Muscle car comparison: Alfa Romeo Giulia QV v BMW M3 Competition v HSV GTS v Mercedes-AMG C63 S

Not since The Beatles strummed their way to Australia in 1964 has there been as much hype for a new arrival as there has been for the Alfa Romeo's comeback tour.

The Italian brand hasn't had a smash hit for decades and its reputation has suffered without the kind of sports cars it built its foundations on. But the Giulia promises to take it back to the top of the charts, particularly the range-topping QV muscle car that pulls on all the emotional heartstrings with a powerful Ferrari-derived engine under a sensuously designed body.

However, there's a few heavyweights it has to muscle out of the way before it can claim the top spot, including its two greatest European rivals - the iconic BMW M3 and the brutish Mercedes-AMG C63 S - as well as a local hero, the HSV GTS.

So, what we're here to find out is whether the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV is the new ringleader, or the Ringo, of this motley crew of muscle cars.

Alfa Romeo Giulia QV

Photos: Mark Bean

Talk about hype. The Alfa Romeo Giulia joins this group with a weight of expectations on its shoulders; firstly, because Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has spent billions in developing the Giulia's basic underpinnings to build a family of models beyond the Giulia sedan, so it must get it right; And secondly because it is the car that re-launches the brand around the world as a legitimate alternative to the established German triumvirate of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.

Like its competitors here, the Giulia QV sits at the top of the range and comes loaded with all the performance and luxury gear Alfa has its in arsenal at the moment, including a comprehensive array of safety systems and the latest in connectivity.

Costing $143,900 (plus on-road costs), it is the most affordable of the European trio here, sliding in $1000 cheaper than the BMW M3 Competition (although a standard-specification M3 can be had for under $140k).

And despite the fact it comes with the smallest capacity engine, a Ferrari-derived 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, it matches the C63 S for peak power at 375kW, outguns the M3 for maximum torque at 600Nm, and, thanks to cylinder deactivation technology, it eclipses them all for fuel consumption with a claimed average of 8.2L/100km.

More importantly, its on-paper specs suggest it is also the quickest car here, sprinting to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, maxxing out at 307km/h and it holds the fastest lap time around the torturous Nurburgring circuit for a four-door sedan.

As for how it performs in the real world, the Giulia instantly impresses with its everyday useability. For starters, the cabin presents nicely with very un-Alfa-like ergonomics; gone is the awkward long-arm, short-leg driving position of previous models and instead there's a near-perfect relationship between the major controls thanks to good adjustment in the supportive Recaro bucket seats and thin-rimmed, three-spoke steering wheel with its big, red starter button. Beyond that, there's decent space all round, good small item storage and clear and legible instruments.

In spite all of that, there's a mismatch in the materials used that somehow doesn't make it feel as special as the M3's cockpit. For example, the carbon fibre trim highlights in the console and door handles look amazing and the green-and-white stitching in the leather is a nice nod to its Italian heritage, but some of the plastics feel a bit cheaper than they should and drag its ambience down a level. Similarly, the panel for the multimedia screen that is integrated nicely within the flow of the dash promises more than it delivers.

Anyway, all that is soon dismissed once you're on the move as the Giulia is more comfortable and quieter on the road than its rivals. With the adaptive suspension left in its default setting, the QV has a level of compliance over bumps that is only matched by the softer and heavier HSV with its magnetic dampers. It is better than all of them in terms of noise suppression at highway speeds even though it wears the widest rear tyres of the lot. The eight-speed automatic is smoother in heavy traffic too and the exhaust note from its V6 burbles with a subdued drone below 3000rpm.

Ultimately, its 'niceness' means it is probably the easiest car to live with, but also means it doesn't feel like a proper muscle car all the time.

Thankfully though, when you twist the DNA drive controller into its Race mode, the Giulia comes alive, particularly when you unleash its full potential on a racetrack. The steering is precise, beautifully weighted and provides fine levels of feedback from the front tyres and it feels perfectly in-tune with the suspension and the electronically-controlled limited slip diff in the rear end, to the point where its attitude can be easily adjusted through either end and communicated perfectly via the seat of your pants.

While the chassis is brilliant, the engine and gearbox aren't quite as engaging when pushed hard. The Giulia QV is fast - very fast, in fact - and the V6 has plenty of mid-range elasticity and top-end urgency, but it doesn't sound all that great, there's turbo lag at low revs and the eight speeder doesn't crack through the cogs with the same ferocity as the Beemer and Benz.

Alfa Romeo Giulia QV Price and Specifications

Price: $143,900 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol

Power: 375kW at 5600rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2000-5000rpm

Transmission: 8-spd automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 8.2L/100km.

BMW M4 Competition Pack

If anything, the BMW M3 is the original front man of this group and the car that all other sports sedans have been benchmarked against for decades.

