Who else is considering the Giulia Quadrifoglio?

[LLNM4]

This is the bench mark: the 991 Carrera
I would like to see a comparison with the alfa QF

The M3 CS will not be much faster than this M3 comp. pack.
The Alfa sounds really good and puts the power down as it should....(hint for the M engineers)

[Sparco]

Let me chime in here from an owners perspective - I currently own one.

If you get a chance, read the Motortrend Car of the Year article. It’s dead nuts on the money. To debate the performance of these cars is splitting hairs, but here’s the biggest difference for me: road feel and engine sound. When I say road feel, I'm referring to the steering combined with an engine that, to be honest, just feels special. Add in the music the exhaust makes, whether you're on it or on the overrun, and its just magical.

Two years ago, I picked up a Yas Marina M4 coupe with a manual gearbox - one of the first manuals in my area. Comparing how engaging that car was to the Alfa now shows you how far gearbox technology has come. The ZF gearbox is unbelievable and this is coming from a guy that would always pick a manual.

I adored my M4. Sold it 6 months later to Carmax for a boatload of money. I just picked up a fully loaded Audi TTRS that I took Euro delivery of back in September. There's no comparison - I'd pick the Alfa over it any time. I was deliberating on getting rid of the Audi to get an M4 GTS. I still can't decide if thats a good choice or not. I'm thinking the better money is on a GT3.

[mcc3456]

Originally Posted by Sparco

Let me chime in here from an owners perspective - I currently own one.

If you get a chance, read the Motortrend Car of the Year article. It’s dead nuts on the money. To debate the performance of these cars is splitting hairs, but here’s the biggest difference for me: road feel and engine sound. When I say road feel, I'm referring to the steering combined with an engine that, to be honest, just feels special. Add in the music the exhaust makes, whether you're on it or on the overrun, and its just magical.

Two years ago, I picked up a Yas Marina M4 coupe with a manual gearbox - one of the first manuals in my area. Comparing how engaging that car was to the Alfa now shows you how far gearbox technology has come. The ZF gearbox is unbelievable and this is coming from a guy that would always pick a manual.

I adored my M4. Sold it 6 months later to Carmax for a boatload of money. I just picked up a fully loaded Audi TTRS that I took Euro delivery of back in September. There's no comparison - I'd pick the Alfa over it any time. I was deliberating on getting rid of the Audi to get an M4 GTS. I still can't decide if thats a good choice or not. I'm thinking the better money is on a GT3.

Thank you for your accurate commentary on the Quadrifoglio. Been saying it myself since getting mine in February, and then after 6 weeks of owning both deciding I no longer needed/wanted the M3. Living with both for an extended period of time very clearly illustrates what Alfa improved upon versus their M3 target. They are very meaningful advancements as it pertains to driving dynamics. Anyone who trashes the car without having the benefit of actually driving one for an hour or two, will never understand what they missed out on. Damn shame.

[Sparco]

Originally Posted by mcc3456

Thank you for your accurate commentary on the Quadrifoglio. Been saying it myself since getting mine in February, and then after 6 weeks of owning both deciding I no longer needed/wanted the M3. Living with both for an extended period of time very clearly illustrates what Alfa improved upon versus their M3 target. They are very meaningful advancements as it pertains to driving dynamics. Anyone who trashes the car without having the benefit of actually driving one for an hour or two, will never understand what they missed out on. Damn shame.

In my opinion, Germans are all about precision, Italians are all about flare. With that being said, it just depends on what you prefer. Obviously this being a BMW forum, of course one leads to feel more passionately towards BMW. However, make no mistake, the Alfa goes about it differently than your garden variety M3/4. Both are terrific cars and lets face it, every manufacturer for many years has been chasing the 3 series segment for a reason, its been the leader. I owned a brand new Alfa 4C coupe that I thought was the most misunderstood car on sale today. I owned it for 6 months and thought to myself, If some of the DNA in the 4C happens to be in the quad, what a car it must be. I made a deal and have owned the Quad now for 5 months, zero issues. In race mode, there's no comparison, hands down makes me smile every shift and prod of the accelerator.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by LLNM4

This is the bench mark: the 991 Carrera
I would like to see a comparison with the alfa QF

The M3 CS will not be much faster than this M3 comp. pack.
The Alfa sounds really good and puts the power down as it should....(hint for the M engineers)

Folks might be surprised. Don't let the peak power numbers fool you. The CS will provide a greater leap in acceleration performance over the CP than the CP does over the base car.

