After the basic models Giulia and Stelvio, the Italian car manufacturer has also revised the high-performance versions with the Quadrifoglio name suffix. Especially in terms of technology, the SUV and the sedan have grown.
Many automakers struggle to keep their range of models up to date. But it will be even more difficult if – as in the past five years – the technology for infotainment, networking and driver assistants is developing much faster than, for example, the drive-train.
It is correspondingly tricky for Alfa Romeo to make the customer plausible that the already well-engineered top models Stelvio Quadrifoglio and Giulia Quadrifoglio are as strong and fast in the current model year as before and still look as usual, but with a variety of new technology elements that make the two vehicles even more competitive.
What remains is the 510 hp V6 petrol engine with a displacement of 2.9 liters and double turbocharging. The engine continues to produce up to 600 Nm in both the Stelvio Quadrifoglio SUV and the Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan, starting at 2500 revolutions per minute. The power transmission is also carried out in the revised models via a nimble 8-speed automatic, supported by a limited slip differential on the rear axle and – in the case of the Stelvio – all-wheel drive. There has been nothing wrong with the active suspension so far, so Alfa Romeo will stick to it in the 2020 model year.
But what’s new? Only a little externally if you ignore the new color options “Rosso 6C Villa d’Este”, “Ocra GT Junior” and “Verde Montreal”, which are intended as a tribute to earlier vehicle legends from the Alfa Romeo brand. The seat belts are also available in red or green in addition to black. The LED taillights have been redesigned with darkened lenses, and new 21-inch alloy wheels are also available.
But the real innovations can be found in the details. There is now more storage space in the interior, a newly designed steering wheel and the option of perforated leather for the electrically adjustable sports seats in the front. Also new is the infotainment system with an 8.8-inch display and improved controls as well as new real-time queries for the vehicle parameters.
As with the basic models from Stelvio and Giulia, which were revised in 2019, the Quadrifoglio models will receive a new driver assistance package from Bosch, which according to Alfa Romeo should now enable level 2 semi-autonomous driving. These include Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Adaptive Distance Cruise Control, traffic sign recognition with influence on cruise control, traffic jam assistant and fatigue warning.
Admittedly, the innovations are technically elegant, but difficult to convey to a die-hard Alfista, who is primarily interested in design and sporty drive. With the model revision, Alfa Romeo is likely to want to address new customers in particular who previously chose a different brand when comparing the driver assistance systems and the infotainment system, for example. Previous Quadrifoglio owners will not, however, encourage this to update themselves, because the most important thing is still missing: all-wheel drive for the Giulia Quadrifoglio.
