Wednesday February 15, 2023 by Philippe Brasseur
The second model on offer in our February special tests, conducted in Quebec winter road conditions, was the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q4. A car that stays a bit “under the radar” among enthusiasts when it comes to thinking of compact sports models in the same segment that is dominated by the Audi A4/A5, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac CTS or Infiniti Q50 and Mercedes C-Class models is known for its excellent reliability, which is not the case with the Alfa Romeo, which has an unflattering reputation in this area.
However, the Giulia Q4 surprised us with its ride qualities and drew a lot of looks as its aesthetics succeeded. Under the hood sits a 280hp 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, with the Quadrifoglio version and its 2.9-liter turbocharged V6 developing no less than 505hp. Brought to you in the December 2021 issue of Pole Position magazine, this extreme variant of the Giulia is rear-wheel drive. This time, winter obliges us, we have preferred a more “civilized” version: the Giulia with all-wheel drive. A cheaper model too, as the Giulia Q4 has a base price of $59,000 while the Quadrifoglio hits $100,000 with some options!
To keep things in perspective, know that the Giulia Q4 develops around 306 lb-ft of torque and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds (top speed 240 km/h). All of these ratings are the highest in their category, according to the manufacturer.
Expensive, reportedly less reliable than the competition and with a small dealer network in Quebec, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q4 does not budge from the forecasts, and yet! This car, we loved driving it, regardless of the weather conditions. Beautiful on the outside, sober on the inside (and even more austere than most German cars!), powerful, comfortable, with very precise handling, the Giulia Q4 seduced us with its qualities.
Managing accessories from the center console is easy. The only real irritant for us were the AT8 dual-clutch transmission paddle shifters, which are mounted on the steering column, not the steering wheel. So they don’t turn with the steering wheel, which requires some adjustment when you want to shift into corners. However, the gear distribution of this gearbox is precise.
Although Alfa Romeo is now a brand of the French group Stellantis, this luxury compact car with a very sporty orientation is an all-Italian product, even in assembly if it comes from the Cassino factory in northern France west of Naples (south of Naples). Italy).
A car with many qualities that was still struggling to find its place in the North American market. Less than a thousand Giulias, all versions together, found buyers in Canada in 2021 and 2022. In the rather extreme conditions of our test, with temperatures above freezing on some days and beyond -20 on others, the Giulia Q4 has never had a mechanical or electronic problem. Granted, a week of testing isn’t enough to tell, but it’s been a “favorite” model for us in our testing over the last few months.