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1376759

[mcc3456]

Originally Posted by LLNM4

This is the bench mark: the 991 Carrera
I would like to see a comparison with the alfa QF

The M3 CS will not be much faster than this M3 comp. pack.
The Alfa sounds really good and puts the power down as it should....(hint for the M engineers)

The Alfa Quadrifoglio sounds even better in Race Mode under load. Videos don’t do it any justice. Sounds rather exotic. My best friend has a Ferrari 458 Italia with an Innotech exhaust, and even he was surprised by the sound quality when he was driving the QV in Race mode. He was very complimentary. Personally, I enjoyed ripping his Italia around the D.C. area with the roof down back in October.

The M3 is loud (not necessarily great) when revving, but when equipped with the MPE, it sounds better, but only when its warmed up. Cold, it sounds like a diesel dumptruck.

I think the Alfa sounds much better based on my experience of owning both the Quadrifoglio and an M3 with MPE. Several friends, Alfa and M3 owners, agree. Obviously, like aesthetics, sound is also subjective, but I have gotten lots of compliments on tone of the Alfa from strangers but in parking lots and at stoplights, whereas most observers would only comment about how the M3 was loud...but not necessarily good sounding. Personally, I think the M2 sounds much better stock.

[sameh]

I had E92 for 5 years then
F80 for almost 3 years
Tried to test drive one from Fiat McKinney but they told me I won't be able to test drive it but I can sit in the owner's QV
A month later got 2015 Porsche 911s
They'll keep losing potential buyers unless they let us try it.

[uniqueMR]

BMW M all the way.
Italians lacks in technology, reliability. Its not just about 0-60, hp.

[TheShaddix]

I just went and test drove one today. Also, it took some effort to convince the dealer to let me drive it. They are legitimately worried about joy riding saying how people just come in and abuse their cars with no intention of getting one. I was genuinely interested in the car after reading about it and watching videos, but I made it clear that I mainly was trying to compare it to my car and to see if it's a worthy option. I tried my best to treat the car well though.

My thoughts on the Alfa...

I drove the car mainly in race mode (the dealer was extremely against that but I insisted as that's when you get the best experience of this car).

- the engine & exhaust sounds are amazing as one would expect. All the comments about it are on point. It sounds similar to the Ferrari 488 (judging from videos). It definitely does not sound turbocharged. The farts and pops on the upshifts are super fun and reminded me of an audi s3 I drove a while back. But I can see them getting annoying after a while as they are a bit too loud and obnoxious at full throttle shifts. I guess that would depend on the user.

- the ZF gearbox seemed great initially when we started off: super fast upshifts, very responsive and consistent. The paddle shifters are static and attached to the column instead of the wheel itself (not a fan of that). They also have too much travel with a bit of flex near the tops which makes them feel less engaging. The location is too close to the steering wheel. The gearbox also kicks on every shift similar to the m. But what disappointed me the most were the downshifts: they are really jerky in every gear regardless of speed. I tried both on throttle and off. Seems like it's not kicking up the revs enough to match with the gearbox speed, so each time you hit the down paddle, the car takes about 0.5 seconds to react (similar to the m), but does not rev up as aggressively as the m, and instead it lazily winds up the revs and there is that engine braking effect. This took the joy out of the downshifts completely since this is something the M does so well. This alone is a deal breaker for me as I drive in manual mode 100% of the time, but I know not everyone would be as picky. I would not have any problem with it if there were nothing better to compare it to, but there is...

