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BMW M3 and Alfa Giulia QV Sound Battle Also Calls for 174-MPH Autobahn Sprint

Judging by the technical specifications, one could argue that BMW’s G80 M3 Competition and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio were created only after the engineers of the rivaling companies met up for a coffee and settled on a common hp threshold. The reality paints a slightly different picture, though.
2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL 17 photos
Photo: AutoTopNL / YouTube
2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL2021 BMW M3 Competition vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio soundcheck and Autobahn acceleration on AutoTopNL
Seen here in a new side-by-side video (embedded below) that arrived courtesy of the always ready for a sprint folks over at the AutoTopNL channel on YouTube, the M3 Competition, and Giulia QV are yet another high-performance showcase of the old “the devil is in the details” saying.

On paper, a high-speed battle is always going to be won by the Italian contender. Although both have the same maximum horsepower rating of 510 ps (503 hp) and comparable torque figures of 650 and 600 Nm (479 and 443 Nm) for the M3 and Giulia QV, respectively, the top speed win goes to the latter. This is because the M3 is only capable of either 250 or 290 kph (155 or 180 mph) while the Alfa will go up to 307 kph (192 mph) when asked (nicely).

But here’s the thing. Going that fast requires a very long racetrack straight or access to the no-speed limit portions of the German Autobahn. And even there no one can guarantee there isn’t enough traffic to hinder such feisty attempts. This is probably exactly what prompted the driver to ease up on the throttle once the QV and M3 reached around 270 or 280 kph (168 to 174 mph). But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

This little comparison kicks off with the usual technical card and a very cool soundtrack provided by each of the two feisty sedan’s respective exhaust systems. If you ask us, the soundcheck battle is won by the Giulia QV, if only by a slight margin.

But then it’s time for the acceleration battle and the onboard GPS tracker POV shows the German sedan clearly has the upper hand in all departments, including the 62 mph / 100 kph sprint time (3.77s to 4.71s) and the quarter-mile skirmish (11.24s to 12.49s).

Of course, we can only guess if the M3 Competition and Giulia QV were tested under similar conditions, but we’re not surprised the Bavarian gets such great launches. And there’s yet another factor that can be taken into account. Oddly enough, once we move to the respective cockpit POVs (from 1:50), it’s decidedly clear that Alfa’s performance sedan is more about wind noise rather than a roaring soundtrack...

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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