[tp78]

Here is how the Giulia Quadrifoglio compares to its primary rival, the BMW M3 (F80 chassis):

Brief specs comparison:

• 3.0L V6 twin turbo 510HP (vs 3.0L inline 6 twin turbo 425HP F80 M3)
• 0-60mph in 3.9s (vs 3.9s F80 M3 DCT)
• Less than 3kg/HP = <1530 kg / <3366 lbs) (vs 3516 lbs F80 M3)
• Torque Vectoring differential
• Active Aero Front Splitter
• Carbon fiber prop shaft, hood and roof
• Carbon ceramic discs
• Manufacturer claimed best torsional rigidity in its class (vs 40KNm/deg F80 M3)
• Pricing not yet announced

 

[Vinales]

Unreal how similar the rooflines are, as well as the contour line just below the belt. Near mirror images!

 

[mc3456]

Both cars are amazing! They are so similar in some ways yet so different in others. There are several areas where the Alfa excels, and several where the M3 buries the Alfa. Candidly, having bith sitting in my garage at the moment, I'm incredibly torn about getting rid of my M3. Tempted to keep it as it's much more sporty, where as the Alfa while fast drives like a more solid, heavier long distance cruiser. I think the Alfa would be a much better long distance cruiser. My (tuned) M3 is definitely more responsive around town, so much so that feels scary fast after getting out of the Giulia QV, whereas the Alfa feels like it is faster higher up in the RPM range, despite having what feels like shorter gears. Almost feels like the Alfa could use another 1,500 RPMs to redline. Both incredibly satisfying options, just targeted towards different buyers in my opinion. I know they are in the same segment, but the Alfa feels more M5 than M3, which both a compliment and insult, depending on your preferences.

 

[Max]

Regardless of personal preference, I think all us Giulia enthusiasts should be proud that the Quadrifoglio is mentioned in the same sentence as the M3, pretty much the benchmark of sports-sedans -- not to mention the Giulia is better in many, many ways compared to the M3! Just need to continue to work on reliability, dealer network, etc. Alfa can do it!

 

[MDriver]

Well thought I'd chime in here as I had a first year F80 pre CP bone stock as frankly to get apples to apples comparison
Styling is 100% subjective and everybody thinks their kids are the cutest so please leave that conversation at the door
From a performance perspective the Alfa has much quicker and more responsive steering, the F80 is just plain lacking. And frankly coming from my E92 you really saw the difference. The brakes on the Alfa seem better, I will say that the F80 brakes are easier to modulate and Alfa's are take some getting used to but inspire more confidence. The real brake test will occur in the spring because of a track day scheduled. The F80 brakes need better pads and motul fluid otherwise were toast after some hard runs
The gearbox is very very good in the Alfa the manual in the F80 was just fine and fun can't really compare that point
Acceleration in the Alfa is brutal compared to the F80, to be fair a CP F80 is a more fair comparison but was not available to me in 2014. The Alfa has a ever so slight initial lag when compared to the F80 but comes on very quickly after that and pulls harder through all the gears in fact it shifts too quickly to me.
Handling in everyday driving goes to the Alfa because everything works in conjunction with each other quick steering, balanced chassis, very tossable car. Will be interesting to see how this translates at the track.
Where the F80 is just brilliant compared to the Alfa is the interior infotainment systems. Alfa is just outclassed. BMW is light years ahead with its simple redundancy and ease of use. Fit and finish are also better.
That's a 45 day write up short and sweet
Regards
M

 

[mc3456]

I keep coming back to how different these cars are yet their performance metrics are near identical. The more I drive the Alfa, I more I like the engine, the ride, handling. I really wish there was a dash menu options to have Race mode exhaust in Dynamic as well. **** shame wide open is reserved for Race mode only. Also, why the **** must we turn off the auto/start/stop function every bleeping time we start the car. Annoying. Add a menu option for that one too.

 

[Takumi587]

I keep coming back to how different these cars are yet their performance metrics are near identical. The more I drive the Alfa, I more I like the engine, the ride, handling. I really wish there was a dash menu options to have Race mode exhaust in Dynamic as well. **** shame wide open is reserved for Race mode only. Also, why the **** must we turn off the auto/start/stop function every bleeping time we start the car. Annoying. Add a menu option for that one too.

I completely agree with that auto/start button... It is the same problem with the base Giulia you can't just leave it off for good.

