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What Makes an Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio a Quadrifoglio?

alfa romeo stelvio quadrifoglio 2024 01 exterior front angle scaled jpg 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, front | Cars.com photo by Melissa Klauda

Though Alfa Romeo’s stylish Stelvio SUV and Giulia sedan are a drop in the bucket for parent company Stellantis’ overall U.S. sales, they leave a lasting impression in other ways. Nowhere is that impression stronger than with the line-topping Quadrifoglio trim level, but what makes it stand apart in the Italian brand’s lineup? A quick tour around a 2024 Stelvio Quadrifoglio we drove recently provides the answers.

Related: 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Gets New Tech, Starts at $47,545

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Though the Stelvio Quadrifoglio features a choice of six paint colors, the most obvious giveaway that you’re looking at a Quadrifoglio is the exterior scheme you see above: Verde Montreal Tri-Coat. It’s exclusive to Quadrifoglio variants of both the Stelvio and Giulia, and it’s even more vivid in person than it is in pictures.

Other exterior touches are more subtle. Quadrifoglio badges on the front fenders honor the trim’s name (Italian for “four-leaf clover”) and heritage, which dates back to 1923. Hood vents and a shield grille add flourish up front, while quad exhaust and chrome tips complete the look out back. All Quadrifoglios ride on trim-exclusive wheels and Pirelli P Zero performance rubber. Additionally on the Giulia, a front splitter system and carbon-fiber chin and rear spoilers also come standard. Inside, meanwhile, leather-trimmed “performance” front seats coddle you before a Quadrifoglio-specific steering wheel and amid carbon-fiber trim.

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But perhaps the most crucial distinction of the Quadrifoglio is what you don’t notice until you turn it on and realize the speedometer goes to 200 mph, 40 mph more than other trims. Under the hood lies a Ferrari-derived 505-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 that’s good for 443 pounds-feet of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and also featuring standard all-wheel drive, a carbon-fiber driveshaft and mechanical limited-slip rear differential, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio can rocket to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 176 mph; the rear-wheel-drive Giulia Quadrifoglio’s less shoelike shape nets a slower 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds, but a higher top speed of 191 mph. In either case, selecting the Quadrifoglio-exclusive Race mode from the drive mode selector will get you there fastest; slowing down, on the other hand, requires firm application of the Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brake calipers.

alfa romeo stelvio quadrifoglio 2024 12 interior engine scaled jpg 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, engine | Cars.com photo by Melissa Klauda

It’s an impressive package both on paper and in person, though it naturally comes at a steeper price — $89,465 to start for the Stelvio and $83,465 for the Giulia (each including destination). But if you want one, you’d better hurry: Alfa announced in May that it would be discontinuing the twin-turbo V-6 after the ’24 model year, wrapping its run in each nameplate with the limited Carbon and Super Sport variants. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the Quadrifoglio return in electrified form eventually, but for now, the enjoyment of a fire-breathing Ferrari-inspired powertrain and that verdant Verde Montreal Tri-Coat isn’t long for dealer lots. Interested parties, dawdle to the dealership at your peril.

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Patrick Masterson
Patrick Masterson is Chief Copy Editor at Cars.com. He joined the automotive industry in 2016 as a lifelong car enthusiast and has achieved the rare feat of applying his journalism and media arts degrees as a writer, fact-checker, proofreader and editor his entire professional career. He lives by an in-house version of the AP stylebook and knows where semicolons can go.
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