Alfa Romeo Giulia QV 2017 Review

OK I get it now... Don't handle the merchandise! It'll always be a touchy subject, but you know what? The Italian food rule may be different to what we're used to, but it works. It means customers don't come up and squeeze and sniff every avocado and peach.

Memories of that fateful fruit transaction came back to me after flogging the bejesus out of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia QV on Aussie roads. The prune-like face of the gaunt fruiterer flashed vividly into my mind's eye and reminded me again that the Italians do things differently, and sometimes that's a good thing.

Case in point, the Giulia QV.

It's roughly the same size as European rivals such as the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C 63 S, and it's similarly priced and offers comparable performance. But the way it's executed is very different, and like that stubborn smudge of bird poo on the windscreen, I cannot wipe the smile from my face after my first drive for this very reason.

This write-up concerns our first Australian road test, however, and how the slinky sports sedan behaves on less-than-perfect roads. My first objective in this drive was to answer one question: Can this ballistic Italian be an everyday driver?

After cruising along the highway, navigating suburbia and then opening the taps up through the hills, I can report that the car has more depth than the Mariana Trench. Fair dinkum, the breadth of scope here is tremendous, thanks in large part to the car's three-mode active suspension.

Set to 'soft' mode the Giulia QV's adaptive chassis soaks up bridge joins, rutted road surfaces and corrugations with grace, offering a level of comfort and compliancy the Germans don't. Obviously a back-to-back test with the BMW M3 and AMG C 63 will be necessary to be completely sure but first impressions suggest that away from the racetrack – and loaded with people, their luggage, water bottles and belongings – the fresh-faced Alfa delivers class-leading comfort.

Indeed, for a vehicle with a 307km/h top speed and a 3.9-second 0-100km/h hustle, this is a pretty nifty cruiser. At sedate speeds too it's almost meek, thanks to a quick steering ratio of 11.8:1 returning two turns lock-to-lock (the most direct of any car in its class says Alfa Romeo), solid throttle response and benign gear changes at slow-speeds.

Luxury interior, creature comforts
Supportive leather and Alcantara sports seats set the tone in the cabin, the bright red starter button on the steering attracting the eye. There's a sense of sportiness and Italian flair that adds to the drama of this unique vehicle.

Smatterings of carbon-fibre add a sporty undertone to the interior and the way the 8.8-inch infotainment screen is seamlessly integrated into the background dash is almost as elegant as Monica Bellucci's cameo in The Matrix Reloaded. I particularly like the way the dashboard swoops up and around the air-vents -- an aesthetic usually reserved for Ferrari sports cars.

Some of the standard features include eight-way electrically adjustable seats, a 14-speaker, 900-Watt Harman Kardon audio system, climate control, adaptive cruise control, blind spot and lane departure monitoring plus satellite-navigation. Leather covers almost every surface in the cabin, highlighted with red-stitching, and you can also get green and white stitching and even two-tone red/black or white/black dash colour schemes.

The back seats are roomy enough for two adults or three smaller people and the boot provides plenty of room for their luggage too, with a total 480 litres which on par with its German competitors. It's got two USB ports -- one up front, one for the back seat -- and one AUX jack.

There are seven colours available, and for the record white looks pretty amazeballs, making the dark carbon bits really pop.

Some of the less impressive aspects of the Alfa Romeo cabin include the BMW-esque gear-shifter and the some of the Jeep-ish plastics around it. The infotainment input system works well but doesn't have the lustre or tactility you find in a German car.

The engine note is fairly subdued inside the car, yet absolutely raucous outside. I'd prefer more noise in the cabin but then again, good interior acoustic insulation is de rigueur for a luxury sedan. Each to their own.

Most new cars shed around 30 per cent of their value in the first 12 months of ownership, and the potential for depreciation could hurt this car more than its rivals. Australian vehicle data and pricing authority RedBook told motoring.com.au it predicts "the Alfa will shed value more than some other comparable cars, however, buying a car is about emotion not about accounting!"

