Quadrifoglio, the name sounds as gorgeous as the car looks, reports Damien O’Carroll.

Alfa Romeo has had so many “make or break” cars that have failed to truly return the marque to its glory days (or even close to it), that it is no small wonder that there its any “make” left. However, the truly gorgeous Giulia would seem to prove otherwise. And in a rather convincing fashion too.

While it is also available in New Zealand in 2.0-litre Veloce form for $79,990, it is the flagship Quadrifoglio that has attracted all the attention, and arguably rightly so too – an Alfa Romeo sedan that takes on the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C 63? Oh, yes, please…

But does the Quadrifoglio have what it takes to actually measure up to such hallowed names? After spending a week with one, I would certainly say yes, most definitely yes.

For a start, it looks sensational. It is utterly and distinctively an Alfa and completely gorgeous. Its taut, aggressive and sexy lines are wonderfully evocative of Alfa’s of old and yet also very modern. 

People stop and stare. They give you the thumbs up. They smile. You don’t get that in an M3.

On the inside it is almost as striking. The beautifully designed interior is massively high quality and, while this is an unfairly low bar to set, nothing feels like it is going to fall off. Which you haven’t really been able to say about an Alfa in the last few decades.

The are wonderful touches abound inside the Giulia - the steering wheel with starter button (like a Ferrari) is awesome and the big aluminium shift paddles are utterly delightful to touch, operating with a nicely satisfying click.

The red and black contrasting materials look fantastic, there is a thrilling amount of carbon fibre around the cabin and the incredibly supportive seats are comfortable as well.

It’s not all perfect, however, as the Infotainment system lets down the experience somewhat by being frustratingly clunky and unintuitive. It also isn’t a touchscreen and there is no phone mirroring. 

But with a car like the Giulia Quadrifoglio, it is what is under the bonnet and how it goes around a corner that really count, and it is an absolute triumph here as well.

The twin Turbo V6 is fantastically powerful and flexible, and is also capable of a surprising degree of civilised behaviour as well. The idle is brilliantly lumpy and grumpy, yet the engine happily tootles around at low revs before becoming a roaring angry bear of the thing when provoked.

The Quadrifoglio also possesses what is possibly one of the best automatic transmissions available today, particularly in a performance car, with super fast, remarkably refined shifts.

It is thirsty, however, but who cares when it sounds so good and goes so hard?

On the road the Quadrifoglio has a firm, yet beautifully resolved ride and utterly sublime handling that makes it an absolute dream to throw around. With incredible turn in and razor sharp responses, both ends of the car work in perfect harmony and it boasts fantastic steering feel and feedback. The brakes are incredibly powerful brakes and also full of feel.

Even in full “Race” mode (that disables the traction and stability controls entirely, so beware) the ride is more than acceptable, while the handling is just so damn good it is addictive.

All up, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a staggeringly good car that impresses in literally ever area.

Quality is high and it feels like a car built by actual, serious adults, something that past Alfa’s haven’t been terribly convincing about.

It isn’t perfect, however, and my two biggest gripes are with the infotainment system and the frustrating fact that you can’t have the full-noise exhaust in Dynamic or Normal, only in Race when, as mentioned previously, the stability control is switched off entirely.

It does open the valves when you give it full throttle in Dynamic mode, but that bullish rumble at low revs in Race is so good you just want to hear it all the time. But not having traction and stability active is not a wise idea, particularly in the wet…

Other than this, and the fact that the radar cruise control is abrupt and unrefined, there is little that would put me off buying the Quadrifoglio over the likes of an M3. If only…

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Specifications:

Body type        Four-door sedan
Drive         Rear wheel drive
Engine type     V6 petrol turbo
Engine capacity     2.9-litres
Max power        375kW @ 6500rpm
Max torque        600Nm @ 2500rpm
l/100km (Combined)    8.2
C02 emissions    189g/km    
Boot capacity    480 litres
Spare tyre        Inflator kit
ANCAP rating     Not tested yet

Price        $134,990