In terms of the QV and M3 I would go with the BMW M3. After driving the Giulia for about 3 weeks the issues and pet peeves I have with it justify me going for the M3. Don't get me wrong the base Giulia is loads of fun and I bet the QV is too but for fit and finish I think the M3 is the better deal. Plus, the manual transmission is a bonus. I will be putting an order in come this June when the LCI refresh goes into production. =)

 

[MDriver]

I completely agree with that auto/start button... It is the same problem with the base Giulia you can't just leave it off for good.

In terms of the QV and M3 I would go with the BMW M3. After driving the Giulia for about 3 weeks the issues and pet peeves I have with it justify me going for the M3. Don't get me wrong the base Giulia is loads of fun and I bet the QV is too but for fit and finish I think the M3 is the better deal. Plus, the manual transmission is a bonus. I will be putting an order in come this June when the LCI refresh goes into production. =)

so your dumping the Giulia??
IIRC the M3/M4 get M adaptive suspension as standard as well as the new IDrive 5.0....and something to do with the leather interior...full merino will include a leather dash....not 100%...cosmetically no change..as the new 3 series is in the works the G20...
BTW even BMW has ditched the manual in the new G M5

 

[mc3456]

I completely agree with that auto/start button... It is the same problem with the base Giulia you can't just leave it off for good.

In terms of the QV and M3 I would go with the BMW M3. After driving the Giulia for about 3 weeks the issues and pet peeves I have with it justify me going for the M3. Don't get me wrong the base Giulia is loads of fun and I bet the QV is too but for fit and finish I think the M3 is the better deal. Plus, the manual transmission is a bonus. I will be putting an order in come this June when the LCI refresh goes into production. =)

Seems to be a huge difference between the Quadrifoglio vs the base Giulia. Though the base Giulia is a nice car, it just does not have the solidity that the Quadrifoglio does, in the same way a BMW 330i is totally different species than the M3. Speaking of which, having demodded my F80, I have to say the the Quadrifoglio is definitely a level above it in the engine and engine sound department.

Have you driven one and the M3 on the same day? I've been fortunate to do so daily for the last 13 days, and the differences are becoming more evident. The M3 has more luxury features, but is a step behind in driving dynamics when in stock form. The next gen should be much closer to the QV, if not even better. New generations usually leapfrog the competition.

 

[Max]

Seems to be a huge difference between the Quadrifoglio vs the base Giulia. Though the base Giulia is a nice car, it just does not have the solidity that the Quadrifoglio does, in the same way a BMW 330i is totally different species than the M3. Speaking of which, having demodded my F80, I have to say the the Quadrifoglio is definitely a level above it in the engine and engine sound department.

Have you driven one and the M3 on the same day? I've been fortunate to do so daily for the last 13 days, and the differences are becoming more evident. The M3 has more luxury features, but is a step behind in driving dynamics when in stock form. The next gen should be much closer to the QV, if not even better. New generations usually leapfrog the competition.

Seems to be a real rivalry forming between QV and M3, I think it's healthy for both types of customers :smile2: Competition will bring us advances in tech and quality ... at least I hope! Maybe I just don't have the vocabulary you do but I'm not sure what you mean by solidity between base models and high performance variant -- could you explain?

 

[mc3456]

Seems to be a real rivalry forming between QV and M3, I think it's healthy for both types of customers :smile2: Competition will bring us advances in tech and quality ... at least I hope! Maybe I just don't have the vocabulary you do but I'm not sure what you mean by solidity between base models and high performance variant -- could you explain?

The fact that the top level models are more performance oriented, they feel more planted (solid) than the base models.

 

[Takumi587]

so your dumping the Giulia??
IIRC the M3/M4 get M adaptive suspension as standard as well as the new IDrive 5.0....and something to do with the leather interior...full merino will include a leather dash....not 100%...cosmetically no change..as the new 3 series is in the works the G20...
BTW even BMW has ditched the manual in the new G M5

I have a base Giulia which I will be keeping. The wife drives that. However, I have been deciding between the QV and M3. I have not test driven a QV but there are none available where I am to even purchase. The QVs are all sold out here in LA. Based on the quirks/ gremlins I have seen here on the forums and encountered personally I would rather go with the M3 at this point. Unless when June comes along I get convinced otherwise.