- the steering wheel is a bit smaller and the feel of the steering is phenomenal. This was the most impressive thing about the car. It has that instant response from steering input to wheels turning that is just completely missing in the m. There is no deadzone. I drove my car right after and it was very obvious. The steering ratio is also much tighter and is especially evident on the freeway when changing lanes. The car reacts instantly to even the slightest input and feels light and small as a result. This is something I definitely wish I had in my car.
- the car I test-drove had carbon fiber seats which I found to be much better than the regular ones. I would not even consider this as an option. The carbon seats hug much tighter overall and have less of the soft, spongy cushioning found in the standard seats. They are similar to the m seats in their hardness, but with more of a concavity (curve) in the back section instead of just a flat back, so the seat wraps around the back. The alcantara inserts prevent any sort of sliding. This is the closest thing to a bucket seat that I've felt in any car. I found them extremely comfortable as well. They also look light. But the finish on the carbon back and base pieces looked bumpy and cheap. The clearcoat on it does not have that same mirror look you'd expect. Nothing like the dash pieces and the roof on the m.

- the ride (in any mode) is stiff and has very little travel, but when you put it in race mode it becomes intense. The car felt very bouncy on semi-rough roads and didn't particularly feel suited for the street. But on smoother roads it was very tight and planted. I personally like stiffer suspension. I drive my car in sport+ a lot of the time and it still feels only 50% as stiff as the Alfa in race mode. It totally gives you that go-cart feel where it seems that the car is directly connected to the road and cushioned only by its tires.

- the car looked great in person. They look best in that red color. I drove a pearl white one and it was also extremely attractive overall. I am still not a fan of the front end. It looks like an owl with a huge beak. I could see myself getting used to it, but I would never be able to admire it like the front of the m3/m4. Maybe with an aftermarket lip/ custom headlights, etc. it could look more appealing. The car definitely looks better in pictures/videos than in person when it comes to the front end! The rest of it is beautiful for sure. It comes with carbon sideskirt extensions (stock!) and a nice trunk spoiler. But once again, is it better looking than the m? Not to me.

Overall, this car definitely exceeded my expectations in many ways as I thought it was way over-hyped and had to see it for myself. But I would not consider it as a replacement for my car in its current state.

What I've learned from today is that no matter what everyone says about any car or what you may think about it based on pictures and videos, you have to see and drive it first and form your own opinion.

[mcc3456]

Originally Posted by TheShaddix

I just went and test drove one today. Also, it took some effort to convince the dealer to let me drive it. They are legitimately worried about joy riding saying how people just come in and abuse their cars with no intention of getting one. I was genuinely interested in the car after reading about it and watching videos, but I made it clear that I mainly was trying to compare it to my car and to see if it's a worthy option. I tried my best to treat the car well though.

My thoughts on the Alfa...

I drove the car mainly in race mode (the dealer was extremely against that but I insisted as that's when you get the best experience of this car).

- the engine & exhaust sounds are amazing as one would expect. All the comments about it are on point. It sounds similar to the Ferrari 488 (judging from videos). It definitely does not sound turbocharged. The farts and pops on the upshifts are super fun and reminded me of an audi s3 I drove a while back. But I can see them getting annoying after a while as they are a bit too loud and obnoxious at full throttle shifts. I guess that would depend on the user.

- the ZF gearbox seemed great initially when we started off: super fast upshifts, very responsive and consistent. The paddle shifters are static and attached to the column instead of the wheel itself (not a fan of that). They also have too much travel with a bit of flex near the tops which makes them feel less engaging. The location is too close to the steering wheel. The gearbox also kicks on every shift similar to the m. But what disappointed me the most were the downshifts: they are really jerky in every gear regardless of speed. I tried both on throttle and off. Seems like it's not kicking up the revs enough to match with the gearbox speed, so each time you hit the down paddle, the car takes about 0.5 seconds to react (similar to the m), but does not rev up as aggressively as the m, and instead it lazily winds up the revs and there is that engine braking effect. This took the joy out of the downshifts completely since this is something the M does so well. This alone is a deal breaker for me as I drive in manual mode 100% of the time, but I know not everyone would be as picky. I would not have any problem with it if there were nothing better to compare it to, but there is...

