This Sleek Italian Sports Car Disappointed Critics
When Car and Driver did a 40,000-mile test on the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, they hoped that the fascinating sedan would succeed.
Numerous reliability issues on the vehicle let them down. Car and Driver spent 14 months with the Italian vehicle hoping that something would change. They were consistently disappointed throughout this period.
The American automotive enthusiast magazine was determined to finish the test in spite of the constant disappoints. The Giulia was a new experience for the magazine, as they prefer to provide positive feedback on vehicles.
Although sedans from the ’80s and ’90s received a lot of praise, reviews from the magazine did not agree with such sentiments. Clouded with countless unforced errors, the old Alfas gained a poor reputation. At one point, Car and Driver opted to call off one of its tests on the rides.
The first encounter with the Alfa Romeo
The Giulia Quadrifoglio had a great reception when it hit the auto-market. It made its way to the critic’s 2018 top ten cars. The car’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine had ensured that this Alfa beat the Cadillac ATS-V and the BMW M3 in a comparison test the previous year.
These incredible stats spurred Car and Driver to order the brand and have a feel of its features.
Troubles continue
The Alfa Romeo lit its check-engine light during a 650-mile road trip. It remained locked in the powertrain and standard suspension settings.
It took a dealership tech a whole week to discover the small coolant leak that was the cause for alarm. The 2.9-liter V6 of the car still fascinated the magazine which was eager to see out the test.
Taking it to the test track
Car and Driver moved to the test track to get a general feel of the vehicle. The car only needed 3.6 seconds to get to 60 mph. Unfortunately, the service electronic throttle control lit and the dealership had to replace the fuel pump. Constant warning pop-ups were the case all year long. Despite the magazine hoping that the Giulia QF would pull through.
A long drive that didn’t need end with a dealer visit was always a delight. The Alfa Romeo had started to reveal its true colors.
The 10,000-mile service
The magazine could not use the car for a solid month during this service. Besides an oil change, the car’s differential also had to be replaced. The dealer reached out to Alfa Romeo corporate support and a tech was sent over. Car and Driver parted with $169 to get the job done.
At 23,000 miles, the throttle control was at it again. The low-fuel light came on at 31,000 miles although the oil level was fine. It took the intervention of an engineer to get the sensor in order.
The tech then had to replace a connector when the warning light came up at 34,000 miles. In the next 1,000 miles, the car showed a weak turn signal along with malfunctioning parking sensors that wouldn’t go off.
Alfa Romeo shoppers beware
The placement and color of the periodic warning lights did not go down well with the magazine. True and false warnings are too familiar, much to the chagrin of the critics.
Dim lights are no good for drivers, and when the signals are incorrect, you are less likely to count on them. Constant disappointments on this end forced Car and Driver to run a software update on the sensors to get things in order.
The sleek Italian sports car is a pleasure to drive when it is in good working condition. With numerous service woes and a couple of electronic freakouts, the thrilling sedan leaves a lot to be desired. The fact that the Alfa Romeo Giulia QF continues to give false signals doesn’t do much to build its case.
