2026 Alfa Romeo Giulia Intensa | UK Review

Alfa's abandoned its 'electric only by 2027' plans and kept the ICE Giulia alive. How's it ageing?

The average car in the UK is nine years and ten months old. The highest it’s ever been, apparently, and while the reasons are surely myriad, the financial prudence many need to deploy at the moment can surely shoulder some of the responsibility. As can buyers’ consternation about what exactly should power their next car.

Of course, for PHers, it could be construed as heartening news. Early ND MX-5s, end-of-line Mk7 Fiesta STs and the FK2 Civic Type-R are just a trio of affordable heroes that fall into a category the RAC findings seem to imply as geriatric. Further up the food chain, a 458 Speciale, 911 R or McLaren 675LT also sits above average age for a British-registered car.

Early Alfa Romeo Giulias, too. Whether it’s a mere coincidence or a different flavour of the same financial prudence at an industrial level, the model has barely evolved since its launch a decade ago. A lot happened in 2016, but one of its brighter spots was the introduction of arguably the best modern Alfa. How much the marque slung it out the park then is evidenced by the fact it remains on sale relatively unchanged now. Sure, an Alfa Romeo (or indeed Stellantis) in ruder health would have surely replaced it by now. But the fact they’ve both resisted churning something out with shared Peugeot or Citroen bits shows they’re aware of what’s at stake here.

What they have done is introduced a new, range-topping Intensa trim for the ‘base’ 280hp Giulia (alongside the Junior, Tonale and Stelvio). Let’s be up front now: it’s a paint ‘n’ trim job, with no meaty changes to build teasingly up to. But with heritage as emotive as Alfa’s, a paint ‘n’ trim job can be something quite special indeed. Etna Red, gold phone-dial wheels and splashes of Tricolore flag are a trick that you too would keep pulling from your sleeve. And you need a heart of stone to be curmudgeonly about some 33 Stradale magic being sprinkled here. It all adds up to a car that, ten years later, I still glance back at every time I park up. Alongside the Alpine A110, has any modern car design aged so flawlessly?

A leather dashboard, tan interior highlights, adaptive damping and a Harman/Kardon stereo are among the goodies exclusive to the Intensa, while the best bits of the Veloce below it – including a limited-slip differential on its driven rear axle – carry over too. Giulia prices start at £43,750 (half the terrifying £87k a Giulia Quadrifoglio now commands), yet the Intensa asks almost ten grand more; at least you get a lot for your outlay.

The first impression most new cars imprint upon us is how irritating their beeps and bongs are – and how fiddly they are to turn off. With clanging inevitability, the Alfa responds ‘very’ to both issues, while its CarPlay is purely wired. But once the nannies are silenced, we’re right back in the embrace of its wonderfully subtle dynamics. It takes ten yards to reveal an inherent, inescapable rightness to the way a Giulia drives.

Its throttle calibration is sharp, linear and helps you avoid flaring the revs (and triggering the coarse upper reaches) of its 2.0-litre turbo four. The long, artful metal paddles are hard to resist even as a tactile comfort blanket in heavy traffic. The steering is light but smooth and utterly natural in its response, while the damping is deft wherever you’ve notched the DNA dial. The glitzy 19-inch alloys of Intensa spec do bring a bit of friskiness over bumpier roads, but not enough to cause concern.

The Giulia is never interrupted from its line and its 50/50 weight split swiftly encourages a rapid, committed driving style. It’s not an extrovertly rear-driven car, but you’re always aware of its neutral balance and uncorrupted steering. The sodden weather we’ve had lately reveals the always-on ESP to not exactly rule with an iron fist, either. A stock saloon riding on P Zeros has an undeniable excitement to it.

There’s just a sweetly judged, subtly established calibration to everything bar the brake pedal, which feels as soft it ever did in Giulias. No deal breaker, though, as the car is lithe enough to rarely need a hard stop. To namecheck the A110 again, the Intensa can nimbly flow along a tricky road with a similar lightness of touch. The fact it remains a sub-1,500kg saloon (at least on paper…) is one that’s never far from your mind. The Giulia’s lack of even mild electrification no doubt contributes to its very modest sales. But it doesn’t half help it ride and handle with a fluidity that’s rare in 2026.

Nigh on three years ago, I drove the Giulia Competizione and said rather a lot of the same stuff. In a car world obsessed with advancement and iteration, it’s a peculiar feeling to keep revisiting a car whose most tangible passing of time is the number on its offset front plate. “All told, the Giulia stands out for being a solid choice that just happens to look and drive brilliantly,” are among the words I wrote in May 2023. “No wonder it’s aged so well.” Much like the car itself, there’s little need to update them.

The Giulia isn’t the only car that will retire with over a decade’s service to its name. The MX-5 keeps taking updates and gently improving with each one. The Volvo XC90 is more handsome and pragmatic than ever. Porsche 718 still has a configurator and remains an immovable sports car force. Alongside the Giulia, they’re all cars I could buy used or new and know enthusiast pals would ‘get it’. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised Alfa’s taking its sweet time over a replacement.

Specification | 2026 Alfa Romeo Giulia Intensa

Engine: 4cyl in-line, 1995cc, turbocharged petrol
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power: 280hp @ 5250rpm
Torque: 295lb ft @ 2250rpm
0-62mph: 5.7sec
Top speed: 149mph
Weight: 1445kg (DIN)
Economy: 38.2mpg
CO2: 168g/km
Price: £53,150

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yme402

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