Alfa Romeo | On the road

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

By Bill McCarthy

A beautifully styled saloon with explosive pace, but without the huge spoilers and air scoops associated with with some other hot performers, Alfa’s firecracker Quadrifoglio throws down a huge challenge to its sporty competitors, particularly the Germans in the shape of M Sport, AMG and RS.

Okay, it does have spoilers, air scoops, carbon bits and pieces and bright shiny trim, but in an altogether more subtle manner.

Like many Alfas it is impossibly good looking in its Competizione red livery, dark alloy wheels and familiar Alfa shield grille, with the four tail pipes and the seemingly innocuous four-leaf clover logo, or Quadrifoglio, that gives it its name, a clue to the power lurking under the bonnet.

It also features LED rear light clusters with dark lenses plus glossy black front and rear badges, deeper bumpers

Performance is outrageous from the six-cylinder 2.9 litre beast which delivers 510bhp and an astonishing 600Nm of torque. It can it 60 mph in under four seconds and on to a racetrack-devouring 191mph. True supercar performance.

Startling performance, but there is much to it than that. A full-sized family saloon with superb driving dynamics, a comfortable ride in normal circumstances and practical with a huge boot split folding rear seats to increase the alread spacious 480 litres.

This Quad model has a more heavyweight, muscular look with stunning dark 19-inch alloy wheels with (optional) yellow brake calipers, lowered suspension and deeper bumpers front and rear.

The interior too is a delight, echoing the sport theme with leather/Alcantara powered seats with contrasting stitching, sports pedals and gearshift and with carbon fibre materials to complement the soft touch finish.

The finish to doors and dash, leather seats and ambient lighting giving the vehicle a real upmarket feel, with plenty of head and legroom, despite the sloping roofline.

Centrepoint is a resdesigned dash featuring the 8.8-inch Alfa Connect with navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, plus DAB radio, 3D Nav, MP3, Aux-i and Bluetooth.

Major controls can also be selected by touch or the rotary controller on the centre console, while he neat multi-function steering wheel which also has a novel touch with the starter button.

But the big appeal of the Quad is performance, taking a smart, large saloon from early £30k price tag to almost double that at around £65k for hair-raising performance.

Mated to a super-slick eight speed dual clutch transmission, the V6 roars into life under hard acceleration. The 60mph sprint is dismissed in under four seconds and its about then you have to start putting the brakes on, before you’ve really got going.

To cope with all the power, the adaptive suspension does what it says on the tin, together with accurate and responsive steering keeping the car straight and true, particularly on sharp bends. It’s a riot to drive and selecting the steering wheel paddles on heightens the thrill. Given that it is rear-wheel drive, which the purists will love, traction and stability are remarkable.

Calm it all down and the V6 roar recedes to a burble and the suspension adapts to new driving conditions for that trip to the supermarket, school gates or lengthy motorway journey.

Considering the power under the bonnet, economy is not too shabby either with around 28mpg.

Such a powerful car needs plenty of safety kit and it is packed with safety features including ADAS an autonomous driving system which allows the driver gives to surrender control of the accelerator, brakes and steering under certain conditions.

The idea is the electronic systems gives greater comfort on long journeys, but the driver must continuously remain in control, always keeping their hands on the steering wheel.

Other kit includes lane keep and active blind spot assist, active cruise control, traffic sign recognition and intelligent speed control, traffic jam and highway assist and driver drowsiness alert.precision of the steering.

This Alfa is a winner in so many ways, power, pace, practicality, packed with standard kit, impossible good looks, and yes, even half decent economy. A real firecracker of an alternative.

Factfile

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Price: £64,900

Mechanical: 510bhp, 2891cc, six cylinder bi-turbo charged petrol engine driving rear wheels via 8 speed auto gearbox

Insurance: 46E

Max speed: 191mph

0-62mph: 3.9 seconds

Combined mpg: 27.2

CO2 emissions: 202g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/unimited miles

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

By Bill McCarthy

A FEW years ago the thought of an SUV sporting the badges of motors with a racing tradition would have been unheard of.

Then Porsche produced the Cayenne, then the German giants Audi, Mercedes and BMW and Jaguar. Even luxury brands Bentley with the Bentayga and Rolls-Royce with the Cullinan have joined the party.

You perhaps would have bet money on it not happening with Alfa. But there you go.

The Stelvio was born and Alfa seem to cracked the conundrum of marrying Italian styling to a largish SUV with it Q4 all- wheel drive, while retaining its signature sporty performance.

This is aided by absolutely minimising weight with light materials, such as carbon-fibre for the driveshaft and aluminium for the bonnet, rear wings, engine and suspension, which also delivers better fuel efficiency.

A range of petrol and diesel engines also deliver excellent performance, including the lightning quick 2.9-litre 510bhp turbocharged Quadrifoglio, which can hit 60mph in under four seconds. This model, a 280bhp was no slouch either, hitting the same speed in a neck-wrenching 5.7 seconds.

Named after a mountain pass linking Italy and Switzerland, there is no mistaking it is an Alfa with its signature large shield grille, flanked by large air scoops, slanting, cat’s-eye like headlights and swooping bonnet. Can an SUV look sexy? Maybe.

The interior continues the theme. it is a riot of leather, chrome and wood effect, with soft touch finish.

The familiar flat-bottom multi function steering wheels is a key feature as is the central control screen which operates key functions. Steering wheel, auto gear lever and dash all chrome trimmed with alloy sports pedals completing the sporting look.

The electrically operated seats are figure hugging but comfortable and the layout of the cabin is easy on the eye with everything logically placed. There is room for three rear passengers and of course, as an SUV, it is practical with the seats folding. This means that an already generous boot area of 525 litres can be expanded to a huge 1,600 litres. Some rivals are bigger, but you sacrifice styling for not a huge amount of extras space.

That and the off road capability and its perfect for the country set.

On the road it is an excellent drive. Mated to an eight-speed gearbox, the car accelerates seamlessly through the gears. Like other Alfa models it features the now familiar DNA drive setup. D for dynamic, N for natural and A for all-road. Self explanatory really. Select dynamic and the large paddles behind the steering allow for a more sporty drive.

Dynamic is an apt description. The car, although slightly higher than the Giulia it is based on, handles nearly as well. Pin sharp, responsive steering and a excellent grip means the car responds to the slightest adjustment especially on a series of curves and beds, this is partly aided by the optional Dynamic Suspension with frequency selective damping.

Drive is to the rear wheels, with up to 50 per cent of power transferred to the front when conditions require it. Long gone are the days of Alfa poor steering lock. Slow it all down and occupants get a comfortable ride, although it is prone to crash over lesser surfaces.

Equipment is comprehensive, all the usual electric and electronic wizardry and creature comforts, with the central screen hosting infotainment and connectivity systems like Apple Carplay and Android Auto, to project your smartphone onto the screen, which can also send and receive SMS and display Google maps.

Safety is key with performance cars like this and the Stelvio offers in addition to usual assisted braking and comprehensive air bag cover, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) as standard.

If you like your SUVs, chic, sporty and practical, then the Alfa is a fine choice.