The 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia: A prima donna with power – The Globe and Mail

When you first meet Giulia, she comes across as a bit of a prima donna. Sheʼs a bit flighty and seems to need a lot of attention.

Yes, we’re talking about a car. Alfa Romeo introduced the Giulia sports sedan to the world in the most exuberant and romantic fashion back in 2015. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli dedicated a love poem to the car and sang the aria Nessun Dorma from Pucciniʼs Turandot as the prototype was revealed. Hearts soared and tears were shed in a thoroughly delightful, over-the-top debut.

At the time, Alfa Romeo made much of the Giuliaʼs pedigree and the two years that the companyʼs “skunk works” team of engineers, designers and stylists spent in isolation, working tirelessly to create the car.

Fast forward to the 2020 Giulia Quadrifoglio, the flagship four-door grand touring sedan from the Italian automaker, which is now part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Given the hype at the carʼs debut and the companyʼs history of making beautiful, fast cars, the bar is high.

The Giulia certainly does not disappoint. At first blush, itʼs a vehicle that seems to need a lot of attention. The body is a stunning pearlescent white that nobody without a personal detailer or a serious car-cleaning obsession should buy.

Fortunately, there are other colours to choose from, including proper Alfa Red.

The impression continues when you get behind the wheel. A dizzying array of electronic controls – upgraded for this model year with a larger 8.8-inch touch screen and myriad customizable views of everything from navigation to the carʼs real-time performance numbers – could be considered distracting in a driverʼs car.

This particular test car was equipped with $8,000 Brembo carbon ceramic brakes. In stop-and-go driving, they are twitchy and overly grabby. For the first few blocks, slowing for traffic and lights was an alarmingly herky-jerky experience. They come into their own on the highway, however, slowing the car smoothly and without drama.

And thatʼs where the Giulia began to grow on me. Once we hit the freeway, the carʼs true Alfa colours emerged.

This car shines on the open road. The eight-speed automatic transmission delivers power from the 505-horsepower V6 twin-turbo engine to the rear wheels so smoothly that shifts are imperceptible, unless you decide to manage them yourself using the paddle shifters in either Race or Dynamic mode. Then the Quadrifoglio becomes a beast anxious to tear up the road and outrun whatever is around, issuing tremendous snorting resonance from the exhaust.

The engine is Ferrari-derived, the most powerful ever installed in an Alfa. The company boasts that the Giulia currently holds the speed record for five-passenger sedans around Germanyʼs famed Nurburgring racetrack.

Handling is surefooted thanks to the 50-50 front-to-rear weight distribution, adaptive suspension and torque-vectoring differential. In the real world, this lets the car boogie over winding, hilly roads or stretch its legs at eye-watering highway speeds.

In an odd gambit, FCA has decided to market this fast, racy model as a combination sports car and grocery-getter. In a July press briefing, Alfa Romeo North Americaʼs brand manager Steve Richards called the Giulia a “daily-driven performance car.” He envisions buyers dropping the kids at school, taking it to work and being able to go road-tripping on weekends.

Heʼs got a point – the Giulia is surely capable of doing all that. But isnʼt every four-door sedan and SUV on the market today? Using the Giulia Quadrifoglio as a daily driver is a waste of its true aptitudes.

While the Giulia is temperamental in stop-and-go traffic, at speed its minor flaws can be forgiven. Where itʼs important – handling and road manners – the car is every bit the star that Alfa Romeo envisioned at the launch five years ago. And while it could certainly be a competent grocery-getter, the Giulia works best as a go-to companion for a spirited run on the open road.

Tech specs

• Price: $90,945 (as tested: $109,435)
• Engine: 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
• Transmission/drive: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
• Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 13.5 city / 9.3 highway / 11.6 average
• Alternatives: BMW M3/M4; Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door coupe

Looks

The Giulia is very much a European-style Grand Touring sedan. Its long sloping snout, sporty vents and intricate Alfa trefoil grilles make it distinctive on approach, but from the back, its broad behind and short rear overhang are fairly typical design elements for cars in this class. Running on 19-inch wheels is a welcome change from the overly large rims some manufacturers choose for their flagship vehicles, and they create satisfying proportions for the Giulia.

Interior

This Giuliaʼs dark suede and leather surfaces, combined with carbon-fibre accents, is welcoming, cool and calming. Its simple design is understated and elegant with double rows of contrasting stitching. The seats are extremely comfortable, with extendable seat cushions for the driver and front passenger, and supportive bolstering. Rear leg room is lacking, however; only people with shorter legs would be comfortable there for long.

Performance

Boasting a zero-to-100 launch in 3.8 seconds, the Giulia Quadrifoglio is packed with torque and handling. Coupled with a butter-smooth eight-speed automatic, paddle shifters and drive-mode selector that moves from eco to race, the car delivers performance that progresses from stately to electrifying, depending on your mood.

Technology

For 2020, the carʼs new, larger touch screen is highly legible and offers customizable displays. Smartphone integration is quick, but the interface is made more complicated by the multiple access controls – the screen, console knobs and steering wheel buttons – for various functions. On the safety side, the 2020 model has newly integrated level-2 autonomy.

Cargo

The Giuliaʼs trunk has a low ceiling but is deep from front to back, with a generous opening. This limits its ability to accommodate bulky items, although it does have a pass-through into the passenger compartment to handle skis. Itʼs sufficient for a car in this class, but doesnʼt quite measure up to Alfa’s all-rounder claim.

The verdict

The Giulia Quadrifoglio is a handsome, versatile driverʼs car with a few quirks that do not detract from its performance or value.

The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.

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