2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio: A 505-horsepower riot

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio jumps into the high-performance sedan game to take on the likes of the BMW M3, Cadillac ATS-V and Mercedes-AMG C63.

The 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio starts at $75,295, giving it the highest cost of entry among its direct competition; the BMW M3 begins at $67,495, Cadillac ATS-V at $62,590 and Mercedes-AMG C63 at $67,095. Factor in the not-as-nice interior and unrefined infotainment system and it's easy to see why the Giulia is often a tough choice.

But in this class, what's arguably most important is how great a car drives, and there, none of the competitors can best the Alfa. To me, the extra money and interior shortcomings don't matter so much if the Giulia Quadrifoglio is the new standard of performance sport sedans.

For power, the Giulia Quadrifoglio uses a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine making 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.

Together with an eight-speed automatic transmission, Alfa says the car can hit 60 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 191 mph.

All things considered, the drivetrain is fairly efficient with an EPA rating of 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

Unlike normal Giulia models, the Quadrifoglio wears a carbon fiber hood, active front splitter, roof and rear spoiler.

To sharpen handling, the Quadrifoglio features an adaptive suspension, torque vectoring rear differential and Brembo brakes.

For an additional $8,000, you can option the Quadrifoglio with Brembo carbon ceramic brakes.

An 8.8-inch infotainment system boasts standard navigation, 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities.

A backup camera with rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitors, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and park sensors are standard.

The 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio starts at $75,295, including $1,595 for destination.

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