Quick Spin: Twin-turbo Alfa Romeo Guilia rockets to notoriety

Twin-turbo Alpha Romeo Guilia

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Today's Quick Spin vehicle is piece of Italian eye-candy that's just arriving in the United States.

Alfa Romeo is pushing to develop a rooted presence in the United States; and the automaker's brand new sports sedan, the Giulia (pronounced Julia), might be just the vehicle to close the deal with buyers.

Giulias are already showing up at American dealerships, mostly stand-alone Fiat stores that are adding Alfa Romeos as a second line. Starting with about 80 outlets a couple of years ago, the number of U.S. dealerships with Alfa Romeos on the lot is now approaching 200. The nearest outlet to Chattanooga is Harper Fiat in Knoxville.

"We are seeing a lot of interest the Alfa Romeos," said Allen Brooks of the Harper Fiat sales staff.

Most Giulias imported so far are in basic trim, and have a starting price of about $40,500. The beast of the line, though, is the twin-turbocharged, 505-horsepower, Guilia Quadrifoglio, which starts at $72,000.

Brooks says the Knoxville store has three lower-trim Guilias in stock now, and a couple of Quadrifoglio models in the pipeline.

- Just the facts: The Quadrifoglio is a four-door, five-passenger sports sedan. It's powered by a snarling, 505-horsepower, twin-turbo, V-6 engine that is derived from Ferrari engineering. All Quadrifoglios being shipped from Italy to the United States now are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission. For an extra dash of sportiness, use the car's massive paddle shifters to simulate a manual transmission. The car's 0-60 mph time has variously clocked at 3.6 to 3.8 seconds. Let's just agree, it's fast and furious.

- Worthwhile option: The tri-tone Rosso (red) paint is a marvel. Although a $2,200 option, the luminescent metallic paint shows off the Guilia's seductive body lines. Also worthwhile is the Driver Assistance package ($1,200), which includes forward collision warning and lane departure warning.

- How much? Our tester, which includes a $5,500 ceramic brake upgrade along with other extras, has an MSRP of $84,295. More pedestrian base Guilias, which are equipped with turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engines, compare to BMW 3-series models and start at about $40,500.

- It's good for Chattanoogans because? You can be one of the first in the city to own a contemporary Alfa Romeo. Make it a Quadrifoglio and you may be THE first in the city to own this exquisite sports sedan, which is getting rave reviews from all corners of the automotive press. Think of it as a baby Ferrari with a top speed of 191 mph, and the exclusivity should snap into focus.

- Cool stuff: The steering wheel on our tester is a work of art. We counted five materials: leather, Alcantara (suede), aluminum, carbon fiber and plastic. Also, the large shamrock side badges are a bonus for anyone who wants to advertise their Irish heritage.

- We wish for: A simpler shifter with fewer lock-out buttons to master, and a more intuitive dive-mode selector.

- While you are looking: The Quadrifoglio competes with the BMW M3, the Mercedes-Benz AM6 C63 and the Cadillac ATS-V.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-645-8937.