- the steering wheel is a bit smaller and the feel of the steering is phenomenal. This was the most impressive thing about the car. It has that instant response from steering input to wheels turning that is just completely missing in the m. There is no deadzone. I drove my car right after and it was very obvious. The steering ratio is also much tighter and is especially evident on the freeway when changing lanes. The car reacts instantly to even the slightest input and feels light and small as a result. This is something I definitely wish I had in my car.
- the car I test-drove had carbon fiber seats which I found to be much better than the regular ones. I would not even consider this as an option. The carbon seats hug much tighter overall and have less of the soft, spongy cushioning found in the standard seats. They are similar to the m seats in their hardness, but with more of a concavity (curve) in the back section instead of just a flat back, so the seat wraps around the back. The alcantara inserts prevent any sort of sliding. This is the closest thing to a bucket seat that I've felt in any car. I found them extremely comfortable as well. They also look light. But the finish on the carbon back and base pieces looked bumpy and cheap. The clearcoat on it does not have that same mirror look you'd expect. Nothing like the dash pieces and the roof on the m.

- the ride (in any mode) is stiff and has very little travel, but when you put it in race mode it becomes intense. The car felt very bouncy on semi-rough roads and didn't particularly feel suited for the street. But on smoother roads it was very tight and planted. I personally like stiffer suspension. I drive my car in sport+ a lot of the time and it still feels only 50% as stiff as the Alfa in race mode. It totally gives you that go-cart feel where it seems that the car is directly connected to the road and cushioned only by its tires.

- the car looked great in person. They look best in that red color. I drove a pearl white one and it was also extremely attractive overall. I am still not a fan of the front end. It looks like an owl with a huge beak. I could see myself getting used to it, but I would never be able to admire it like the front of the m3/m4. Maybe with an aftermarket lip/ custom headlights, etc. it could look more appealing. The car definitely looks better in pictures/videos than in person when it comes to the front end! The rest of it is beautiful for sure. It comes with carbon sideskirt extensions (stock!) and a nice trunk spoiler. But once again, is it better looking than the m? Not to me.

Overall, this car definitely exceeded my expectations in many ways as I thought it was way over-hyped and had to see it for myself. But I would not consider it as a replacement for my car in its current state.

What I've learned from today is that no matter what everyone says about any car or what you may think about it based on pictures and videos, you have to see and drive it first and form your own opinion.

Interesting observations, although will have to respectfully disagree on the ride stiffness in race mode. I also drove my F80 almost exclusively in Sport + mode across the board except Sport on steering. If you take the Alfa on more than a quick beat test run, you’d find the Alfa’s suspension, even in Race mode to be much more compliant. Have driven it on several 7-8 hour drives up to the Canadian Border through the heart of the Adirondacks, and the suspension is definitely much more compliant than the M3. I find both Race and Advanced Efficiency to be better than Sport + and Comfort on the M3. They are buttoned down but comfortable, whereas the M3 was lumpy or floaty. My understanding is the ZCP calibration is better, but fellow QV owners (ZCP owners) state it’s not quite as effective as the Alfa. I tend to believe them as the ride and ability to put the power to the ground some sort of Ferrari-derived black magic. My friend’s 458 Italia has a similar firm, but never lumpy quality. BTW...Seriously great car. Me likey!!

Gonna sounds odd, but would be curious to know what the actual tire pressure on the car was. My Quadrifoglio and that of most guy’s cars on the Giulia Forum were delivered from the dealership with the same between 50-55 lbs of pressure in the tires when they are supposed to be 32 lbs front and 38 lbs back. That alone makes an enormous difference. I can only imagine it was like a shipping tire pressure or something. Anyway, set properly, and it ridesclike acmagic carpet.

Regarding the seats, always steered clear of Alcantara in all prior cars, but have to say, it is fantastic on the QV. My standard QV seats are much more supportive and comfortable on long rides than my F80 seats were, but not a fan of the Sparco Racing seats, nor the ZCP seats based on the curvature of my back, and lack of lumbar on the M3, nor seat heating on the Alfa.

Well, at least you gave it a chance, and came away with some positive feelings. I suspect if you got to drive it 50-100 miles, you’d have been even more impressed. I find you can absolutely rip the car, but where it impresses more is regular extanded spirited drives, not absolute beat the piss out of it rips. Be curious to see if would notice anything else on a second more normal drive?

