Sharp pricing for Alfa Giulia QV

ALFA Romeo has announced that its Giulia QV power champion will arrive on February 16 this year with a BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63-baiting price of $143,900 before on-road costs.

With a turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 producing an effervescent 375kW and 600Nm, the hottest Giulia has the punch to do battle with Mercedes and BMW’s segment-defining hyper sedans and, with the confirmation of pricing, the flagship Alfa has a bottom line to compete as well.

BMW’s M3 still represents the bargain of the high-performance luxury sedan market with a ticket price of $139,615, but the Competition version is $715 more expensive than the Alfa at $144,615.

Mercedes-AMG weighs into the fiercely competitive market with its C63 S priced at a significant $14,215 more than the QV at $158,115.

Despite packing an extra pair of cylinders and 1.1 litres of displacement, the Merc does not beat the Italian for power with an identical 375kW and only trumps it for torque with 700Nm on tap.

The BMW is more closely related mechanically to the Alfa with a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six, which develops 331kW and 550Nm when in Competition trim.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia president and CEO Steve Zanlunghi said the new arrival had been carefully priced to compete with its closest rivals.

“Heralding best-in-class performance, we believe the Giulia QV price represents a competitive and value driven proposition for Australian motoring enthusiasts looking for something different and of course, uniquely Italian,” he said.

Like its key competitors, the Alfa sends power to the road via purist rear drive and can crack the benchmark zero to 100km/h dash in 3.9 seconds, while the BMW M3 Competition manages the same sprint in 4.1s with the standard version a tenth slower.

Mercedes cannot quite keep up with the Giulia QV from a standing start to 100km/h either with its dash taking an even 4.0 seconds.

The most powerful Alfa Romeo will be joined in the Giulia line-up by three other variants that will arrive at the same time as the QV range-topper.

At the most affordable end, customers can opt for an entry-level Giulia 2.0-litre petrol, while the Giulia Super takes care of the middle of the range with a choice of the same petrol engine or a 2.2-litre diesel, and a more generously-equipped Veloce tops off the range with a more powerful version of the 2.0-litre petrol.