1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal Base Coupe 2-door 2.6l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The Alfa Romeo Giulia starts at $38,990, or $73,595 for the Quadrifoglio

Although the 4C has been on sale for more than a year, Alfa Romeo's US comeback tour really starts with the all-new Giulia. The car goes on sale this month and is expected to compete head to head with sport sedan competition from Germany, England, Japan, and America. The automaker released details on Giulia trims and pricing, and it appears to be right in the mix with the competition. The new Alfa Romeo Giulia starts at $38,990 with destination. While that's on the high side of its class, it's still right in the mix. All of the competition falls between the $34,445 BMW 3-Series and the $40,425 Mercedes-Benz C300. Where the Giulia really shines at this price point is performance, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine that generates 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque. Alfa claims a 5.1 second 0-60 mph time for the base model, which trounces the competition. The big bad Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio starts at $73,595 with destination. That's quite a bit more than the BMW M3 and Cadillac ATS-V, but it's right on par with the Mercedes-AMG C63 S Sedan. The four-leaf clover has a 2.9-liter biturbo V6 that turns out 505 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. That's good for a 3.8 second 0-60 mph and a record-setting 7:32 Nurburgring lap time, if you care about such things. The standard Giulia and Giulia Ti ($40,990) are available with FCA's Q4 all-wheel-drive system for an extra $2,000. The Giulia Ti is available with Ti Lusso and Ti Sport packages for $2,250 each. Think of the Ti Sport as the Quadrifoglio light and the Ti Lusso as the comfortable and relaxed model. All versions of the Giulia come equipped with an 8-speed automatic, and Alfa Romeo currently has no plans to offer a stick shift in the US. The Giulia Quadrifoglio goes on sale this month, with the rest of the lineup hitting showrooms next month. If shoppers can look through the vast competition for what on paper is the sportiest of small sport sedans on the market, Alfa may be here to stay. Related Video:

Alfa Romeo boss targeting Lexus reliability, cheaper future models

J.D. Power's U.S. Initial Quality Study measures an aggregate number of problems suffered by light-duty vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. In the 2021 survey, the industry average was 162 per 100 vehicles over that first 90 days. Ram topped the charts with the best result, posting 128 problems per 100 vehicles in 90 days. Lexus ranked third, at 144. Out of the top 33 brands measured verifiably according to the methodology — Tesla came with an asterisk — Alfa Romeo finished 29th. In Consumer Reports' 2020 Brand Report Card, Lexus placed fifth out of 32 brands, Alfa Romeo 28th. The Italian carmaker's CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, wants to get his brand closer to that Japanese brand. During the first European test drive of the new Tonale crossover, he told Automotive News, "My quality benchmark is Lexus." There's a long way to go, but Imperato believes he knows the route. Doing the same quick work in Italy that Carlos Tavares did with Opel, Imparato — who led Peugeot to being the second-best-selling marque in Europe — has turned Alfa Romeo to profit before the release of the Tonale. He's only been on the job 16 months.  There are customer-facing approaches to improving confidence in the brand. The Tonale sits on the oldest platform in the Stellantis parts bin, the CUSW architecture that rolled out with the Giulietta in 2010, so it stands a better chance of having all of its bugs flushed out by now. The blockchain-enabled telematics recorder keeps what is intended to be a tamper-proof record of the vehicle's use and maintenance, preventing skullduggery about accidents and mileage and sketchy service. Alfa has enough faith in it to offer what's said to be a five-year, 75,000-mile unconditional warranty on the Tonale in Europe. We won't know how the nitty gritty bits hold up until Tonales hit the road, but the goals are admirable.        The reliability push is just one more step in Imparato's re-establishing the market segments, perception, and touchpoints of the Alfa Romeo brand. He told Wheels at the same event, "before we reach for the stars, we must get the basics in order," beginning with "the quality issues," then improving resale values, and then launching more affordable models. The Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover have been dominated by the Germans they're meant to challenge, and "they are too pricey for Alfisti who would like to trade up from a Giulietta, let alone the MiTo" European subcompact.

Alfa Romeo 4C priced at $53,900* in US, gains 342 pounds vs Euro version

We're out in California driving the Alfa Romeo 4C as we write this – which is the good news. The bad news is that we can't offer up any driving impressions of the car for another few days. On the other hand, we can provide a few interesting non-driving-based tidbits from the launch program, with which to further enlighten you about Alfa's upcoming "compact supercar" (that descriptor comes direct from Alfa CEO Harald Wester, for what it's worth). So, for starters, the price. When Matt Davis drove the European-spec 4C in the fall of last year, he guestimated that the starting price for the US would hover around $55,000. As it turns out, that was a pretty good guess. Eventually, the starting bill on a 4C will be $53,900, plus a significant $1,295 for destination, netting out to $55,195 out the door. That price might sound inline with what you'd expect for an Italian quasi-supercar, but it's not likely what you'll actually pay if you buy one. We're told that $62k to $65k will be the sweet spot for 4C sales in the US. What's more, if you simply have to have a 2015 model, you'll have to pony up a healthy $69,695 (that's including destination), for one of just 500 examples of the launch edition that will be sold here this year. In addition to a serialized plaque that will certify your historic purchase, the launch edition cars get the larger optional wheels in a dark-finish, the sport suspension, sport exhaust, and some other bits and bobs. Finally, while we're happy to report that the curb weight of the feather-light 4C will stay below the magical 2,500-pound mark (2,495 lbs., wet), it has still gained some 342 pounds versus the European-spec car. The added weight is down to a beefier carbon-fiber tub and additional US safety equipment. It's also fair to mention that the ultra-light European model was arrived upon thanks to a homologation rule with the EU, that (among other things) will limit 4C sales on the continent to just 1,000 units per year. We'd expect that to evolve as the model stays on sale. Stay tuned for our full review of the car, thick carbon-fiber and all, early next week.