You can now have Italy's answer to the BMW M3 for $72,000 (FCAU)

Alfa Romeo

On Thursday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced official pricing for its highly-anticipated Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan.

The Italian sports sedan is Alfa Romeo's first mass market offering since it re-entered the US market in 2014 with the niche 4C sports car.  

"The all-new Giulia is the result of our 105 years of passion for Italian style, craftsmanship and performance," Alfa Romeo boss Reid Bigland said in a statement.

At the top of the Giulia line up is the $72,000 Quadrifoglio. Widely seen as Italy's answer to BMW's all-conquering M3 sedan, the Quadrifoglio is expected to be a real beast of an automobile. 

Powered by a 2.9 liter, twin-turbocharged, V6 engine with a fair dose of Ferrari DNA, Alfa claims the 505-horsepower Quadrifoglio can hit 60mph from a standstill in a blistering 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 191 mph.

However, even the "base" Giulia is no slouch. Starting at $37,995, the standard Giulia sedan is powered by a 280 hp 2.0 liter, turbocharged, inline-four. According to Alfa, the Giulia is good for a 0-60 mph sprint in just 5.1 seconds and hit a top speed of 149 mph. 

The middle child of the Giulia family is the $39,995 TI or Turismo Internazionale which shares the standard car's 280 hp motor but gets added performance and styling goodies such as genuine wood accents, an 8.8 infotainment screen, and 18-inch wheels. 

Alfa RomeoThe Alfa also features nearly perfect 50/50 weight distribution and a rigid, rear-wheel-drive biased chassis. In addition, all Giulia's come with an 8-speed automatic transmission, a carbon fiber driveshafts, a drive mode selector, and leather interior. 

The Giulia Quadrifoglio goes on sale this month while the standard Giulia and Giulia Ti models are expected to reach showrooms in January.

For the better part of three decades, the BMW's 3-Series has been the gold standard for compact sports sedan. While BMW's German, American, and Japanese rivals have tried and failed to dethrone the M3, it will be interesting to see the Italians take on the mighty 3-Series.

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