2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio vs. Australia’s Best Driving Roads

It’s 5 am on a slow Wednesday morning in Albury, NSW, and I’m prepping the 2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio for Australia’s best driving event, the Targa Classica. This four-day event is based on the famous Targa Florio in Italy where Alfa Romeo has a special connection.

The story goes that Italian racing driver Ugo Sivocci couldn’t win a race. Then, one day he decided to paint a ‘lucky’ four leaf clover on his car. When he did, he started winning races. The first race he won was the Targa Florio in 1923, and this was the first race where the Quadrifolgio symbol appeared on an Alfa Romeo. Sadly, one day Sivocci was testing the new Alfa Romeo P1 at Monza without the four leaf painted on it. During a high-speed test lap, Sivocci crashed and was tragically killed and the brand’s four leaf clover, which has one corner missing, symbolizing his absence, has been fixed to every performance-focused Alfa Romeo since.

Together, the 2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and I will drive some of the best roads in the country while competing in 70 to 80 time trials, including Gymkhana-style courses, point-to-point legs, average speed tests, and even some time on a race track to explore the car’s full potential.

Some competitors took the word “Classica” literally and brought out cars from the 1920s, but I felt perfectly placed in the Giulia Quadrifoglio. It was one of the newest cars in the field, but it’s an Alfa Romeo, and that means that you’ll always fit in amongst proper car enthusiasts.

The number of competitors who came up to me just to chat about the car proved that passion for the brand runs deep, and after spending a few days behind the wheel, it’s easy to see why.

The Car: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (from AUD$153,700 before on-road costs) has recently been treated to a facelift that brings styling and functional enhancements inside and out.

You can first spot the updated model for the new adaptive full-LED matrix headlamps with 3+3 lighting signature and scrolling indicators. Then, when you jump behind the wheel, there’s a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that replaces the analogue version in the pre-facelift car but keeps the historic telescope design alive.

The interior is full of premium materials and combines leather, carbon fibre, and suede. In fact, the entire central tunnel and bonnet is carbon fibre, which adds to the racecar feeling inside and out.

My car was also fitted with optional $8,350 carbon-fibre Sparco bucket seats which kept me secure and comfortable during the 2,000km of driving I did during the trip. I spent four straight days in these seats, and I can think of a few other carbon buckets that would have destroyed me, but these were perfect.

Beautiful aluminium paddle shifters sit behind the steering wheel and control the ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic gearbox. Meanwhile, the 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and combines with a 900-watt 14-speaker Harman/Kardon premium audio system and integrated wireless phone charger.

Under the bonnet is a Ferrari-derived 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine producing 375kW and 600Nm – enough to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

This engine is full of character, producing a glorious soundtrack that changes throughout the rev range. It begins with a deep rumble in the lower RPM and finishes with a raspy echo as it moves past 5,000 rpm. Grab the next gear and you’re hit with an epic crack from the exhaust.

Finally, power makes its way to the ground through the rear wheels only and a set of 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tyres is standard.

The Drive: Twisties, Sweepers and Straights

You can change the character of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio through the brand’s ‘DNA’ drive mode selector, and this proved invaluable during the Targa Classica.

We could be traversing the twisty mountain roads around Albury, NSW, and then moments later we’re B-lining our way to the next time trial through wide-open farmlands. The choice is truly yours as each mode transforms the feeling of the vehicle.

When the Giulia is placed in ‘N’ mode (normal mode) you have no idea there’s more than 500HP sitting under your right foot. This drive mode is perfect for the highway where the QV has cylinder-deactivation technology that enables it to run on three cylinders at times of low demand and save fuel (8.2L/100km claimed). ‘A mode (All-Weather mode) is great when the roads are slippery after morning dew, but I spent most of my time driving around in ‘D’ (Dynamic mode) where the car livens up and feels like a true super sedan.

The suspension, steering, and inputs all tighten up in Dynamic, but you can switch the suspension back into its normal comfortable setting by pressing the central button. This is perfect for the often bumpy country roads that we have in Australia. More often than not, hardcore sports cars struggle in their sportiest settings on these types of roads as they lose composure (and are uncomfortable) but not the Giulia Quadrifoglio because of this suspension button.

When it was time to hit the racetrack at Winton Motor Raceway I flicked the ‘DNA’ drive mode selector into ‘R’ (Race mode). This permanently opens the exhaust, but it also disables the Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control, so you’ll want to make sure that you don’t push yourself outside of your boundaries. However, this is the magic mode, and the 50:50 weight distribution and 1,625kg kerb weight become immediately apparent as the Giulia starts to dance.

The Verdict: Quadrifoglio is a Super Sedan

With such a wide breadth of capability, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio proved itself as the ultimate super sedan.

On the highway, it performed perfectly as a comfortable GT sedan. Then, when it came time to have fun in the mountains on the Targa Classica stages it showed its performance capability by blending the best comfort elements with a balanced chassis and plenty of driver feedback. Last but not least, it proved its performance capability on the race track where it allowed me to explore its full potential in Race mode with the sound of the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 at full noise in the background.

I’ve had the chance to drive some of the most expensive cars in the world on some of the best driving roads, but my time with the Giulia Quadrifoglio will always serve as a highlight.

The 2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is priced from AUD$153,700 before on-road costs in Australia and you can book a test drive at the brand’s website linked below.