GERMANY has long held the monopoly on luxury mid-size sedans with the trio of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4.

Japan has also been vying for a larger slice of the pie with the Lexus IS and Infiniti Q50, as has the UK and the Jaguar XE, but the Italian’s have sat out of the premium sedan sales race – until now.

With the introduction of the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Italy finally has a player in the hotly contested segment, led by its performance-orientated flagship Quadrifoglio Verde variant.

Taking on the likes of the venerable BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63 S and yet-to-be-seen new-generation Audi RS4, as well as serving as the poster boy for the Italian brand’s relaunch in Australia, is the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV an instant classic, or is it crushed under the weight of expectation?

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