[TheShaddix]

Originally Posted by mcc3456

Interesting observations, although will have to respectfully disagree on the ride stiffness in race mode. I also drove my F80 almost exclusively in Sport + mode across the board except Sport on steering. If you take the Alfa on more than a quick beat test run, you’d find the Alfa’s suspension, even in Race mode to be much more compliant. Have driven it on several 7-8 hour drives up to the Canadian Border through the heart of the Adirondacks, and the suspension is definitely much more compliant than the M3. I find both Race and Advanced Efficiency to be better than Sport + and Comfort on the M3. They are buttoned down but comfortable, whereas the M3 was lumpy or floaty. My understanding is the ZCP calibration is better, but fellow QV owners (ZCP owners) state it’s not quite as effective as the Alfa. I tend to believe them as the ride and ability to put the power to the ground some sort of Ferrari-derived black magic. My friend’s 458 Italia has a similar firm, but never lumpy quality. BTW...Seriously great car. Me likey!!

Gonna sounds odd, but would be curious to know what the actual tire pressure on the car was. My Quadrifoglio and that of most guy’s cars on the Giulia Forum were delivered from the dealership with the same between 50-55 lbs of pressure in the tires when they are supposed to be 32 lbs front and 38 lbs back. That alone makes an enormous difference. I can only imagine it was like a shipping tire pressure or something. Anyway, set properly, and it ridesclike acmagic carpet.

Regarding the seats, always steered clear of Alcantara in all prior cars, but have to say, it is fantastic on the QV. My standard QV seats are much more supportive and comfortable on long rides than my F80 seats were, but not a fan of the Sparco Racing seats, nor the ZCP seats based on the curvature of my back, and lack of lumbar on the M3, nor seat heating on the Alfa.

Well, at least you gave it a chance, and came away with some positive feelings. I suspect if you got to drive it 50-100 miles, you’d have been even more impressed. I find you can absolutely rip the car, but where it impresses more is regular extanded spirited drives, not absolute beat the piss out of it rips. Be curious to see if would notice anything else on a second more normal drive?

You do have a point about the tire pressures. I have no idea what that car was set to, but when I switched it into race mode and drove through a few rough patches on the road (20-30 mph), the car started to bounce quite a bit. Once the road smoothed out I actually enjoyed how stiff it was.

I would definitely take the alfa seats over my M comp seats as they were a delight to be in. I felt "plugged" into them as opposed to being just held on the sides by the bolsters. It seemed like they allow you to sink deeper into them which completely stops any movement laterally.

Honestly, seems like the one and only thing I truly disliked was the downshifting. I simply would be unable to enjoy it. I've driven a lot of cars with great engines, but it always seemed like their gearboxes were the reason for a total disconnect. If there is any sort of lag in the upshifts or jerky downshifts, it kills the fun for me and makes me longing for a manual. The M dct is the first gearbox that made me not miss driving a manual.

[mcc3456]

Originally Posted by TheShaddix

You do have a point about the tire pressures. I have no idea what that car was set to, but when I switched it into race mode and drove through a few rough patches on the road (20-30 mph), the car started to bounce quite a bit. Once the road smoothed out I actually enjoyed how stiff it was.

I would definitely take the alfa seats over my M comp seats as they were a delight to be in. I felt "plugged" into them as opposed to being just held on the sides by the bolsters. It seemed like they allow you to sink deeper into them which completely stops any movement laterally.

Honestly, seems like the one and only thing I truly disliked was the downshifting. I simply would be unable to enjoy it. I've driven a lot of cars with great engines, but it always seemed like their gearboxes were the reason for a total disconnect. If there is any sort of lag in the upshifts or jerky downshifts, it kills the fun for me and makes me longing for a manual. The M dct is the first gearbox that made me not miss driving a manual.

The Alfa’s ZF 8 Speed is very smooth in everyday driving, but the DCT is slightly quicker shifting. However, having gone from DCT to ZF, I felt the trade-off was worthwhile though once I spent more time with the Alfa. I had an awful lot of issues with my DCT, and in some case it was very dangerous crossing a high speed road. I had a bogging, skipping type of issue that was only solved by having the LT transmission memory reset every 4-6 months. It was like the transmission was confused and would buck non-stop until you removed throttle input, then back to normal. Was scary when happening. Lot’s of rumors about a defect in the 2015 M3 DCT according to my Service Department Mgr, but BMW didn’t seem to have an official solution. It was one of the main reasons I moved over to the Alfa. It drives more refined like an Competition Package M5, but with the agility/lighness of the M3. Pity you’re in CA, otherwise I have you drive mine but for a longer distance.

Either way, the are by far the two top cars in the segment. The C63 and ATS-V are a distant 3rd and 4th.

[TheShaddix]

I would definitely not refuse another drive in one! I have to agree that the DCT isn't perfect. Sometimes I feel like it has a mind of its own and waits too long to shift when you're not at full throttle, or it would put itself into neutral randomly. I had mine flashed to GTS, but that only resolved the initial stop and go jerk. Initially, it made the upshifts slightly snappier and removed that kick in between gears, but once the dct re-learned again, it went back to normal which is fine with me. Just felt like a waste of money getting it coded. I do agree the Alfa zf gearbox is smoother overall. It felt more consistent and predictable. I just can't see myself being ok with those jerky downshifts. But all that aside, I am still blown away by the car's immediate torque. Compared to the M it feels like it has 0 turbo lag. In the M the max torque is around 3k rpm, in the Alfa it's like 2k or below. Just so impressive! I drove it on the freeway in higher gears (6-7th, etc) and with each slight step on the throttle the car just lurched forward. Either those turbos are super tiny or they just keep them spooling constantly in the race mode. Whatever it is, it works better than the M. The car is just more nimble in every regard. Another thing that turns me off is that they are really expensive. The one I test drove was over 90k. The one sitting next to it had regular seats and was still over 80k. It would be way too expensive to lease compared to bmw.

[wdskukm3]

Originally Posted by ///M4ster Yoda

That horrendous grill kills if for me. It's worse then the Lexus "predator" grill. No dice!

Yea the front of the Alpha Romeo just don't work for me but it is their design on the front end. As for the Lexus I think that large grill looks great. Much better then the boring previous design they had before.

[Sparco]

Originally Posted by mcc3456

The Alfa’s ZF 8 Speed is very smooth in everyday driving, but the DCT is slightly quicker shifting. However, having gone from DCT to ZF, I felt the trade-off was worthwhile though once I spent more time with the Alfa. I had an awful lot of issues with my DCT, and in some case it was very dangerous crossing a high speed road. I had a bogging, skipping type of issue that was only solved by having the LT transmission memory reset every 4-6 months. It was like the transmission was confused and would buck non-stop until you removed throttle input, then back to normal. Was scary when happening. Lot’s of rumors about a defect in the 2015 M3 DCT according to my Service Department Mgr, but BMW didn’t seem to have an official solution. It was one of the main reasons I moved over to the Alfa. It drives more refined like an Competition Package M5, but with the agility/lighness of the M3. Pity you’re in CA, otherwise I have you drive mine but for a longer distance.

Either way, the are by far the two top cars in the segment. The C63 and ATS-V are a distant 3rd and 4th.

I completely agree 100% with your thoughts about the gearbox comparing ZF vs DCT. Comparing suspensions I honestly believe that are closer in ride, stiffness, and compliancy. Again the biggest differences for me are the engine and exhaust sound. Its not even close how they both compare.

[Sparco]

Going back to the original title of the thread, here are my thoughts. As a current quad owner, the car goes about its business in a very un german way. History tells you that the M3/4 has been the standard. Period. So Alfa pens a car in 2 years from start to finish and it just nips the M3/4. I don't think you can put a foot wrong with either car it just depends on what you like. BMW is clinical. Alfa is flamboyant. The germans give you options with suspension settings, etc. The Alfa says, good luck. Put the car in race mode and its just you. Its just philosophies. Ive been fortunate enough to have owned all versions of the M3 dating back to 96. This is only my second Alfa I've ever owned(Had a 4C for 6 months prior). I recently picked up a fully loaded TTRS. Great car, terrific engine/gearbox/brakes but honestly can't wait to get rid of it. Why? Too good to a fault. Actually, I'm moving on from both cars to a GT3. Why? Passion. Back to the Alfa. Its full of passion. Make no mistake guys, the Alfa is the real deal. Its NOT head and shoulders better than M, just different.

