We’ve seen BMW M3/M4 versus Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio comparisons before. In fact, we’ve seen a ton of them. Being that the M3 has always been the benchmark for the segment and the Giulia QV is the newcomer, it’s only natural that they’d be almost endlessly compared. In almost all of those comparisons, the Alfa wins due to its superior driving dynamics. But BMW now has a new version of its staple sports cars, the ‘CS’ variants. So can the BMW M4 CS take its crown back from the Alfa? We find out in this new video from Auto Trader.
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Okay, so the BMW M4 CS is a coupe and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a sedan. So it would make more sense to compare the Alfa with the M3 CS. But journalists have to do the most with what they’re dealt and we don’t always get the exact cars we ask for. Such is life.
In this video, though, we see all of the reasons why the Alfa Romeo is always so beloved. It all starts with its engine. The 2.9 liter, twin-turbocharged, 505 hp V6 masterpiece is largely developed by Ferrari and it’s a sensational engine. Buttery smooth, endlessly powerful and aurally delightful. It’s a wonderful engine that is flat-out better than the M4’s S55 I6. No two ways about it.
The M4’s twin-turbo 3.0 liter I6 is a great engine, with gobs of power and effortless delivery. However, it lacks the sort of drama that makes the Alfa so endearing. It also feels a bit gutless when compared to the Alfa’s V6, even though it feels downright bonkers in isolation.
But can the BMW M4 CS, the sharpest of all of the M3/M4 models, claw its way back in the corners? Sadly not. Drive the Giulia QV just once and you soon realize why everyone loves it. While its steering is slightly too light for my tastes, there’s a delicacy and accuracy to it that the M4 just can’t match. Not only that but the front end has so much grip, so much bite, that it feels unflappable. Turn the steering wheel and the nose fires to where you pint it, without hesitation, without drama. Just instant change of direction.
Then there’s the chassis. The BMW M4 does have a superb chassis. It can be playful and tail-happy, or it can be tidy and accurate. If you get it in a slide, you can directly control the slip-angle with your right foot with ease. However, the Alfa is just a notch or two better. Again, there’s a delicacy to it, a balance. It feels light on its feet, willing to change direction and willing to play. The M4’s chassis is fantastic but the Alfa’s chassis is game-changing.
Are there the typical flaws with the Alfa, such as interior build quality and electronic issues? Of course, the Alfa’s cabin tech and quality would be unacceptable in a KIA Rio never mind an $80,000 super sedan. However, none of that matters when you start to drive it.
In this video, Auto Trader’s Chad Lückhoff chooses the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, even though he knows that the BMW M4 CS is the smarter, safer choice. I can’t say that I’d do anything different, though.
No one spending real money would make the same choice. Vegas is less of a gamble than FCA.
Maserati = The Italian Mercedes Benz!
Alfa Romeo = The Italian BMW!
worst comparison you have ever made LOL
this was a good one that you made:
apple = bmw
android = merc
Like Italians = Germans!
As if.
After the year 2022.
World Cup?
Or Olympcs?
Boeing=Bmw
Airbus =Merc
Really? When did Boeing become an independent upstart? Airbus only exists in response to Boeing’s market dominance, Mercedes created German premium market & owned it for decades. Also different continents, not neighbor competitors. What is the respective government ownership of each?
BMW have been on the Microsoft Board for over a decade.
bmw’s more like mircosoft. i would say tesla’s apple if you want to be fair.
That’s an insult to Mercedes-Benz, to be honest. I just spent a day with Maserati, driving every vehicle they currently make, with the exception of the GranCabrio, and they’re really not very good, unfortunately. Maserati is more the Italian Buick than the Italian Mercedes.
Buick is more stylish.
I watched the video, and I think the Alfa Giulia QV is sublime and in parts better than an M4/M3 as a daily. Its fast with more power and it certainly is a beautiful car. I like the Alfa but my choice is most definitely the M4/M3 Cs, reason being its a drivers car. Its more focused than the Alfa. The more you push the M4/M3 CS the more it rewards the driver. The DCT gearbox and the inline 6 is super responsive. The brakes are amazing and the car is lighter and more agile. It keeps you awake and it honestly from my experience from driving an M3 competition package, it puts a smile on my face every time I get a good B road. And my 5 year old daughter loves it too bits. Always laughing and often saying….wheeeeeee! as we go around some twisty turns. Its a family car and to me its the best small performance sedan my money could buy.
In this case, I’d take the Alfa. Why? Because M4 CS is way too overpriced. BMW doesn’t do a very good job when it comes do limited edition M cars. And M4 CS/GTS are the best examples of that. Ridiculous price, worse ride comfort than a standard M3, pops and bags that were set up by a laptop and not that much added horsepower. I’d just take the standard M3, which is in my opinion still the best car in its class. It costs way less than M3 CS, it’s much more comfortable than the CS, less spiky, sounds more pleasing and less silly, it’s not that much slower on the track, and on the road, it’s much more usable, and less silly. What about Alfa? What a masterpiece. Engine is sweeter than M3’s, because it’s well, a Ferrari California T V8 with two cylinders less, it’s more comfortable than the M3 and it’s faster. But, oddly, it isn’t as pretty as M3 to my eyes(*OPINION WARNING*), it isn’t nowhere near as well built as M3, it feels bigger and bulkier than the M3(according to Chris Harris), and because it’s an Alfa, it will fall apart. But besides that, amazing machine.
Marcel – I think us BMW fans can’t talk about poor reliability any more when it comes to Alfa. The British car magazine “What car” spoke to 14,000 owners of cars that were brand new to 4 years of age and asked them about their cars reliability. I was shocked to see the results. In 2017, Alfa came in 5th most reliable brand and the Guilia was the best in its class. In 2018, Alfa came in 6th most reliable brand and the Guilia 3rd most reliable car in its class.
https://www.whatcar.com/news/reliability-survey-2018-11/
As for BMW, the brand came 16th…………
So Alfa aren’t just getting their engineering right, they now have got their build quality and reliability right. If Alfa Romeo get the quality of their interior right to reflect a more upmarket feeling cabin, then there are no more chinks in Alfa’s armour.
I am trading in my 330 for a Alfa QV so maybe I am now biased. However, I have read too many reviews and over at the Alfa forums no one is complaining about their Gulias since the software patches came out fixing the initial production run of Gulia QV’s.
If the QV is still around mid-2020, when my 3 series lease ends, I’ll LEASE one of these. I will have replaced my wife’s X5 with the new BMW X5. I’ll be able to indulge myself with a QV when it’s not in the shop, and then walk away. I owned a ’57 Alfa Sprint coupe and loved it when it ran, but it was an only car back then. At the moment, I think of Alfas as purely second, “fun” cars.
Alfa are purely second run cars.