The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is renowned for its excellent handling prowess, which is only natural from a car whose platform development was overseen by the man credited for the Ferrari 458 Speciale. It's also worth remembering the Giulia Quadrifoglio features a twin-turbo V6 engine derived from the Prancing Horse's twin-turbo V8. The question is, how fast is the BMW M3-rivaling sedan in the quarter mile? Pretty fast, of course, yet not fast enough to keep up with a coupe-bodied M850i.
The compact executive sedan needed 12.02 seconds and 11.97 seconds over the course of two drag races from a dig. The highest speed it carried over the quarter mile is 202.82 kilometers per hour (126.02 miles per hour), which is marginally better than the 201.23 kilometers per hour (125.03 miles per hour) of the M850i. Be that as it may, the Bimmer got to the finish line quicker, clocking a best of 11.85 seconds.
Despite being heavier, the Bavarian coupe is equipped with xDrive. That's why it posted 3.7 seconds from zero to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) as opposed to 4.01 seconds for the Giulia Quadrifoglio. Tipping the scales at 1,660 kilograms (3,660 pounds) compared to 1,930 kilograms (4,255 pounds) for the V8-powered coupe, the sedan pulls harder from 100 to 200 kilometers per hour (62 to 124 miles per hour).
8.12 seconds, to be more precise, versus a best of 8.83 seconds for the M850i. The Alfa Romeo manages to win one of two rolling start races as well, although not by much. The M850i is a properly fast grand tourer, and BMW's way of calibrating the ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic is without peer in the automotive industry.
The Munich-based automaker is also known for delivering incredibly effective launch control strategies for both regular production models and high-performance applications. The M850i isn't a true M, but an M Performance model with the N63 twin-turbo V8 instead of the S63 twin-turbo V8 of the M8. Said engine delivers 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Nm) at full chatter. By comparison, the much smaller twin-turbo V6 in the Giulia Quadrifoglio is rated at 503 horsepower in Europe, 505 in the US market, and 443 pound-feet (600 Nm) at merely 2,500 revolutions per minute.
Not long now, Alfa Romeo will bid farewell to its Ferrari-infused sixer. The future of the Italian marque is – unfortunately – electrified across the board. The next generation of the Giulia, for example, is going electric. The Quadrifoglio will drop with approximately 735 kW to its name, which converts to 987 mechanical ponies.
The 8er is approaching the end of its production cycle. Its replacement is due in the latter half of 2026 with hybridized powertrains, although there is also talk of restructuring. BMW is reportedly discontinuing the coupe and convertible, leaving the Gran Coupe four-door sedan to soldier on exclusively as an electric vehicle. Considering that BMW has confirmed a plug-in hybrid V8 setup for the next-generation M5, the switch to fully electric might be nothing more than wishful thinking.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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