A little while back, we looked at a comparison test between the BMW M3 Competition Package, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Mercedes-AMG C63 S and Cadillac ATS-V. The comparison was done by Motor Trend and all of the cars were tested on both road and track. In this comparison, the BMW M3 dispatched the AMG and Cadillac before being taken down by the new Italian. Well, Car and Driver recently tested these four cars against each other now and have come up with slightly different results.
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The first car to lose this comparison is the Cadillac ATS-V. America’s best sport sedan is an interesting one and a frustrating one. The ATS-V’s chassis is great and its dynamics are as good as any car’s in the class. However, it’s completely let down by an engine that wouldn’t be considered good in a Hyundai and an automatic gearbox that’s slow to respond and ponderous left to its own devices. The interior is also sub-par and lacks any of the refinement of the other cars in the test. The Cadillac ATS-V has a ton of potential but the bean-counters at GM hamstring it to the point of futility.
In third place came the BMW M3 Competition Package. While Motor Trend felt that the Comp Pack completely revamped the M3 and turned it into the car it should have been all along (to which we sincerely agree), Car and Driver felt the opposite. According to C&D, the Comp Pack made the ride too firm and the experience too hardcore and felt that the standard car was more enjoyable more of the time. Though the M3 was tied as the fastest and sharpest with the Alfa and the steering is second best only to the Italian.
Second place went to the Mercedes-AMG C63 S. According to C&D, the AMG earned heaps of praise basically just for its engine and interior. Admittedly, the 4.0 liter twin-turbo AMG V8 is a thing of joy and combines silky smooth power delivery with an incredible noise. It also packs a very luxurious and stylish interior that’s more comfortable and easy to live with than any other car in the test. However, its gluey steering and sloppy handling prevent it from beating out the Alfa Romeo.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio takes top marks here, being the most liked car in the test in nearly every single regard. The only real downside of the Giulia was the fact that its technology was lacking behind the other cars in the test and the some interior bits lacked the upscale feel of the Germans. However, the steering, handling, engine, performance and noise all trumped the other cars in the test. While there might have been some debate about where the other cars placed, it seems like C&D never felt that the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio would place any place other than first.
[Source: Car and Driver]
Yeaaaaaaah. MB shitting on bmw again and again. Nice to see how pathetic bmw loses customers all over the world, who prefer MB. Hence the sales numbers and MB holding N1 spot in the premium segment. bmw is just a piece of shit!
Prefer you on your meds. You can’t afford either one so keep typing, little man.
LOL.
Alfa comes first is expected.. They have the smallest displacement but have plenty of boom, but M3 should be ahead of AMG because they are the better car. Engine comparison is also pretty ridiculous, a six vs a V8. Plus Bimmer will always lose in this review because Mercedes brand is tied to luxury instead of sporty, so when reviewer pulls that practical card, the sharper Bimmer will get graded down. Only when the M3 ups its displacement to V8, otherwise it’s easy for the reviewer to grade it down.. Competition Pack is great but it can’t boost power as easy as making the engine bigger
The Alfa won that comparison due to a very Italian reason: cheater tires. They’re 60 treadwear P Zero Corsas. Put some NT01’s or PSC2’s on the others and see how the performance stacks up.
Big bullshit; that was a specific feature of the alfa.
It’s like to say that bmw and mercedes did better in handling and brakes thanks due carboceramic s. Ops they didn’t actually.
Anyway the only car that can take down this giulia QV is the upcoming RS5 sportback.
Or the great ATS-V with a proper V8
Did you mention the Alfa breaking down during the test? FCA are on the bottom of JD Power.
Yeah, this list is complete BS
And those motor trend guys are so biased.
When comparing these 3 athletes, the most important thing is, they must be in the same category, otherwise whats the point. Take a quick look, Alfa seems to win easily in terms of thrust compared to M3 CS, & the C63S AMG. Well, obviously, that vehicle is boosted at much higher pressure. M3 CS was rated at 18.1 psi, the AMG stood at 17.4 psi, but Alfa was given a 35 psi boost. No wonder, they are the most powerful. Italian is rated at 174.7 horses per litre, and torque is rated at 153 lb/ft per litre. Its a easy win, haven’t anyone seen a boosted Nissan GTR at 900 horses, whats the point of comparing it? AMG & BMW M knows just as well how to build those engines, so its nothing new here, BMW has a 1.5L, 1400 horses F1 engine in the 80s, may well put that in for comparison. As for the AMG and the M3, the V8 obviously has more punch, it has 33% more displacement, its the least sportiest, its rated only at 126 hp per litre vs 149 for the M3, the Ms has more pulling power per litre with 136 lb/ft per litre vs 129.5, but the everybody still compare, I wonder why. Its funny for force induction powerplants, that automakers choose to use V8 on a C Class. This is not a Normally Aspirated engine, they are funky turbos, next time, please add a 8 Litre in there to compare. Then comes the rubber, the Italian heros chose the ones that have glue on it, of course, it sticks better. The problem is noone will use them on normal driving, not even in the tropical terriotory, because if Pirelli P-Zero have long been complained for the short life span, noone will trade another 50% of its life span for extra glue, SuperSport Michelin is good enough. Look at the handling numbers with Michelins on them, they are pretty impressive already, so I wouldn’t worry about the super numbers in F1 qualifying tires. Putting these 3 cars in direct comparison is just ridiculous.
I have the hard copy of the magazine that featured this test, and the very last paragraph spoke of the Alfa breaking down/throwing error codes during testing. Of course, I am not one to bash an Italian car, but I hope the customers experience better reliability. I commend them for making such a fantastic car, although I still chose an F80 ZCP over it. To each his own. I do feel, though, that automotive journalists have grown soft regarding their tolerance for ride quality and noise in a SPORTS sedan. It’s almost like the average age of these editors is 60, or something. LOL.
Both tests Alfa won, both tests it was the only car to suffer (multiple) breakdowns. The press are not always our friends! NO FCA vehicles make it into the top ranks of either CR or JD Power, Fiat is in fact dead last in both. I love the idea of Alfa but could not risk $75k on a Ferrari derived Italian manufactured new vehicle. No matter how gorgeous!