smartest employees reinventing itself for new. century.

The Giulia sedan is the first of a string of all-new cars set to change the company, and the QV unequivocally throws down the gauntlet to competitors like Mercedes-AMG and BMW. Did he manage to accomplish the seemingly impossible?

Design

The four-door Giulia is unabashedly bold and stately, with strong lines, lush accents and a low, purposeful stance, while its glass roof elongates the bonnet, Alfa says.

The QV is clad entirely in carbon fiber: the hood, roof (these elements alone save nearly 35kg), side skirts, front lower spoiler (or splitter) and rear wing are all made from lightweight material.

Thankfully, Alfa has managed to give the Giulia QV some personality.

This front splitter is essentially an active aerodynamic device that raises to reduce drag at speed and lowers when braking to add downforce to the front end.

The car is completed by nineteen-inch wheels, which can be made in the traditional cloverleaf style as an option. The top color is, of course, Competizione Red, but it will come with a choice of seven exterior colors and four interior color options.

Thankfully, Alfa has managed to give the Giulia QV some personality in a sector where one car can all too easily look like another.

practicality

From the driver's seat, the dashboard is simple, clear and stylish, with minimal controls and focused on driving.

The steering wheel is compact, beautifully shaped and adorned with thoughtful touches such as Alcantara thumb pads.

The standard sports seats have plenty of support and support even for a 100kg pilot, and their connection to the two pedals and steering wheel is direct and correct. If you've ever driven an older Alfa, you'll understand why this matters.

The rest of the switchgear looks great, with a subtlety and delicacy we didn't expect.

The red starter button on the steering wheel spoke is also a big nod to the incorporation of Ferrari DNA into the Giulia range in general and the QV in particular; in fact, the head of the Giulia program, Roberto Fedeli, is a former Ferrari employee with cars like the F12 to his credit.

The rest of the switchgear looks great, with a subtlety and delicacy we didn't expect.

The only conspicuous issue we can spot is the eight-speed automatic's derailleur, which has been banished from the rest of the FCA empire. Large fixed paddles - again echoing what you'd find on a 488 - are the best way to control gears.

The 8.8-inch media screen is beautifully integrated into the center console and offers Bluetooth, sat-nav and digital radio, but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Rear seat space is average, with slightly limited headroom for taller passengers despite the deep rear seat bench.

A bit cramped for three, but perfect for two. ISOFIX mounts grace the outer rear, while the rear vents and rear USB port are nice touches.

One small negative is the height of the Giulia sills, which can make landing difficult. The same is with the shape of the doors, especially the rear ones.

During our quick test, we noticed two cupholders in the front, two in the center rear, and bottle holders in the front doors, as well as pockets in the rear doors. The trunk holds 480 liters of luggage, but no spare tire or space to save space.

Price and features

The Giulia QV starts at $143,900 before travel expenses. This puts it in the midst of a fight with its European counterparts, with the BMW M3 Competition priced at $144,615 and the Mercedes-AMG 63 S sedan at $155,615.

Standard equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels with custom Pirelli tires, bi-xenon and LED headlights with adaptive front lighting and automatic high beams, power and heated leather sport seats, and carbon and aluminum trim.

It also gets adaptive dampers and Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brake calipers. The rear-wheel drive Giulia has active torque distribution on the rear axle and a traditional eight-speed automatic transmission as standard.

The heart and jewel of the QV is a Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine.

Option packages include a carbon-ceramic brake system upgrade for both sides of the car for around $12,000 and a pair of carbon-coated Sparco racing buckets for around $5000.

Black brake calipers are standard, but red or yellow can also be ordered.

Engine and transmission

The heart and jewel of the QV is a Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. No one is saying this is a Ferrari engine with an Alfa badge, but there is evidence that the all-alloy engine belongs to the same F154 engine family as the V8 Ferrari California T and both engines have the same bore, stroke and V-shaped collapse. corner numbers.

Generating 375kW at 6500rpm and 600Nm from 2500 to 5000rpm from a V6 with direct fuel injection, Alfa reckons the Giulia QV will hit 0kph in just 100 seconds and top out at 3.9kph. It will also return the claimed 305 liters per 8.2 km.

Those specs eclipse the M3, which offers just 331kW and 550Nm in Competition specification and a 0-100km/h time of four seconds.

Giulia QV can compete with the Mercedes-AMG C63 in terms of power, but is inferior to the German car at 100 Nm. However, it is stated that the Italian accelerates to 700 km/h 0.2 seconds faster.

The QV comes standard with a newly developed ZF eight-speed automatic that is paired with an active torque vectoring rear end, using two clutches on the rear axle to send up to 100% power to the wheel that needs it most.

From corner to corner, straight after straight, the QV is constantly tweaking itself to maximize its performance.

An all-new platform, known as the Giorgio, gives the QV double-link front and multi-link rear suspension, and the steering is electrically assisted and mated directly to a fast ratio rack and pinion.

It is worth mentioning here that Alfa introduced the world's first brake system on the Giulia, which combines a conventional servo brake and a vehicle stability control system. Simply put, the braking system can work with the vehicle's real-time stabilization system to optimize braking performance and feel.

In addition, the central computer, known as the chassis domain control computer or CDC computer, can change torque vectoring, active front splitter, active suspension system, braking system, and traction/stability control settings in real time and synchronously. .

From corner to corner, straight after straight, the QV is constantly tweaking itself to maximize its performance. Wild, huh?

Fuel consumption

While Alfa claims low levels of 8.2 liters per 100 km on the combined cycle, our six lap tests on the track showed a result close to 20 l / 100 km.

No wonder QV prefers 98RON and the car has a 58 liter tank.

Driving

Our experience today was limited to no more than 20km, but those 20km were at pretty insane speeds. Right from the start, the QV is supple and surprisingly pliable, even when the drive mode selector is in the dynamic position and the shocks are set to “hard”.

 This engine... wow. Just wow. My fingers moved at double pace, just to keep up with the changes.

The steering is light and pleasant, with subtle and meaningful feedback (although more weight would be great in more racing modes), while the brakes - both carbon and steel versions - feel full, reliable and bulletproof even after big stops. from stupid speeds.

And that engine... wow. Just wow. My fingers moved at double pace, just to keep up with the changes, such is the urgency and force with which he blasted his rev range.

Its low-throttle torque would also make a tractor proud; in fact, it's best to run the Giulia QV in a higher gear than otherwise, just to keep it in the middle of that thick band of rich, beefy torque.

It's not a squeal, but the V6's baritone resonance and loud crackles at full throttle change through its four exhausts were loud and clear, even through the helmet.

Pirelli's custom tires, according to Alfa's chassis engineer, are as close to competition-ready R-spec types as you can get, so there will be questions about both wet weather performance and durability... but for the track, they're brilliant, with tons of side grip and great feedback.

Giulia QV is the absolute leader... at least on the track.

Plus, it's easy to feel at one with the car, thanks to a simple and clear instrument panel layout, excellent visibility, comfortable seats and an ideal driving position. There is even a place to put on a helmet.

safety

Alfa didn't skimp on the Giulia's safety record, with the car scoring 98 percent in the Euro NCAP adult safety test, a record for any car.

It also comes with a host of active safety features, including forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian recognition, lane departure warning, blind spot assist with cross traffic alert, and a rearview camera with parking sensors.

Property

The Giulia QV is covered by a three-year, 150,000-kilometer warranty.

The service interval is every 12 months or 15,000 km. Alfa Romeo has a prepaid car maintenance program for which pricing has not yet been confirmed.

Giulia QV is the absolute leader... at least on the track. We must save our judgments until we have ridden them through the filthy streets of reality.

However, from our short time in the car, her delicate touch, gentle demeanor, and overall all-round approach suggest that she will not embarrass herself.

The task Alfa Romeo faces to reinvent itself is huge, but thanks to a rosy look at the past from legions of its former fans and a number of potential new customers looking to move away from established European brands, it can still be done if the right product is offered.

If Giulia QV is indeed a true signpost to the future of this flawed, frustrating, talented, quintessentially Italian brand, then perhaps, only perhaps, it has managed to accomplish the impossible.

Can Giulia QV distract you from one of its German competitors? Tell us what you think in the comments below.