Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio - who owns one and is it epic?

MikeyMaser

Member
Messages
473
I've owned 2. A black one in 2017 when they first came out which I swapped for a blue one in 2020. I got bored of this very quickly (6 months and 1,500 miles) so got the QP V Sport GTS as a replacement, along with a Alfa 159 Ti 3.2 V6 and a Alfa GTV Cup!

The QFs are mad fast and agile but (IMHO) don't have the drama or occasion of a Maser.

EDIT: I found my original review of the QF here: https://www.sportsmaserati.com/inde...trofrommagio-is-here.23211/page-2#post-556379
 
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urquattrogus

Member
Messages
838
For those saying they "wouldn't drop 75k on an Alfa" Sold my 2017 car with 40K miles for £38,250 and bought an new unregistered dealer stock one for £61,600 inc the horrible VED. Original bought for £59,750. £23,350 to change! Obviously crazy used prices helped. Cheap performance motoring!

My post from another forum for those who would like to know about a comparison:

I have now completed 550 miles in my new 2021 Giulia Quadrifoglio, this replaced my March 2017 car which I had for 4.5 years and 40,000 miles.

A lot of people have asked about any differences, and there are certainly more than would first meet the eye. I’m still finding out a few of them, but so far I can summarise.

  • I’m absolutely delighted with the new car, the Montreal Green Paint is stunning! I love it and it seems to draw many admiring glances.
  • The perceived quality, fit and finish, lack of vibrations etc feels several notches above my 2017 car.
  • The added port injection does make the car idle more smoothly than my 2017 car ever did.
  • The engine, drivetrain and performance feel every bit as potent, if not slightly more so than my 2017 car. The engine remains a delight!
  • Power still get’s pulled too easily in Dynamic mode, leading to those “why isn’t it going yet” moments; switching to Race fixes this, in the dry at least
  • The brakes are much better than the 2017 car in feel and calibration, more progressive and with better feel, it is also much better at stop and start traffic, the combination of smoother brakes and slightly different torque converter stall behaviour are much better.
  • The thicker glass makes for less road/wind noise.
  • Plugging the vacuum lines for the rear exhaust and leaving the sound in race sound in all modes permanently is a must do in my book. I did this on my old one, and with the new one being a little more refined it’s definitely a must.
  • The sound is still very good, about 85% of the old one, but I do miss the rifle crack bangs of some of the old gearshifts, I suspect the GPF filters and new noise regs are to blame.
  • The new centre console is much more practical than the old one and all the switches feel better, as does the new gear selector.
  • The tech is hugely moved on from before, more so than I thought.
  • The apple Carplay integration is brilliant and slick.
  • The door bins don’t vibrate and rattle when you turn the music up like the old one could do sometimes.
  • Handsfree has the best call quality I’ve ever encountered.
  • I tried the Eng Custom solution briefly on my 2017 Giulia and it was **** in comparison, not least the call quality was not even nearly acceptable, so on the old one I kept it stock.
  • Autonomous features that actually work and are handy. I never thought I’d want them, but they can all be switched on/off at will. Radar Cruise works well, and the car can even steer on a motorway if you keep hands on the wheel, more useful than it sounds. It can also start and stop the car for you in a traffic jam, again, don’t knock until you’ve tried. Auto dip headlights also actually seem to work.
  • Split Fold seats and 5 seats are very welcome over my 4 seater 2017 with fixed rear seats.
  • My biggest concern remains the steering calibration and feel, this was in my view the standout feature of my last car.
  • The steering feels rather different on the new car.
  • It’s heavier in most modes than before, especially so in Dynamic and Race.
  • It’s slower in the middle of the rack/dead centre, not as flighty as before.
  • When you do turn off the centre is does turn in quickly, almost more directly than before but it doesn’t “tip in” as easily.
  • Once you have tipped it into a corner it feels like less play to begin with, but when pushing really hard I’m not sure if the springs are slightly higher or softer. Maybe the damping is harder but the springs slightly softer. Bear in mind this is compared to my low ride height 2017 car!
  • I found it harder work/more effortful to drive very quickly as you are muscling the steering more. It’s now closer to German cars than it was, less nervous/hyper reactive in the straight ahead, and the steering weights up more on your turn.
  • Exacerbating this is that the new steering wheel is fatter and not as nice as the old one, but I doubt it could be swapped for the old one due to the autonomous features etc. It’s still a nice wheel, and no one would complain if we had not used the old one. The old one was fat at the bottom but much thinner at the top.
  • The amazing front end grip is still there but it does feel quite different as to how you arrive at that.
  • It is by no means a deal breaker for the new car, but I would like to find out about geometry changes and rack calibration; I’m also curious as to spring differences over the years, could I fit 2017 springs or KW Springs for example??
  • In summary, I love my new car and wouldn’t change back! But I am a bit narked that the dared to change the steering at all!!!
I use this car as a daily driver, not just as a weekend car, I have older cars for that purpose. I did enjoy a couple of track days in my old one though, so I was pretty famili
 

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gb-gta

Member
Messages
1,128
Looks great in green.
My suspicion is that the steering changes have something to do with requirements for the autonomous stuff/electronics. Seems an odd change otherwise, to alter the standout feature of the original for the worse. Rest of the changes sound well worthwhile though.
 

urquattrogus

Member
Messages
838
Dissapointingly it seems Alfa have changed a lot, mostly because people complained of wheel skipping/ackerman effect when turning tightly at low speed. This was only an issue of Corsa tyres on the old car, even then not really an issue.