In its latest iteration, it has copped a fair share of criticism for moving too far away from the purity of its predecessors, in part due to stricter fuel consumption regulations that forced BMW to ditch high-revving naturally-aspirated engines for a more flexible and efficient turbo charged six cylinder.

In any case, the M3 Competition Pack we're testing goes some way in repairing that with more grunt and an improved exhaust note from its 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six-cylinder engine, stiffer suspension settings, revised stability control and rear differential calibrations and a bit more visual attitude via enhanced bodywork.

At $144,615 (plus on-road costs), the Competition Pack provides good value for money at this end of the business, costing less than $5000 over the standard M3.

When it comes to performance numbers, its engine has been tweaked to produce 331kW (up 14kW) while maximum torque remains static at 550Nm. Amazingly, both of those numbers mean the M3 is the least powerful of this quartet, but it uses every one of those kilowatts quite well, bolting from 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds while consuming a claimed average of 8.8L/100km

It comes loaded with gear including a full suite of active safety systems, top-shelf sat nav and audio units and a leather-trimmed cockpit with unique front seats that feature an illuminated logo in the back rest.

It's a nice-looking cabin that feels more spacious than it genuinely is thanks to the light-coloured leather than adorns the seats, door panels and dash top, which in turn makes it feel a little more special than the Alfa's cockpit.

Like the Giulia, the M3's ergonomics are spot-on, the seats are snug and there's decent room in the back seat for a couple of adults.

The dash is adorned with a myriad of buttons though, including individual adjustments for the steering weight, engine response, adaptive suspension settings and how smooth or how rapid the dual-clutch transmission swaps cogs.

It is all a bit of overkill actually, and a kind of reflection of the character of the car in general. In isolation, each of those attributes are fantastic and flexible - the steering can either by light or meaty, the engine can be effortless or ferocious, the suspension can be reasonably compliant or stiff as a board and the gearbox can be lazy or whack in you in the back - but for some reason it feels as though they are all a bit binary and aren't completely in sync with each other.

The M3 is a seriously quick machine, especially in the right hands on a race track, and it remains a modern muscle car icon. But you have to be ahead of the car when pushing it hard as it can quickly step-out on you.

Thankfully, the Competition pack offers genuine improvements over the standard model; the exhaust note sounds better (even though we're not convinced its artificial soundtrack within the cabin is any good), the extra grunt at the top of the rev range gives it some added fizz and the tighter suspension settings provide a bit more hard-core character.

In the end though the M3 isn't as fluid as the Giulia and is a harder car to live with - whether it's around town or at the limit.

2017 BMW M3 Competition Price and Specifications

Price: $144,615 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol

Power: 331kW at 7000rpm

Torque: 550Nm at 1850rpm

Transmission: 7-spd dual-clutch automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 8.8L/100km

HSV GTS

A big brutish Aussie V8 might seem a little out of place here - and it's fair to say that most buyers of European machines wouldn't even give it a second thought - but the HSV GTS shouldn't be dismissed in this company.

It's numbers alone justify its inclusion, as it packs a hell of lot of performance into a machine that costs almost two-thirds of its rivals at just over $100k when equipped with the optional six-speed automatic as fitted to our test example.

Now that is a lot of money for an Aussie-built machine, but it produces more power than the others - with its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 belting out a whopping 430kW and 740Nm of torque - and it features more sophisticated magnetic dampers, massive brakes with six-piston AP Racing callipers, a torque vectoring rear differential and everything HSV can throw at it in terms of luxury gear, including a multi-media system with an in-built data logger to record lap times and vehicle parameters at race tracks around the country.

It misses out on some of the latest safety equipment though and it isn't as subtle as the Alfa, BMW and Benz in terms of visual appearance nor is its cabin isn't as sophisticated in terms of the quality of materials and switchgear. But it does an excellent job considering its humble foundations.

That applies to its overall on-road manners too. It instantly feels less agile than its European rivals, with steering that, while nicely weighted across the ratio, doesn't transfer the same level of feedback through the wheel and suspension settings that, even in Track mode, are biased more towards comfort than hard-core work. On the flipside, that does make it an easy car to live with every day, as it is better suited to soaking up Australia's pock-marked roads.

As for the engine, it is the star of the show here as it is chock full of old-school muscle car character. It burbles with a fair degree of intent even at idle speeds, and the noise only gets better as the revs rise, mixing its deep-throated intake with a growling exhaust and a subtle whine from the supercharger.

Not surprisingly, its performance also rises to the same tempo. It is utterly effortless when driven normally, using its monstrous low-rev pulling power to allow the smooth six-speed auto to swiftly shift into top gear and then lope along without breaking a sweat. But dig into the throttle and the GTS urgently barks and quickly swings into its meaty mid-range surge of power.

