ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QV

Having just stepped out of an EV, our man is relishing this ICE performance car

- Steve Sutcliffe

CAR enthusiasts like you and me are spoiled for choice these days, but there's one question right now that's hard to answer: do I go EV and join the migration towards a powertrain that will eventually propel most of our cars, or do I stick with a good old-fashioned combustion engine for the time being? I'm a fan of all good cars, full stop, and in a way I'm not fussed what they're propelled by so long as they're quick enough to entertain, sharp enough to excite, practical enough to be usable every day and look good. And to prove this point I've just done 6,000 miles in the electric Polestar 2 Performance Pack and, with a couple of surprisingly small caveats, enjoyed every minute of it.

But to satisfy my cravings for 'one last gasp' in a traditional petrol-engined super-saloon, I'm now going to do the next 6,000 miles in the Polestar's polar opposite-a thirsty, notvery-clean, but in all other ways really rather delicious Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. The exact same 2024 model-year Alfa Giulia QV that we've already eulogised about in Auto Express and compared with the similarly tasty Hyundai Ioniq 5N last summer.