Can't believe it but I now have confirmation that my new car has different lower drop links, different front shocks, different springs and maybe even a different front hub carrier.

Different steering rack too, but that is probably for the autonomous capability.

I've been to Jamie Porter at the Alfa workshop and he has driven my car and compared it with the 2017 he owns, then looked up stuff on the parts cat.

We both agree the new car is softer and the steering feel is not as good. It still has the grip but not the same responses or level of feel.

The car also dives and pitches a bit more under braking/acceleration.

Very disappointing, trying to take a case up with Alfa, or may pay Jamie to change it back to the old setup.

I thought I was buying an almost mechanically identical car with some interior updates and a mild facelift, it seems not!

The car is still great, but it isn't as magic as the old one. 2017 car just felt perfect to me, as close to perfect of any car I've owned anyway.

What a very Alfa thing to do, mess with something that was for most people the standout feature of the car!
 

urquattrogus

Member
Messages
838
1100 miles in the Green car and now cutting my losses and selling back.

Can't back the car as there is no mechanical fault, but I drove another MY21 car and it felt the same.

So ****** off about this; time to move on and cut the thankfully small losses.
 

lozcb

Member
Messages
12,297
1100 miles in the Green car and now cutting my losses and selling back.

Can't back the car as there is no mechanical fault, but I drove another MY21 car and it felt the same.

So ** off about this; time to move on and cut the thankfully small losses.

Now there's an honest report if ever i heard one , thanks ..........................not many would admit to that Kudos mate
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
It is isn’t it Loz….

I have to say that I was in a traffic jam with one these by the side of me for some time in the week and I have to say up close they are one purposeful looking car. rear three quarters from the back it looks so mean and squat and the it sounded pretty good also. I was rather taken by it…
 

gb-gta

Member
Messages
1,128
I’ve always liked these, who doesn’t!
Currently mulling over the thought of changing my beloved QPV sport GTS and also beloved 147GTA for one. I have too many cars with a young driver car incoming and these seem a perfect mix of the 2, could almost be a lovechild! I just wish they’d have depreciated a bit more than they have so far for a 18/19 model.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
I’ve always liked these, who doesn’t!
Currently mulling over the thought of changing my beloved QPV sport GTS and also beloved 147GTA for one. I have too many cars with a young driver car incoming and these seem a perfect mix of the 2, could almost be a lovechild! I just wish they’d have depreciated a bit more than they have so far for a 18/19 model.

I don’t think you will feel short changed changing for one. They are quicker and from what the reviews say a great experience …. Been looking at the reviews on line and at the time not many said the M3 or C63 were better. Not often and Alfa can claim to be best in class.
 

Motorsport3

Member
Messages
868
I’ve always liked these, who doesn’t!
Currently mulling over the thought of changing my beloved QPV sport GTS and also beloved 147GTA for one. I have too many cars with a young driver car incoming and these seem a perfect mix of the 2, could almost be a lovechild! I just wish they’d have depreciated a bit more than they have so far for a 18/19 model.

I'm also considering joining the camp selling the QP for a Gulia QV. Likewise we also have a sporty hatchback that combined would make synergies work. I get the feeling we are past the peak second hand price market though and asking prices around are quite adventurous.
 

gb-gta

Member
Messages
1,128
I don’t think you will feel short changed changing for one. They are quicker and from what the reviews say a great experience …. Been looking at the reviews on line and at the time not many said the M3 or C63 were better. Not often and Alfa can claim to be best in class.
I know it may sound odd but are they too fast? How often would you use more than 50% of it? Maybe you’d be better with a veloce, but then you don’t get the sound, and the same ‘specialness’. Having said that the Quadrifoglio doesn’t have the same ‘specialness‘ as the QP GT S which, quite frankly, is more than fast enough as a road car. I feel a test drive coming on!
 

flexwing

Member
Messages
256
Interesting reading. I followed the same logic and test drove a Quad last year. I had nearly bought an M3 and actually ended up with a C63.
The 21 Quad was far more refined than I thought and actually a bit underwhelming. Gorgeous though!
The C63 has a fabulous engine but as a package totally uninspiring. To be honest if you want exciting brutal performance with reliability then the M3 wins hands down.
The Alfa is let down by a lack of dealerships in Scotland which was the final nail in the coffin.
I would like to test drive a Ghibli S as a comparator.
 

lozcb

Member
Messages
12,297
Been offered a good deal to trade my Veloce in for a Quad.......i dont think now is the right time to get into one but ill monitor the market closely.....The Veloce has been excellent for almost 2 years that ive owned her

Interested in your comments on the Veloce Dem , I have my eagle eye on one at the moment for a general daily hack for both me and the missus .............hence the Quad is a tad too much for me to relax with Kaz driving it mostly ......she's a nippy driver but clueless if something so pokey got out of shape whereas the Veloce is a tad milder and less agressive .
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
I know it may sound odd but are they too fast? How often would you use more than 50% of it? Maybe you’d be better with a veloce, but then you don’t get the sound, and the same ‘specialness’. Having said that the Quadrifoglio doesn’t have the same ‘specialness‘ as the QP GT S which, quite frankly, is more than fast enough as a road car. I feel a test drive coming on!