One area in which Alfa Romeo will nail the cost of ownership is capped-price servicing. For $2189 the car will be serviced for three years, with one visit to the service department per annum or every 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

Driver Involvement, Italian execution
What Alfa Romeo has achieved with the Giulia is significant. It's developed a car that's docile enough to be driven in commuter traffic and on cruddy roads, yet hard-edged enough to lap the Nurburgring quicker than any of its German rivals, in a mind-melting 7min32secs.

When our road loop gains altitude and begins twisting and turning like the finale of an M Night Shyamalan movie, the car continues to impress. While the C 63 S is all anger and the BMW M3 a peaky blinder, the Giulia QV is smooth sophistication.

It delivers remarkably refined, linear, executive jet-like thrust to the rear wheels, as rear-axle torque-vectoring and 50:50 weight distribution contribute a high level of agility.

Power delivery from the twin-turbo V6 engine is glorious, if unusually deceptive. The gravelly six-cylinder motor revs cleanly and quickly to its almost 7000rpm limit (and holds there in manual mode), pumping through the ZF eight-speed automatic that can be operated via alloy paddle shifters mounted to the steering column.

Turbo lag is almost non-existent but it does feel as though early gears are torque-limited, never truly pressing you into the sporty seats until higher revs in third gear. But this gives the car a flowing attitude when attacking corners. It doesn't slam you into your seat but has subtlety and sophistication in the way it grips and goes.

It's this unique approach that makes the car feel wholly different to its German rivals, twinned with a balanced chassis that's works with you, not against you. The car changes direction with the dexterity of a dragon fly and feels even lighter than it's claimed 1585kg tare mass would suggest.

The fluidity with which it blasts out of tight corners at full noise is equal parts breathtaking and satisfying.

Tracking through corners with succinct accuracy, the front-end has loads of feel, there's grip everywhere from the bespoke Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres fitted to 19-inch alloy rims and there's enough power to wag the tail out of tighter bends should you be so inclined.

The flat underbody, carbon-fibre roof and bonnet and active aerodynamic carbon front-splitter work with a tasty steering rack that develops more feedback than a Mustang post on our Facebook page, and for once the PR spin is bang on the money with its "natural and instinctive" description of the steering.

Them's the brakes, safe and secure
The anchors are super strong, but pedal feel is the standout performer in this department, with esoteric assistance meaning you get massive stopping power, plenty of response and all without having to grind the pedal into the cushy floor mats. Big six-pot Brembo front callipers bite down on 360mm cross-drilled rotors, with four-pot Brembos at the back working over 350mm cross-drilled discs.

There are a couple of big ticket options for the Giulia Quadrifoglio if you really want the racing experience, such as lighter carbon-shell Sparco seats ($7150) or carbon-ceramic brakes ($13,000). The needs neither, but if you're hitting the track regularly would be worth a closer look.

Safety systems include eight airbags, stability control, autonomous emergency braking, automatic headlights and a reversing camera. Together with a tough safety cell, the car scored a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and was rated 98 per cent for adult occupant protection, one of the highest ratings ever recorded.

Combined fuel economy is rated at 8.2L/100km, and at the end of the drive loop the trip computer was reading exactly double that, 16.4L/100. Now, consider the drive loop was about 60 per cent twists and turns of a diabolical nature and that figure ain't too shabby if you ask me. The Giulia QV requires a diet of 98 octane petrol but golly-gee, even if it required 102 octane fuel I'd go and find it, such are the levels of driver enjoyment.

The Giulia's got swagger, with its guttural V6 idle and gun-shot blasts between gear shifts, but there's plenty of sophistication too and a level of refinement that was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

If it proves to be a reliable car in the long run the only major issue facing potential buyers is the spectre of depreciation – another thing it may do faster than the BMW M3!

Alfa Romeo hasn't cloned the Germans or the Brits here. The way this car has been executed is very different to its rivals, with a level of character and charm that'll raise eyebrows. That it performs so well is icing on the high-octane cake, and I'm really hoping we can squeeze this car into ABDC 2017, which is just around the corner.

As evidenced by their hard-line fruit retailing strategy, the Italians have always done things their own way. This desire to be different hasn't always worked out, but in the case of the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, it feels as though the bar has been raised. Bravissimo.

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia QV pricing and specifications:
Price: $143,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.9-litre V6 turbo-petrol
Output: 375kW/600Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 189g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP