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Originally Posted by dialogical
Very interested in hearing your thoughts on the Alfa steering vs the G80
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My test drive was relatively short and I had limited time through twisty sections. The steering felt pleasantly light and direct. The wheel itself is thinner at the rim and of a smaller diameter, which I believe positively contributed to the feel. The G80's steering feels heavier even in Comfort, with comparable directness. The handling is not quite as composed as the G80; the chassis moved around in situations where the G80 stays planted.
As a driver's car, it sits between the F80 and the G80. I certainly understand why some people picked this over the older M3. It's faster, handles better, and is more fun to drive than the F80. (It did exhibit an odd behavior in first gear where it didn't want to put down full power in anything but Race mode.) It also does a few subjective things arguably better than the F80 (sound, interior). In retrospect, it's amazing that Alfa hit the ground running with a true M3 competitor that could credibly claim superiority in a couple of important areas.
I think most of the positivity around the QF's drive is based on comparisons with the F80. On the other hand, the G80 clearly feels like a next-generation performance car; it's faster again, with even better handling.
Compared to the G80, I wasn't a fan of the QF's interior and technology features. Complete dealbreaker for me. Though the materials used are excellent, the interior design seems really dated. Clearly an F8x-era car. The infotainment is several steps behind even pre-G iDrive. The gauge cluster is a generation back from BMW's highly configurable Live Cockpit. On the plus side, I loved the QF's big, column-mounted aluminum shift paddles.
If you absolutely hate the looks of the G80, it's a very nice backup option if we're strictly talking about the drive. For me, an M2 Competition for $55-60k is a better choice.