Too fast….never….. :)

I think it’s not so much about top speed etc but about how the thing handles and that shove you get when you put your foot down that you just would not get tired of. QP GT S is a wonderful, very, very special thing and it is the one Maserati I wish I had owned but I don’t think I would buy one now. Probably not as it is getting on now and the servicing costs and fuel bills of these would put me off when you can probably get just as much fun if not more from the current crop of V6 cars out there. I like the V6 engines that are out there which will not break the bank and still make you smile. The only thing for me with the Quadriloglio is the schedule which is every 9k which seems silly in these days of two years or double the miles for most cars in this class but it is Italian so could expect them to get it all right….Actually that isn’t the only thing…The quality of some of the materials inside isn’t great but no change there from what you expect from Alfa but find one with carbon seats and it certainly adds to that special feeling although I have heard in long journeys they aren’t that comfortable.
 

dem maser

Moderator
Messages
34,220
Interested in your comments on the Veloce Dem , I have my eagle eye on one at the moment for a general daily hack for both me and the missus .............hence the Quad is a tad too much for me to relax with Kaz driving it mostly ......she's a nippy driver but clueless if something so pokey got out of shape whereas the Veloce is a tad milder and less agressive .
Exactly that Loz!
It has 280 bhp out the box (mine has 325bhp with a Celtic tune) and that is plenty for everyday driving
After the tune mine is approx 0-60 in 4.7 and standard they are close to that anyway so not slow

Mine has the carbon pack so looks like a Quadrofoglio, spoiler, valance etc
overall it’s the best car Alfa make
It delivers power and economy, with the best handling car I’ve ever owned/driven
Really sticks to the road better than any other car and the comfortable ride on motorways with 44mpg if taking it easy ticks boxes there

giving it some in D mode it does drop to 28mpg however haha

mine everyday driving it gets more power down than the Quadrofoglio and the extra second to 60 won’t be that noticeable but the only reason I’m tempted to upgrade is the Montreal Green paint that is not available on the Veloce

I may stick to my Misano Veloce a little longer……
 
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urquattrogus

Member
Messages
838
Interesting reading. I followed the same logic and test drove a Quad last year. I had nearly bought an M3 and actually ended up with a C63.
The 21 Quad was far more refined than I thought and actually a bit underwhelming. Gorgeous though!
The C63 has a fabulous engine but as a package totally uninspiring. To be honest if you want exciting brutal performance with reliability then the M3 wins hands down.
The Alfa is let down by a lack of dealerships in Scotland which was the final nail in the coffin.
I would like to test drive a Ghibli S as a comparator.

Nice that we agree, I found the 69 plate C63S I tried to be a bit of a letdown, noticeably slower than the Alfa, the V8 was actually quite muted (probably opf), the Mercedes 9G gearbox was dimwitted, and I found the ride overly brittle. I did quite like the looks and interior, steering also pretty good. On the other hand I still love my father's 6.2 C63 Estate; that car probably got my hopes up character wise.

My pre facelift Giulia was just superb! Facelift one was still nice but felt dumbed down.

I didn't try the new M3 for a number of reasons; didn't like the looks, and sadly just too expensive at the time. I'm not sure a Ghibli S would see which direction a Quad went to be honest. A Trofeo would be similar in a straight line and not handle as well....
 

Nayf

Member
Messages
2,734
I’ve always liked these, who doesn’t!
Currently mulling over the thought of changing my beloved QPV sport GTS and also beloved 147GTA for one. I have too many cars with a young driver car incoming and these seem a perfect mix of the 2, could almost be a lovechild! I just wish they’d have depreciated a bit more than they have so far for a 18/19 model.
Hmm, it’s not, really. It’s not raw and aggressive like the GTA, and it’s lacking the theatre of the QPV at anything other than supersonic speeds/race mode.
It’s great car, the Giulia QF. But it’s lacking the character and personality of the two you mention, even if it’ll absolutely destroy either of them on an objective numbers situation.
But then you don’t buy a QP/GTA for numbers…
 
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gb-gta

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1,128
This is what I was wondering. I’m thinking that both mine have more character and are more of an event to just drive about in at normal speeds than a QF.
Thing is I actually have 3, with a guilietta cloverleaf as the main daily, which will be turned into a fiesta or similar for the new driver.
I don’t want to use either the QP or the GTA as a full time daily. Maybe I should just get an 2017 veloce daily and a 60’s/70’s 105 guilia?!

edit - scratch that, just checked 105 prices! Missed that boat..
 
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