Ultimately, it feels a little bit lazier and it is the thirstiest by a fair margin, but it is no less of a muscle car motor.

In fact, that pretty much sums up the GTS as a whole, at least in this company. It isn't quite as sophisticated, or as engaging to drive quickly, but it isn't that far off and it certainly delivers in the smile department. However you perceive the GTS, it will be sad to see cars like this disappear when local manufacturing closes at the end of the year.

2017 HSV GTS 30th anniversary Price and Specifications

Price: $101,490 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 6.2-litre V8 supercharged petrol

Power: 430kW at 6150rpm

Torque: 740Nm at 3850rpm

Transmission: 6-spd automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 15.0L/100km

Mercedes-AMG C63 S

Mercedes-Benz' high-performance division is in the middle of a purple patch at the moment, led by its popular C63 S sedan.

It has managed the transition to more fuel-efficient turbo-charged technology without spoiling the hallmark attributes of its legendary predecessor. Chiefly and uniquely, it has retained the traditional V8 engine configuration, and not only improved its efficiency by downsizing the capacity but increased power and torque.

Costing $155,900 (plus on-road costs), the C63 S is the most expensive of this quartet but its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 matches the Giulia QV's 375kW peak power output while eclipsing it for torque, at 700Nm, and beats the M3 for economy with the second-best claimed fuel consumption at 8.6L/100km.

It also comes loaded with gear, including a Nappa leather-trimmed cabin with lightweight sports seats, a panoramic sunroof and an 8.3-inch tablet-style multimedia system with sat nav, Bluetooth, internet connectivity, digital radio and digital TV as well as a 13-speaker Burmester audio system.

It has the most comprehensive suite of safety systems beyond the protection of nine airbags, such as automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous lane keeping assistance and stop-and-go in heavy traffic, full LED headlights, a 360-degree camera and lane departure, forward collision and blind spot warnings.

While the cabin's darker colour scheme doesn't make it feel as airy as the BMW, the materials feel a cut above the rest and the overall design has more flair than the others. There's also more useable small item storage space thanks in part to the gear lever being mounted on the steering column.

The seats are the tightest of this quartet but are still comfortable for long journeys and the fundamental ergonomics are as good as anything else. However, the C 63 S has the least room in the back seat and the sweeping roof line lessens the door opening aperture so that you need to duck your head to get in and out.

None of that matters from behind the wheel though, as the driving experience more than makes up for its flaws. Like the GTS, it's all about the engine in the C63 S as it delivers on every front, from the glorious sound it makes to the astonishing performance it generates.

With maximum torque on tap from just 1750rpm, it makes for an effortless cruiser when left in its default comfort setting, the engine barely ticking over while emitting a subtle burble from its exhaust. But it only takes a tickle on the throttle to awaken its rapid overtaking ability and summons the horizon.

It's not perfect as an everyday road car, as the suspension is brittle over bumps and there's more road noise from its tyres than anything else here.

Switching the drive controller to the Sport+ setting makes up for those, particularly on a track, where its lungs are opened via the bi-modal exhaust, the turbos spool up quicker, the throttle is sharper, the clutch-packed automatic smacks through the cogs and the suspension makes better use of its grippy tyres.

It is a bit of a handful to drive at the limit, mostly because of its broad surge of torque, but unlike the M3 everything feels in harmony, making it predictable and hugely entertaining.

In the end, it is the epitome of a modern muscle car; it's got more power than you'll ever need, it makes lots of noise, and it's fun.

2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Price and Specifications

Price: $155,900 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol

Power: 375kW at 5500-6250rpm

Torque: 700Nm at 1750-4500rpm

Transmission: 7-spd automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 8.8L/100km

Verdict

There is no doubt about it, these are the Fab Four of fast sedans right now. All of them sing to their own tune by possessing class-leading individual talents, they make the motoring world a more colourful place because of their existence and you wouldn't be disappointed with any of them in your garage.

The HSV GTS is a brilliant machine, and certainly the best Aussie muscle car ever produced. But it can't match the Euros for sophistication, luxury and agility.

The BMW M3 is almost the opposite in that it ticks almost every box, but it feels like those boxes aren't always on the same page.

Which leaves the Giulia QV and the Mercedes C63 S duking it out to be the front man, Lennon and McCartney-style.

In many ways, the Alfa Romeo is the better car; it's quieter and more comfortable in everyday situations and beautifully balanced when you're up it for the rent. But it could be better polished in other areas, such as the presentation of its interior and the engine could use a little more character.

In any case, the Giulia is legitimately on par with the best in the business but it still has to overcome the residual perceived pitfalls of the brand after decades of erosion. Time will do that, because on face value it is a great machine.

Until it proves itself, the AMG C63 S is still the best of the best, simply because it is a brute of a thing. And that's what an excellent muscle car should be.