When reviews for the G80 BMW M3 Competition first began to trickle out, and showed very impressive results, my first thought was whether it could take down the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Prior to driving the G80 M3 Comp, the Giulia Quadrifoglio was the best sedan I’d ever driven. In fact, even after driving the M3 Comp, that still might be the case. However, I can say with confidence that they’re both absolutely brilliant. Yet, due to scheduling issues, I’ve yet to be able to test them back-to-back, to truly determine a winner. Thankfully, Car and Driver was.

Admittedly, C&D wasn’t the first publication to put this comparison test together. We’ve already seen a few other pubs do it, with each car winning more than once. Which proves there’s yet to be a stand-out winner. Still, let’s see what C&D thinks of these two cars.

One the spec sheet, the two cars are incredibly similar. They both have twin-turbo six-cylinder engines (3.0 I6 for the BMW and 2.9 V6 for the Alfa), both use the same eight-speed ZF automatic, both are rear-wheel drive only (an all-wheel drive M3 is on the way), and both have clever rear diffs. Even their power figures are similar; the M3 makes 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft, while the Alfa makes 505 horsepower and 443 lb-ft. They also both get to 60 mph in around three and a half seconds.

The real question, though, is which car is actually better to drive? Both are seriously fun cars but in very different ways. The BMW M3 Competition is the sharper car, with scalpel-like steering combined with an impossibly grippy front end. While the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio’s steering is lighter and a bit less extreme, it’s far more communicative, with better feed back.

It’s been about a year since I last drove a Giulia Quadrifoglio but each and I’ve driven one every couple of years or so since it was released and each time it reminds me of how much I love it. The BMW M3 Competition is also a sensational machine, one that I love to drive and one I’d buy tomorrow if I could. But since I can’t get them back-to-back, I’ll have to take the word of C&D. What is that word? Read the comparison to find out.

[Source: Car and Driver]