Motoring

from THE NORTHERN RIVERS TIMES EDITION 89

Sports

Quadrifoglio . . . say no more ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO

CHRIS RILEY

It’s a mouthful, that’s for sure, but the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is just one of those cars that will take your breath away.

Whether that’s struggling to get in and out of the low-slung machine, or being slammed back in the seat as it bellows its way to 100hm/h.

The four-door, twinturbo V6 sedan is a lover looker and a consummate performer -- a car without compromise.

Quadrifoglio is designed to go headto-head with the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63, both of which we’ve been lucky enough to drive.

STYLING

Quadrifoglio is distinguished by a different front design, and larger air intakes for the intercoolers as well as brakes.

Side skirts also feature and the bonnet has two cooling outlets for the engine bay and there are gill-style outlets either side at the front to allow air to escape from the wheel housings.

And let’s not forget the green-on-white, four-leaf clover badges and those gorgeous clover leaf wheels.

The equally stylish cabin features an 8.8-inch touchscreen, integrated into the dash, with interactive widgets, full-screen maps and performance management features.

Prices for Giulia start from $63,950 for the Sport, $71,450 for the Veloce, then almost double by the time you get to Quadrifoglio at $138,950 -- all before on-road costs.

Both the Sport and Veloce feature a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, Sport with 140kW and Veloce with 206kW.

Quadrifoglio ups the ante with a 2.9-litre twinturbo V6 that pumps out a thumping 375kW.

Even more mindboggling is GTA and GTAm versions, both with 397kW of power -- but they’re silly money.

Options include Carbon Ceramic Brakes at $13,500, Sparco Carbon Fibre Seats $8250, TriColour Paint $3650 and so forth.

Black or yellow brake calipers are a mere $1000.

You also get 19-inch aluminium wheels with 245/285 Pirelli rubber (front/rear), splitter, Monza exhaust with quad tips, carbon rear spoiler, red brake calipers, leather and Alcantara trim, heated front and rear seats, active suspension and active cruise control.

INFOTAINMENT

8.8-inch Colour Multitouch Display with Navigation, Harman Kardon 14 Speaker Sound Theatre, Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB), with Apple Carplay and Android Auto -- plus wireless phone charging.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

The 2.9-litre Ferrarideveloped twin-turbo V6 pumps out 375kW of power at 6500 revs and 600Nm of torque between 2500 and 5000 revs, with drive to the rear wheels through a conventional 8-speed auto.

To put this in perspective, that’s than the pinnacle of the HSV range, the E Series iteration pumped out 325 killer wasps.

That’s impressive, even more so given the Alfa is smaller and lighter, bonnet and rear spoiler to help trim the puppy fat.

SAFETY

Safety systems include Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning (FCW), rear view camera, front and rear parking sensors, auto high beam, intelligent speed control, active blind spot assist and driver attention alert, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-path detection.

DRIVING

Firing up the Quad for from the four tailpipes is pre-emptive.

It felt quick from the get go, even before I’d checked the specs to see what it actually cranks out.

The Quadrifoglio set a new lap record for a sedan at the Nurburgring, with a time of 7 mins 39 seconds. That was the manual -- the auto mins and 32 seconds.

The all-aluminium engine was reportedly developed exclusively for the Quadrifoglio by Ferrari. It’s related to Ferrari’s own twinturbocharged F154 CB V8 engine, sharing the California T’s bore and stroke.

The turbochargers are single-scroll units that have been integrated into the manifold, with watercharge air coolers. It has sidemounted direct fuel injection, with maximum turbo boost of 2.4 bar.

The car is a torque vectoring diff to help put power to ground and can send up to 100 per cent of torque to either rear wheel.

The Quad dispatches the dash from 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, with a lofty top end of 307 km/h.

To help keep the fuel bill under control, the drivetrain also incorporates auto engine stop-start and cylinder deactivation, the latter shutting down three of the six cylinders when not required.

It drinks the good stuff and with a claimed fuel consumption of 8.2L/100km, we were getting 10.5L after more than 530km of mixed driving.

One-piece aluminium to the steering column, while DNA Pro drive adds a fourth, Race mode:

Dynamic: Delivers sharper brake and steering feel with more aggressive engine, transmission and throttle tip-in calibrations.

Natural: Comfort setting for balanced daily driving, Achieves lowest fuel consumption with cylinder deactivation,

Race: Harder suspension, different torque vectoring settings and the stability system fully turned off.

Unless you’re going to track the car, however, Dynamic offers everything required and most buyers will almost certainly choose this mode.

The ability to modulate the active suspension, between sport and a softer ride -- bears some scrutiny.

The funny thing is, though it feels too busy in the softer mode, too twitchy and unable to settle -- so which switched back to sport.

The throttle is, if anything, overly responsive, even jerky at times, while steering is super direct and the brakes bite hard and fast (they need to).

Under hard acceleration the rear tyres manage to break traction despite the electronics, even with fat 285 P zeros on the back.

Handling, meanwhile, is fantastic. You can barrel into corners almost as fast as you can barrel out.

Stunning looks are matched by a stylish interior, trimmed in a combination of aluminium, carbon Alcantara. a swoosh across the cabin, dominated by two bulging analogue instrument dials for the driver and some might say old-fashioned inset infotainment screen.

