ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO

The Quadrifoglio came from nowhere and re-ordered our world

FOR THE DIEHARDS, EVERY ALFA ROMEO IS ICONIC. For the rest of us, they tend to be cars we’re happy to love and admire from a distance rather than own. This all changed in 2016 with the Giulia Quadrifoglio, Alfa’s very best for several generations and a car that, five years on, stills leads its field. And this is key to identifying future icons – if they excite and enthral half a decade on, with no excuses or caveats applied, you just know they’ll continue to do so for decades to come, too. They become cars you’ll go out of your way to drive over and over again. As with BMW’S E30 M3, the hot Giulia is a sports saloon you never turn down an opportunity to drive.

The Quadrifoglio not only delivered above and beyond expectations for an Alfa, but it moved the whole genre on, too. Its brilliance came out of nowhere. We hoped it would be as good as it is, but that it goes beyond those expectations tells you just how special a performance car it is.

Light, compact and straightforward in approach, the Giulia focuses with total intent on what really counts in all great driver’s cars: peachy steering, dynamics that come alive when required but settle back when the kids are on board, and an engine that punches so far above its weight in terms of delivery and flexibility that rivals’ engines leave you cold. There’s an overall sense that the Quadrifoglio is a car engineered from the top to feed down to the lesser models in the range, rather than vice versa as is so often the case. Like all iconic sports saloons, the appeal of the Quadrifoglio is tied up with the back-story of the men who developed it – in this case a team of dedicated engineers led by Roberto Fedeli, the same man who gave us the Ferrari F12 and 458 Speciale. Pedigrees come no better than that. And then there are the looks: even as the years roll by, you just know that it will continue to turn heads.

Knowing what’s to come when you press the starter button to wake that Ferrari-lite V6 and pull back on the shift paddles – themselves pure engineering artistry – will never fail to arouse a sense of anticipation that things are about to get fruity. Those carbon-shelled Sparco seats will be as welcoming in the next decade as they are today. The ergonomics will continue to plug you in to the action, hardwiring you to the car’s core. The bespoke super-soft Pirelli Corsa rubber won’t last long but will grip like a limpet mine, and with the rear diff no longer crying enough after three corners of a track, tomorrow’s drivers will continue to set the pace wherever they find themselves.

Today, some of the Alfa’s rivals are more powerful; newer ones most certainly will be. Many offer a more ‘premium’ experience, others are more accommodating; but few ignite the senses like the Alfa. It’s as keen and precise to drive as a purebred homologation special, more than worthy of comparison and inclusion in groups that also include the E30 M3. The Giulia is that good. And it always will be, because a true icon never fades.

‘IT’S A CAR YOU NEVER TURN DOWN AN OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE’