Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio – engine and gearbox
The Giulia, like many great Alfas, is powered by a V6. The engine is teamed with a smooth 8-speed automatic gearbox
Like many great Alfas of old the Giulia Quadrifoglio is powered by a V6. Its 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged motor might not have the reputation, or emit the same acoustics, as Alfa’s legendary Busso engine but it shares plenty of DNA with the V8 first found in the front of a Ferrari California T.
Peak power of 513bhp (previously 503bhp before 2024) is achieved at 6500rpm. It revs to 7000rpm and produces 442lb ft of torque between 1800 and 5500rpm (or at 2500rpm in post-2024 cars). It isn’t the revviest engine, but it delivers its performance in such a linear and manageable manner that you don’t lament the opportunity to stretch the motor beyond the limiter.
In the UK there is no choice of transmission: an eight-speed automatic gearbox is all you get. Yes, it’s that same ZF unit that BMW, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Audi, Land Rover and Maserati use. Left-hand-drive cars can be ordered with a six-speed manual gearbox. The purists in the UK, such as us, might be left a little disappointed with not being given the option to select gears themselves.
If we’re being honest though, the automatic gearbox suits the Giulia better than the manual. We’re not just saying that to make ourselves feel better either; the notchy and long throw of the Giulia’s manual shift would take a lot of getting used to, whereas the fast, smooth shifts from the eight-speed auto are practically faultless.
Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a carbonfibre propshaft. Pre-2024 cars had an electronically controlled limited-slip differential that could vary the amount of lock across the rear axle, and actively send torque to a specific wheel to create torque vectoring, too. This has been replaced with a mechanical limited-slip diff for the 2024 update, for more consistent handling at the limit and also to avoid overheating issues when driven hard on track.
