MOTORING

A true four-leaf clover

Step forward the Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio – which, incidentally, is Italian for “four-leaf clover” – having catapulted the brand into unchartered territory with its staggeringly powerful 2.9-litre twinturbocharged 503-brake horse power engine, a true race car for the road. The V6 engine has not one but two turbochargers, powering it to more than 190 miles per hour, and has a 0-60 time of just 3.9 seconds. Motoring journalist Nick Jones had a blast to gather his thoughts.

Firstly, the Alfa faces some stiff competition from the likes of the Mercedes Benz C63, the BMW M4 and the Audi RS4, all seriously fast saloons.

Despite being heavily turboed, the Alfa doesn’t suffer from any lag whatsoever – instead, delivers a button-sharp throttle response, coupled to the eightspeed automatic gearbox.

Flick to the manual option and the Alfa can be shifted using large aluminium column-mounted paddles and they work really well.

As with many Alfas, one can use the dynamic, natural and advanced (DNA) efficiency modes, but it’s when you select the “race” mode that things dramatically change.

Everything firms up and as the revs rise, so does the bark it produces from the four exhausts. It also cracks violently on upshifts and goads you into further exploitation.

Thankfully, the brakes are up to scratch with drilled large discs fore and aft, with the option of carbon ceramics if desired.

Nothing wrong with the way it handles, as in race mode there’s little or no body roll and the clever rear differential sends power to the wheel that needs it most.

Impressive still, the ride is not overly firm, feeling supple and well damped – so much so it doesn’t suffer from a back-crunching thump.

On the inside, the Alfa has gone upmarket – the seats (mine had the carbon fibre ones) are among the most comfortable I’ve sat in for a long time and the pedals are not offset.

The carbon fibre theme continues with lots of the trim, and the leather-wrapped dash is well appointed; the steering wheel feels supremely race-like too. I do like the infotainment system and the operation of it via the 8.8-inch colour screen.

There’s lots of room in the rear, but surprisingly the back seats don’t fold down or split – nonetheless, the boot is a good size.

Against the might of the (mainly) German opposition, one may feel the Alfa lacks in several areas to put you off from buying one. I’m not having any of that.

Yes, the Alfa may suffer holding up after say three years down the line in residual values, but it represents one of the most entertaining, bonkers cars that I have driven in a very, very long time.

Oh, and it’s cheaper than all the opposition and looks the part. Now where do I sign up? Yes, it’s that good.

‘One of the most entertaining, bonkers cars that I have driven in a very, very long time’

FACTFILE

MODEL

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

PERFORMANCE

Top speed: 190mph 0-60 mph: 3.9 seconds Power: 503 horsepower

CO2 EMISSIONS

206g/km

COMBINEDMPG

27.2 mpg

PRICE OTR

From £64,564