 

[compert]

When looking at the chassis, the QV is acutally a complete different car from underneath.

I would have probably don it the other way round - bought a 330i and a QV instead of a Base Giulia and an M3

 

[jakebarrell]

No doubt that both these cars are simply awesome. Ofcourse each of them have their pros and cons. But me being a BMW fan, I would hands down choose the F80 M3... My friend recently bought it & after hearing about it's performance and comfort, I have decided to get the M3 for myself. Infact, my friend took the time out to share his experience on his F80 M3 with this automotive website- https://columnm.com/a-father-son-bonding-over-bavarian-muscle-the-bmw-m3/

Do spare a minute to read about his exclusive experiences shared.

 

[jamgolf]

As a prior F80 M3 owner I think Alfa QV is a better car than F80 M3 by a rather large margin.
While I consider myself lucky to have owned an M3, I do not miss it - at all.
I sold it and got a Fiesta ST and frankly enjoyed driving it a lot more. Drove it to my heart's content.

The only car that I miss is 911 4S cabriolet and perhaps my judgement is a bit clouded at this moment but I feel except the convertible factor, Giulia Quadrifoglio is a better car even compared to favorite vehicle (when I sold it, I felt like a small part of my soul was gone).

That is crazy talk for me. I can't belive I just said that - but I honestly belive that QV is a better machine. M3 - forget about it.

 

[bigk200]

I did a test drive today with a 2018 BMW M3, and I came away really impressed with my QV. I have certainly had plenty of complaints about my QV, because it definitely has some imperfections, but as a drivers car the QV totally blew the M3 away. Also, launching the M3 from a dead stop is not really much better than my QV, which is one of my main complaints. I have a preference for manual transmissions, which probably explains why I don't like the QV launch.

The M3 that I drove had a competition package that also gave it a louder exhaust note. Some people might like that, but I came away with the impression that the QV is a lot more civilized and capable of being a daily driver vs. the M3. I love looking at the M3 and all of the cool colors that it can be ordered with, but if your first love is driving, then the QV is a definitely a better choice. The QV feels so much more athletic and effortless compared to the M3. I also drive a 440 Grand Coupe with a 6 cylinder engine. I actually liked driving the Grand Coupe more than the M3, but the Grand Coup will not work for me because it cannot be ordered with a manual transmission.

I currently have two cars, and I was shopping with the idea that I might be able to consolidate down to one car that has a fold down rear seat, a receiver hitch for my bike rack, and a manual transmission. But after doing the test drives today I think I'm going to keep the QV and get a tune . And I'll have to upgrade my rusty 2000 Nissan Maxima to something else with a manual transmission that doesn't have any rust.

 

[[email protected]]

The base Giulia is very closely related to the QV. The chassis are almost identical, the suspensions are almost identical and only differ in tuning components like springs and shocks. I am fairly certain a base Giulia with a good coil over upgrade, like the KW V3s and equal tires will actually out handle a QV. Of course the QV is far ahead in power, and has a totally different engine, but the base engine is darn good.

Greg

 

[bigk200]

Funny thing happened when I was test driving the M3. While I was coming out of a turn I wanted to upshift. I was in paddle mode and so I naturally hit the paddle that was on the right side of the wheel. However, because the BMW paddles rotate with the wheel, I actually downshifted instead of doing an upshift. The paddles in the Giulia are way better and more usable than the little paddles that the competitors are putting in their cars.

 

[lockem]

Funny thing happened when I was test driving the M3. While I was coming out of a turn I wanted to upshift. I was in paddle mode and so I naturally hit the paddle that was on the right side of the wheel. However, because the BMW paddles rotate with the wheel, I actually downshifted instead of doing an upshift. The paddles in the Giulia are way better and more usable than the little paddles that the competitors are putting in their cars.

Same here with my Subaru versus Giulia. I do not understand reviewers that claim that Alfa got it all wrong with the column mounted paddles, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Subaru requires a lot more shifting and a lot more wheel turns to get anything out of it, just compounding the issue.

 

[MDriver]

Rip f80 m3

due to a change in the European method of testing cars...it was announced that the last F80 M3 will be produced in August of 2018. As they are in the process of changing platforms, it did not pay to have the car retrofit to re-certify. So the new platform M3 will come out in 2020.
wonder if the new version will try to reach the magic 500hp threshold??