Jeremy Clarkson, the former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter, has named the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio as the saloon car he would choose right now, ahead of the Audi RS5 he was testing.
Testing the Audi RS5 Avant
In his latest column, Clarkson, 66, reached his verdict while reviewing the latest Audi RS5 Avant quattro triptronic, a hatchback saloon from the Ingolstadt manufacturer. Despite praising the Audi for its efficiency, power and impressive grip, it was a rival model that ultimately won his favour, reports the Express.
Using the car as a springboard to argue that petrol vehicles are far from fading into obscurity, he wrote in the Sunday Times: "But if I were in the market for a fast saloon right now, I'd get an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. They were going to stop making it this year because it doesn't even pretend to be in tune with the times."
Stay of execution for the Giulia
Clarkson noted that Alfa Romeo had announced a stay of execution for the model, likely due to sales figures for the new Fiat Panda. He asked readers to guess what percentage of those sold in Italy are electric, revealing: "It's 5 percent."
The Giulia Quadrifoglio, which debuted in 2015, has cultivated an increasingly passionate following. The author of the source article, Christopher Sharp, said he had driven the car on three occasions in recent years, including a trip to Edinburgh and back along Britain's longest road in September 2024, and again in 2025 and 2026.
Driving experience
Sharp described it as not the most practical four-door on the market, nor the quickest saloon available, yet one of the rare petrol-powered vehicles he has encountered that delivers electric car-like acceleration without the associated weight penalty through bends. The example he tested featured an Akrapovic exhaust system that allowed the V6 engine to express itself more freely, though this never detracted from the graceful, almost balletic driving experience felt through your hands, feet, shoulders, knees and toes.
