Two more years. That’s how long Stellantis will now continue manufacturing the Alfa Giulia for. Which means by the time it does eventually disappear, the 952 series car will have celebrated its twelfth birthday. So does that mean that this decade-old sedan is already terribly dated? Not at all. If anything, the appeal has only grown as others in the D segment either vanish or are replaced by yet another egg-shaped EV.
Those of us who always wish Alfa well will be watching to see how the marque does in 2026 and 2027. These could be less than stellar years as no additional vehicles are due to be added. Having said that, the news so far in 2025 has been most welcome, with ACEA reporting a 42 per cent gain for Europe-wide deliveries in October. Alfa was even close to Honda (4,939 against 5,101). Thank the Junior for much of that. Brand sales over the ten months are up by 40 per cent YoY to 50,019.
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When would Cassino would go offline for retooling?
Presuming Giulia and Stelvio build continues for another 25 months, their STLA L-based replacements (codes: A5S and A5U) probably both won’t arrive until at least the first half of 2028. And when will the Piedimonte San Germano factory (known as Cassino due to this town being a few kilometres away) have downtime to switch to the new platform? Both models, once due to be electric-only, will instead offer electrified combustion power too. That could be HEV, PHEV or REEV/EREV; we don’t yet know.
While the Tonale has just been updated with a facelift and engine revisions, the Junior is still fairly new and not expected to be refreshed until the end of 2028. Perhaps as a drawcard we could see a new low-volume supercar, even an evolution of the 33. Some kind of novelty will surely be needed. Perhaps new editions of the Giulia GTA and GTAm?
Does the Giulia now feel out of date and too-analogue?
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By GlobalDataNot having driven a Giulia for quite a while, until Stellantis UK said yes to a request to get reacquainted I had wondered how good the car might be ten years on from when it was new. But I dared to hope it would be a fantastic contrast to so very many everything-digital, too quiet, inoffensive electrified or electric crossovers and SUVs.
As a 375 kW (510 PS) and 600 Nm V6 Alfa’s sole saloon is still a sensation and one of the most alive-in-your-hands cars you can buy. How lucky we are that it gets to have an extended life. In fact there is presently a pause for Quadrifoglio build but it restarts within a few months’ time. Production of the 2.0-litre petrol is apparently unaffected by the hiatus for the six-cylinder biturbo.
There was a minor facelift in 2023 which saw the main exterior change being new headlights, these now resembling those in the Junior and Tonale. The updated Quadrifoglio retains those evocative four-leaf clover emblems on the front wings as well as dark grey five-hole 19-inch alloy wheels. Yellow brake callipers also feature with red optional. Paint colours are Etna Red, Montreal Green, Misano Blue, Vesuvio Grey, Vulcano Black and Alfa Red (non-metallic).
High pricing, but worth it?
This is a far from inexpensive car and with a new ticks on the configurator you can be looking at ninety thousand pounds. Items that will lift the price include a mix of black leather and Alcantara for the seats, so as to match what wraps the steering wheel as standard. There is also a carbon fibre trim package for the dashboard, door cards and central tunnel.
A fresh design for the digital instrumentation cluster is also part of the latest specification. This includes the same Evolved, Relax and Heritage themes for the display but, a configuration called ‘Race’ is exclusive to the Quadrifoglio. This can be customised to show little snippets of performance to the sides of the road speed, engine speed and shift-light (when in manual mode).
Racing-style front seats
The dash-mounted screen goes against the trend for XL-sized displays. What a wonderful thing that is too. This car is for the enthusiast driver and the test vehicle was similarly not blighted by endless interruptions from the ADAS features. As for the sports seats, they grip you beautifully and look fantastic to boot.
Does it sound as good as it looks though? Of course it does. Alfa’s 2,891 cc six must be one of the world’s best engines, and even if it isn’t quite the last word in economy (I saw an average of 25 mpg, and you would too if let loose in this car) its exhaust note is properly tingly. You can even pay more to make it raspier still with the Akrapovič upgrade.
LSD exclusive to the V6-powered Giulia
Alfa didn’t (yet?) replace the 397 kW (540 PS) GTA when it gave the Giulia the facelift but the Quadrifoglio now also features the former limited edition’s mechanical limited-slip differential. As a track day car, this would generate endless grins (and likely big bills for new tyres).
The main difference between the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglios has always been RWD versus 4WD and this continues to be the case. Deactivate the traction safety system and the sedan turns genuinely wild. Depending on your point of view, the damp, leaf-covered roads of November are either the best or worst surfaces for experiencing this car.
Bruce Wayne or Batman?
Even in the n for natural (normal) chassis setting, push the Giulia hard and it will stay composed but you’ll feel the electronics taming what would otherwise be major wheel-slip at the back end. Switch to d for dynamic and shift changes become more aggressive as does the responsiveness of the right pedal. There is also a for advanced efficiency or maximising fuel saving.
Cancelling ESC is one of the main things of Race, a special setting which only the Quadrifoglio has (all Giulia have the dna dial). It also stiffens the suspension and opens up the exhaust pipes for an even more melodious tone. This is a true Bruce Wayne and Batman change. Also it’s really not something an owner should activate on public roads, especially damp ones.
Summary
Some cars really do improve with age and the Giulia Quadrifoglio is one of them. Alfas don’t have a great reputation in the UK yet every Giulia and Stelvio I have driven has been perfectly put-together and behaved itself impeccably on-test.
Something else needs mentioning: no infotainment system crashes, no phantom emergency braking, and no never-ending beeping to get your attention (‘take a break?’ five, 15 and 30 minutes after stopping at a motorway services as a new Kia Sportage enquired of me today). Everything about the Alfa endures it to you, and its beauty has if anything only improved with the updated exterior. It remains a sensational car.
Pricing for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio starts at GBP86,885. Its official 0-62 mph time is 3.9 seconds, Combined average economy is 28.2 mpg, top speed is 191 mph and CO2 is 227 g/km.
