1967 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Gt on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo Giulia, Stelvio Quadrifoglio get louder and — literally — greener

Alfa Romeo made several small improvements to the Quadrifoglio variants of the Giulia and the Stelvio as part of its 110th birthday celebrations. The changes make both models safer, more stylish, and quite a bit louder. Outside, the design tweaks are largely limited to new-look LED rear lights with darker lenses and 21-inch alloy wheels for the Stelvio. The color palette grows with the addition of three new hues called 6C Villa d'Este Red, GT Junior Ocra, and Montreal Green, respectively. They're heritage-laced colors that dyed-in-the-wool Alfisti will immediately recognize; the green is a tribute to the V8-powered Montreal released in 1970, for example. Step aboard, and you'll notice there's a redesigned center console that stylists carved additional storage space into, a new steering wheel, plus additional upholstery choices. Sparco sport seats built around a carbon fiber shell are waiting on the list of options along with red and green seatbelts. The updated infotainment system we've already experienced in the standard Giulia has found its way to the Quadrifoglio, too. It's displayed on an 8.8-inch touchscreen and Alfa Romeo added a feature called Performance Pages that shows a wealth of drivetrain-related parameters like the turbo pressure, the amount of power generated in real-time, and a chronometer. If these digital features sound familiar, it's likely because some Dodge models — including the Challenger — are already available with the Performance Pages app. We like it there, and we'll certainly enjoy Alfa's spin on it. Bosch helped Alfa Romeo add a panoply of electronic driving aids to the Giulia and Stelvio. The list includes lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, active blind spot assist, traffic sign recognition, and traffic jam assist. The suite corresponds to level two on the SAE scale so it doesn't turn either model into an autonomous car. There are no mechanical changes to report, meaning power still comes from a 2.9-liter V6 that relies on a pair of beefy turbochargers to make 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. It spins the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, and pelts the Giulia from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds before sending it to a 191-mph top speed. The same six powers the bigger, heavier Stelvio, but it channels its power to the four wheels. Enthusiasts who want to be heard before they're seen are in luck.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio refresh spied sporting the smallest of changes

Alfa Romeo has a refresh coming down the pipeline for the Stelvio crossover soon, and our spy photographer just caught it testing out in the wild. The white Stelvio in partial camouflage seen here isn’t hiding a whole lot, though. From what we can tell, nothing much has changed on the outside compared to the car we can buy now. Swirly wrappings cover both the front bumper and lower rear fascia. Despite us not being able to discern any differences between this one and the 2019 Stelvio, the camouflage could be hiding some minor tweaks. Or perhaps the changes arenÂ’t present in this test car, and itÂ’s being used as a powertrain mule of sorts. There are rumors that Alfa will add some form of electrification to the Stelvio in this lifecycle. Whether thatÂ’s a 48-volt mild-hybrid system or something as involved as a plug-in hybrid, we canÂ’t know for sure yet. The interior does reveal a couple of the smallest changes. Alfa isnÂ’t giving it a whole new look, but a couple things get moved around or reshaped. The electronic parking brake has moved up to an easier-to-reach position next to the shifter. ThereÂ’s some sort of module to the right of the shifter that looks like itÂ’s missing something — that module is not present in the current car. Then, Alfa reshaped the center armrest. Hopefully that means thereÂ’s a little bit more utility in store for the center console and armrest area. Like we said, thereÂ’s nothing revolutionary here. As the Stelvio was introduced as a 2018 model year crossover here, we donÂ’t expect the refresh to be hitting us until the 2021 model year at the earliest. If Alfa feels like moving things along, there could be a reveal for the mid-cycle refresh next year sometime.

Listen to the 2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio's howling Ferrari V6

There's a lot that makes the 2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio special, from its name to its handling. But arguably its biggest claim to fame is the twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 under the hood that was derived from a Ferrari engine. It makes 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, and all that grunt goes through an eight-speed automatic transmission on its way to the rear wheels. Being a Ferrari-related engine, it has a suitably impressive exhaust note. Pop it into "Dynamic" mode, and the exhaust opens up. It's plenty loud with higher revs, but quiets down on the highway, avoiding much drone. The note is unique, with a deeper tone than you might expect from the Prancing Horse brand. It also has rippling crackles that occur more naturally than some of its consistently popping competitors from Germany. Take a listen for yourself with the video above.