I’m a lifelong BMW fan…but this car has me doubting my choices

I spent an unhealthy proportion of my childhood in BMW dealerships, with my little fingers poking and prodding at the cars’ buttons and my little eyes rifling through countless model brochures that I’d take home with me.

The M3 has always been my favourite model, and while I’ve opted for a life of luxury with my 7 Series, I’ve lost track of how many M3s I’ve driven over the years. Few saloon cars on sale offer the same mix of high performance driving thrills, practicality and ease-of-use – and in such a handsome package. BMW, to me, is king of the hill for rapid sensibility.

Or at least, it was, until I had the chance to sample the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. It’s a high-performance, even more thrilling, almost as practical and not-quite as easy to use super-saloon in an even more handsome package – and I would have one over a BMW M3 in almost any given scenario. Eek.

I mean just look at it…can you blame me? Those headlights, that graceful silhouette, dainty triangular grille and beefy rear end are all to die for. Combined with its muscular wheel arches and the oh-so cool four-leaf clover badging, the Alfa has the current BMW saloon car line-up dead-to-rights on appearances.

BMW has long made some of the most attractive alloy wheels of any manufacturer…aside from Alfa Romeo with its stunning, flower-like wheels. I fall in love again every time I catch a glance at them.

It’s a shame the interior can’t quite match the exterior for design flair. Yes, the dashboard flows and ebbs over the classically Italian, two-hood instrument cluster, but otherwise it’s dull, with little in the way of colour or detail that draws me in once I’ve plonked myself down into low-set sports seats.

Quality is also where the Germans have Alfa Romeo licked, in both software and hardware, because while handsome the cabin simply feels flimsy in places such as the buttons and un-trimmed plastics. The central display also lacks the crisp graphics of a BMW, but otherwise it’s simple enough to navigate.

Space is fine, and all 5’11” (just…) of me could sit behind my own driving position with ease. The enormous hump between the footwells means you’re practically doing the splits to sit in the middle. Fortunately the 480-litre boot puts the Alfa on par with a BMW M3.

But if you’re looking at an Alfa Romeo super saloon with your thinking hat firmly on, you’re going about it all wrong.

I can forgive the car for all of its quirks and foibles from the moment I press the outrageously cool red starter button on the steering wheel and hear the Ferrari-derived, 2.9-litre V6 engine roar into life. Funnily enough, I can’t stand the noise most V6 engines make – but Alfa has nailed the exhaust note here.

Slot the (cheap-feeling) gear selector into drive, select Dynamic or Race drive modes (stay away from Race unless you’re familiar with powerful, rear-wheel drive cars) and point the hot Giulia towards your favourite country lane.

It’s remarkably capable, and though the BMW M3 is technically superior in my books, the Alfa’s sonorous exhaust and edge-of-your seat rear-wheel drive layout versus the German means that I find spirited drives all the more rewarding in the Giulia.

The fact that it’s easy to potter around town in and take on long-distance cruises makes the Alfa a surprisingly capable all rounder, meaning you don’t have to be a die-hard driving enthusiast to enjoy living with a spicy Giulia.

So if I had around £90,000 to spend on a practical enough and thrilling daily driver, I wouldn’t buy a BMW. I’d buy the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, and I reckon you should too – because life’s too short to go for the sensible choice every time.

Just don’t tell my mates, because they’re BMW enthusiasts, too.

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*Savings are made up of the maximum dealer discount off RRP – subject to dealership, location and trim. Prices correct at the time of writing.