QOTD: Would You Buy A 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio If It's Best-In-Class But Breaks Down?

Although there are plans in the works, we have not yet tested the new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia. Not in base, Ti, or Quadrifoglio guise.

But in a four-car comparison test recently conducted by Car And Driver, the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio finished on top, besting the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S (yes, it’s a Mercedes-AMG, apparently not a Mercedes-Benz), the Competition-packed 2017 BMW M3, and the 2017 Cadillac ATS-V.

Of course, Car And Driver doesn’t issue the final verdict. Even TTAC doesn’t issue the final verdict. TTAC’s B&B doesn’t have the last say, either. You, oh sports sedan buyer who wouldn’t look twice at a Lexus NX300h, possess the money that will determine whether the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is the best sports sedan on sale today.

Nevertheless, let’s take Car And Driver’s word for it, if only for a moment. Let’s believe that the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is the best sports sedan in America right now.

Is being the best good enough for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to earn your money? Because, as you’d expect, the Giulia that won Car And Driver’s comparison test broke down.

After Car And Driver’s test Giulia first died following a remote start, the Giulia restarted, “but it wouldn’t move out of its low-boost advanced-efficiency mode,” the magazine wrote. An OBD II scanner cleared the “check engine” codes, but the Alfa died after the next remote start.

It’s not a major breakdown that falls under the fire-on-the-Stelvio-Pass-while-honeymooning classification. But in 2017, with a car delivered to a major publication for a comparison test with the world’s best, it’s the kind of setback that corresponds perfectly with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ horrible results in J.D. Power’s recent Vehicle Dependability Study. Every FCA brand in the study finished below the industry average. Of the five lowest-ranking brands, four were FCA marques. The lowest-ranking brand, Fiat, was further behind next-worst Jeep than Jeep was behind third-ranked Toyota.

And yet, says Car And Driver’s Tony Quiroga, “Above 3000 rpm, the V-6 throbs out a deep, snarly bellow that jeers at the suave manner of the Benz V-8 and points at the coarseness of the Cadillac V-6.”

“The eight-speed automatic is spectacular,” Quiroga says. Excepting the Porsche 911, Boxster, and Cayman, “there is no other 1.00-g chassis that rides as well as the Giulia’s,” Quiroga continues. “The suspension remains civil in a way that eludes the German sedans.” The Giulia was, “the go-to car for leading the group through unfamiliar corners.”

Besides the reliability concerns, the Giulia wasn’t deemed perfect, with navigation, seat, and material quality issues, among others. As for the engine issues, Car And Driver says, “We are willing to overlook this hiccup.”

But, having spent $73,595 of your own money, are you will to overlook this hiccup, and the next one?

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]