[mcc3456]

Originally Posted by TheShaddix

I would definitely not refuse another drive in one! I have to agree that the DCT isn't perfect. Sometimes I feel like it has a mind of its own and waits too long to shift when you're not at full throttle, or it would put itself into neutral randomly. I had mine flashed to GTS, but that only resolved the initial stop and go jerk. Initially, it made the upshifts slightly snappier and removed that kick in between gears, but once the dct re-learned again, it went back to normal which is fine with me. Just felt like a waste of money getting it coded. I do agree the Alfa zf gearbox is smoother overall. It felt more consistent and predictable. I just can't see myself being ok with those jerky downshifts. But all that aside, I am still blown away by the car's immediate torque. Compared to the M it feels like it has 0 turbo lag. In the M the max torque is around 3k rpm, in the Alfa it's like 2k or below. Just so impressive! I drove it on the freeway in higher gears (6-7th, etc) and with each slight step on the throttle the car just lurched forward. Either those turbos are super tiny or they just keep them spooling constantly in the race mode. Whatever it is, it works better than the M. The car is just more nimble in every regard. Another thing that turns me off is that they are really expensive. The one I test drove was over 90k. The one sitting next to it had regular seats and was still over 80k. It would be way too expensive to lease compared to bmw.

Mine was very well-equipped, but was able to buy it for $77k back in Mid-February, and that in Rosso Competizione, a $2,200 paint color option. Thry can be had for as low as $75k if you accept Rosso Alfa paint instead. I normally prefer leasing but bought the Alfa instead. It’s definitely a keeper, especially with the Ferrari-designed engine. That same engine is rumored to be used in the upcoming homage to Ferrari Dino model.

[mcc3456]

Originally Posted by wdskukm3

Yea the front of the Alpha Romeo just don't work for me but it is their design on the front end. As for the Lexus I think that large grill looks great. Much better then the boring previous design they had before.

You hate the Alfa grill but love the Lexus grill? That’s a first!

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by LLNM4

This is the bench mark: the 991 Carrera
I would like to see a comparison with the alfa QF

The M3 CS will not be much faster than this M3 comp. pack.
The Alfa sounds really good and puts the power down as it should....(hint for the M engineers)

You have to caveat that with the fact the M3 has MPSS vs the R compound tyres of the QF plus is has another 60hp, going from the stock rubber to PS4S on my M3 has given huge amounts of extra grip, putting on R compound tyres would be another step up and then adding the additional power.

Considering that the QF isn't that far ahead....

[Sparco]

I am a very proud owner of a 15 GT3, Santa came a bit early. I am seriously going to miss the Alfa as the Giulia has done something for me no other car manufacture has done in a long time which is gotten my attention. I really hope they develop more cars for the future and succeed as they are full of passion and character. The GT3, well its on another level as it should be at its price point. The GT3 was delivered to me with the exhaust bypass kit on it. It sounds amazing. The Giulia STILL makes one of the best engine/exhaust noises money can by. BMW, please take notice.

[mcc3456]

Originally Posted by Wills2

You have to caveat that with the fact the M3 has MPSS vs the R compound tyres of the QF plus is has another 60hp, going from the stock rubber to PS4S on my M3 has given huge amounts of extra grip, putting on R compound tyres would be another step up and then adding the additional power.

Considering that the QF isn't that far ahead....

The M3 is a really great handling car, but to say the Quadrifoglio is only great because of the tires is totally missing the point of all these positive reviews. Somehow, the Alfa is just better at putting the power to the ground and feels slightly better balanced. It’s not just the tires. The reason I mention this is I have used the same snow tires on my M3 and my Quadrifolio, and even with snow tires, the Alfa is more sure-footed on cold dry, wet, and snowy roads. Where the M3 would have the traction control intervening, the Alfa just grabs the pavement and launches forward. That same power to the pavement characteristic is what people also feel when commenting positively on the ride, steering, and handling in magazine tests on summer tires. Lastly, it is also worth noting that even the tire wear on the Alfa is much more even than it was on my M3 with higher wear rated MPSS.

[jmg]

What are the current deals on the QF? Anyone get close to invoice?