Compare the2023 Volkswagen Golf RVS 2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Golf R have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Golf R are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Golf R’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Golf R has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Golf R has standard Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Golf R has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Golf R and the Giulia Quadrifoglio have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Golf R its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 92 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Giulia Quadrifoglio has not been fully tested, yet.

The Golf R’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Golf R for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Alfa Romeo only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Giulia Quadrifoglio.

There are almost 5 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Golf R’s warranty.

The Volkswagen Golf R’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Alfa Romeo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volkswagen 5 places higher in reliability than Alfa Romeo.

On the EPA test cycle the Golf R gets better mileage than the Giulia Quadrifoglio:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Golf R higher (5 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (3). This means the Golf R produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Giulia Quadrifoglio every 15,000 miles.

The Golf R offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The Golf R offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer an SMG.

The Golf R Automatic’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer launch control.

The Golf R stops shorter than the Giulia Quadrifoglio:

The Golf R has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Giulia Quadrifoglio; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Golf R handles at .99 G’s, while the Giulia Quadrifoglio pulls only .96 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Volkswagen Golf R may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 400 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

The Golf R is 1 foot, 1.7 inches shorter than the Giulia Quadrifoglio, making the Golf R easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Golf R is quieter than the Giulia Quadrifoglio:

The Golf R has .5 inches more rear headroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Giulia Quadrifoglio.

The Golf R’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Giulia Quadrifoglio does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Golf R has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Golf R has a standard rear wiper. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

When the Golf R is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Giulia Quadrifoglio’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Golf R keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Golf R has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel isn’t available on the Giulia Quadrifoglio w/Sparco Racing Seats.

The Golf R’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Giulia Quadrifoglio doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Golf R was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 15 of the last 16 years. The Giulia Quadrifoglio hasn’t been picked since 2018.

The Golf R was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 5 of the last 15 years. The Giulia Quadrifoglio has never been an “All Star.”

The Volkswagen Golf/GTI outsold the Alfa Romeo Giulia by 53% during the 2021 model year.