If we could dream any dream we wanted to dream, we all probably would have a relatively affordable and wondrously good-looking four-door Ferrari parked on our driveway.
It would be the sort of car in which we could have immense fun yet also use every day without fear of impaling ourselves, going bankrupt or having to force our families to catch the bus and meet us at the other end.
Since 2016, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio has been providing the answer to that dream. It looks a bit like a four-door Ferrari saloon might look. It has a glorious 503bhp twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 with plenty of Latin character. It’s fabulous, hugely romantic and completely irresistible to any enthusiast with a centilitre of petroleum in their veins.
On the road, it lives up to all that promise, and then some. The engine is indeed a dream, with an instantaneous throttle response and huge power. It sends that shove through an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and the Quadrifoglio can cover the 0-62mph sprint in just 3.9sec and go on to a top speed of 191mph. And it can be eco-friendly, too, because Advanced Efficiency is one of the four driving modes you can choose from, along with Natural, Dynamic and Race.
All those clever chassis electronics help the Quadrifoglio corner wonderfully, too. It feels light and nimble, with super-quick steering and plenty of grip. In fact, it’s all quite delightful, with handling that is multi-adjustable and supremely entertaining. It rides well also, possessing a suppleness rare in cars of such performance.
It offers an excellent low-slung driving position, with everything well positioned around the driver. The seats are supportive and have a good range of adjustment, as does the steering wheel.
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Beware. Can be stolen keyless in seconds, don't even need the key in radio range to do it.
Reliability Survey, it finished 25th out of 26 cars in the executive class. One place above the expected, hurrah!
Reliability Survey, it finished 25th out of 26 cars in the executive class. One place above the expected, hurrah!