Importantly, a small information panel between the two dials can display a digital speedo and the current speed limit. Grazia mille.

At 8.8-inches the touchscreen is

not exactly large, understandable perhaps in a performance-focused machine -- but that means a small rearview camera (and to be honest, I don’t trust it, wouldn’t rely on it).

Sadly, we didn’t get to take the car to the track, but the driver of a VW Golf R Wolfsburg edition got the shock of his short life when he lined us up at the lights. It wasn’t even close, even though more.

SUMMING UP

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is an impressive motor car. Stunning yet understated looks, top shelf performance, and an engaging drive experience will keep you coming back for more.

Unfortunately, this is offset by the mechanics of owning and looking after a vehicle which doesn’t rate very highly in the practicality stakes.

If you can live with these things and can price tag, then go for it -- you won’t be disappointed (trust me).

High-performance Audi’s sporting EVs look great AUDI RS E-TRON GT: ADVANCED DETAILS

EWAN KENNEDY

Audi Australia has announced pricing and equipment details for the Audi e-tron GT quattro and RS e-tron GT, ahead of their expected arrival in September 2022. “This is an Audi unlike any that have gone before it,” said Paul Sansom, Director of Audi Australia and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Australia.

“The e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT look stunning, offer incredible dynamic performance, but most this while emitting zero emissions. The e-tron GT is what the performance car of the future looks like.”

Audi e-tron GT has two electric motors, one at the front and one at the rear, combining to produce an output of 350kW (390kW boost) and 630Nm.

The RS e-tron GT has 440kW (475kW boost) and 830Nm, reaching 100km/h from rest in 3.3 seconds.

The 93kWh battery provides a driving range of up to 488 kilometres (WLTP combined range). Recharging at the maximum 270kW Direct Current (DC) capacity replenishes 100km in

The e-tron GT also features three-chamber adaptive air suspension as standard.

Inside it has a driver seat memory, with leather upholstery and with either graphite grey or walnut greybrown inlays. Threezone climate control and front seat heating. The Dinamica interior package adds sport plus front seats with adjustable thigh support, vegan Dinamica seat upholstery and headlining for customers looking to add more luxe interior features.

Infotainment is provided by Audi Connect plus, wireless smartphone interface and charging, DAB+ digital radio. A 16-speaker sound system by Bang & Olufsen.

Driver assistance systems include side assist, adaptive cruise assist, active lane assist, intersection assist, pre-sense, 360-degree cameras, and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Customers can select between six no-cost Ibis white.

The RS e-tron GT rides on 21-inch alloy wheels it has tungsten carbide brake discs, and red brake callipers to add to the sporty look.

It has e-quattro sport differential with torque vectoring and all-wheel steering.

The 11kW AC homecharging solution can fully recharge the e-tron GT twins overnight. Both models can be charged via a supplied 11kW AC homecharging kit (which requires three-phase electrical infrastructure), or up to 270kW DC fast- charging. This fast-charging option can provide 80 percent of charge in just 22.5 minutes.

Audi Australia says, “Thanks to our partner JETCharge, the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT are offered with a complimentary standard installation for charging at home.”

All e-tron vehicles have a six-year subscription to the Chargefox charging network, which means e-tron owners are provided unlimited charging on all ultrarapid, and selected fast and standard, chargers within the Chargefox network.

Audi is a founding partner of the Chargefox network. All ultrarapid chargers are powered by 100 percent renewable energy. Further information can be found at https://www. chargefox.com/network/

Audi Australia is offering the e-tron GT models with servicing and roadside assistance ownership.

Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT have There’s a 12 years manufacturer warranty for bodywork against corrosion perforation for new vehicles, as well as an eight-year battery warranty for all e-tron vehicles.

The e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT are available to order now. Contact your local Audi dealer to discuss this.

MODEL RANGE

Audi e-tron GT 350kW: $181,700 Audi RS e-tron GT 440kW: $249,700 Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Audi dealer for drive-away prices.

Rover’s Managing Director in the 1930s, Spencer Wilks, was determined to produce cars of high quality a measure of dignity. He had no interest in building high performance vehicles. For some years prior to the arrival of Wilks, Rover’s approach to building cars had been along these same lines and Wilks ensured that they continued in this manner.

The P4 was part of a design philosophy commenced by Wilks’ predecessors but it had a more modern look and also incorporated mechanical improvements developed by Rover engineers.

The P4 was a fourdoor sedan with its body mounted on a separate, solid chassis. Up front a 2.2-litre 56kW straightsix engine with overhead inlet valves and sideexhaust valves drove the rear wheels in a very sedate manner. Fuel was supplied through two horizontal SU carburettors.

The body was designed for comfort and safety with wood panelling, leather seating and woollen pile carpets on front suspension with a beam-axle rear ensured a smooth ride.

It was Rover’s intention that the P4 should remain in production for a number of years. As changes and improvements were made, they were sensible ones that were made gradually. It did, in fact, remain in production from 1949 right through to 1964. During that time the main changes were to the engine and transmission.

Over the model life the six-cylinder had at least four upgrades in peak power output and, for a period, various fourcylinder engines were also available. These engines plus the choice of freewheel, overdrive or automatic transmissions meant that customers were spoilt for choice. Before the