Usually, the premium European atmosphere is represented by the Audi-BMW-Mercedes triumvirate. However, as far as compact executive cars are concerned, there are other notable options to look into beyond the A4, 3 Series, and C-Class.
For example, if one has a passion for Italian cars, the Alfa Romeo Giulia could also spring to mind as a viable option. The company has produced three instances of the nameplate over the years, with the latest one – Type 952 – appearing in 2015 as the successor of the beautiful 159. The automaker did give up the numerals for a good reason, as it strived to better position the model series as a lifestyle alternative to – you guessed it – the German trifecta.
Naturally, with a tremendous legacy of sportiness, Alfa Romeo’s performance versions of the Giulia did not stay long in the development shadows. So, it quickly jumped from 2.0-liter (gas) and 2.2-liter (diesel) turbo inline-fours to a Ferrari-developed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 engine for the flagship Giulia Quadrifoglio version. The Prancing Horse DNA equated to 593 ponies and the Italian thoroughbred started challenging the likes of BMW’s M3, the Mercedes-AMG C 63, or the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing.
However, that was not all, since people might have felt that feistier versions like the M3 Competition could have the edge – and the passionate Italians could not allow such impure thoughts. As such, the Quadrifoglio developed a close relationship with the world of special edition models, to the tune of NRING, Racing, and the mighty GTA plus GTAm variants. And thus, these new options slowly raised the output to 513 and 533 hp to satisfy everyone.
However, even though it has undergone extensive revisions for 2019, 2020, and 2023 model years, some might say that the Alfa Romeo Giulia has started growing long in the tooth after almost eight years on the market. No worries, the Italian executives have promised a new iteration is coming. Albeit not everyone might also like the fact that it will morph into a representative of the EV revolution. And some people do not even care that the next Quadrifoglio is promised with around 1,000 ponies on tap to challenge the likes of Tesla’s Model S Plaid.
Instead, all they really want is for the Ferrari-developed V6 to soldier on, and for the next Giulia to become a viable rival for the Audi RS 4 Avant and BMW M3 Touring, too. Or, at least that is the digital vision of the virtual artist signing as 2NCS on social media, who has dreamt of a cool next-gen Alfa Romeo Giulia ‘Q Touring’ with the same Prancing Horse-developed heart surging to 600 hp and the body morphing into a proper five-door Touring station wagon. And no, that is not a real car (with the Stig inside) pulling alongside some Carabinieri vehicles near a historic landmark somewhere in Italy, unfortunately!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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