Italian Job: Giulia vs M3
Fiat group is going through changes ever since they bought Chrysler, and the company is releasing new models more aggressively to compete with rival manufacturers. With the re-entry of Alfa Romeo brand to U.S. market, Italians are offering two models: 4C coupe/sypder, and newly released Giulia. Alfa Romeo Giulia is a four door sedan designed to compete in compact luxury market, directly rivaling against Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-class sedan, and BMW 3-series.
M Power versus Ferrari Connections
Giulia's in-house tuned version, labeled as Giulia Quadrifoglio (literally meaning four-leaf clover in Italian; feeling lucky?) goes against the C63 AMG sedan, M3, and yet to be released RS4 B8. Under the hood Giulia Quadrifoglio has Alfa Romeo's most powerful engine ever, a 505 horsepower bi-turbo V6 built with the help from Ferrari. That's an impressive start for the competition, because US-spec BMW M3's twin-turbo V6 pulls only 425 horsepower, or 80 hp less than Quadrifoglio. Giulia also transmits more torque to the wheels - 443 lb-ft versus M3's 406 lb-ft - which helps the four-door sedan to reach 60 mph form zero in just 3.8 seconds. In comparison, M3 reaches 60 mph from standstill in 4.1 seconds, or .3 seconds slower than Giulia Quadrifoglio. And that's not all, Alfa claims Giulia is capable of reaching 191 mph, which is faster than M3's top speed of 174 mph.
Dimensions
Although Giulia is 2 inches shorter than the M3, it has lightly longer wheelbase. Both cars have the same height of 56.1 inches, but Alfa is less than an inch narrower when not measuring the mirrors. Interior room data isn't out yet, but don't expect much difference between two sports sedans, considering extremely similar exterior dimensions.
Pricing
Alfa Romeo hasn't released pricing information yet, but expect numbers arougn $65,000. We will get more info on the model at upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, where Giulia will make it's U.S. debut. This comparison article will be updated accordingly.