AN SUV THAT’S TOUGH TO BEAT,
Alfa Romeo has built a sports car in disguise
AUSTIN, TEX .• You’ re in the market for a new car, but you’ve encountered a conundrum.
Your adolescent gut is telling you to get a powerful, track- capable sports car. However, your mature familial obligations dictate the cargo-and passengercarrying capacity of an SUV. To avoid possible spousal repercussions, you’re pretty much resigned to getting an SUV. Well, Alfa Romeo feels for you, and has responded by introducing the 2018 Stelvio Quadrifoglio, one of the highest- performing and best- handling production SUVs made to date.
While the standard Stelvio is no slouch, with its 2.0- litre, 280- horsepower turbo- four, the Quadrifoglio borrows its 2.9-L twin-turbo V6 from the Giulia Quadrifoglio, claiming 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. While engine specs are identical to the Giulia, the V6 has been altered slightly, and the turbos were relocated to make room for the front axle of the Stelvio’s AWD system.
The engine is mated to an eight- speed dual- clutch automatic, and the rearbiased AWD system can transfer up to 60 per cent of torque to the front wheels if needed. The Stelvio also uses two electro-mechanical clutches in the rear axle to provide t urn- enhancing torque vectoring.
Styling alterations on the Quadrifoglio are rather stealthy, with the only things giving away its higher per- formance over the standard Stelvio being gill- like vents in the lower fascia, a different rear bumper with four tailpipes, and hood louvres. Like the regular Stelvio, its hood, fenders, roof, doors, and tailgate are made from aluminum, while the chassis is steel.
The interior is Giulia- inspired with a neat, intuitive dashboard and centre- stack layout. There are very few buttons in view, with control dials and the drive-mode selector mounted in the centre console. There’s abundant carbon- fibre trim, and the start button is mounted on the left side of the flat- bottomed steering wheel, giving the cockpit a racy feel. Electrically adjustable seats are firm and snug, and the side bolsters are adjustable to hold you tight if you intend on generating high cornering G-forces at the track.
On the road the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is very civilized, with little other than a firm ride giving away its nefarious underpinnings. It’s relatively quiet, though there’s noticeable wind noise that makes its way into the cabin, which seems to originate from the side windows.
The standard Stelvio comes with Alfa’s DNA drive modes: D is for Dynamic ( sport), N for Natural ( normal) and A for Advanced Ef- ficiency (economy); they had to come up with something to justify the catchy acronym. The Quadrifoglio gets an additional Race mode, and it provides the most aggressive throttle and transmission maps, turns off traction and stability controls completely ( roll prevention remains in the background to prevent complete disaster), and boosts the exhaust note to a very pleasurable, raspy tone. Race mode also sets the adaptive suspension settings from firm to doubleextra firm.
Since the Ste lvioQu adrifoglio’s emphasis is on performance, after a road drive we’re let loose at Circuit of the Americas to test this unlikely track- day partner’s racetrack prowess. The track- prepped Stelvios are equipped with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes, though they roll on the standard- issue 19- inch Pirelli PZero tires. A couple are also equipped with optional carbon- fibre racing seats made by Sparco, though I’d stay away from those because the standard seats offer exceptional lateral support and are much more comfortable for real-world driving.
After two sessions in D mode, I switch to Race and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio really impresses. Despite its size, it can be pushed hard into corners and through Scurves, though you have to give the chassis a moment to settle on tight- turning transitions. This is mostly from the increased body roll it exhibits over something like a BMW M5; it is an SUV, after all, and it sits higher.
Its 50/ 50 weight distribution provides balanced handling that is especially emphasized through a double- apex right- hander, where a mild front-end push at entry is easily converted to slight oversteer mid- turn using the throttle. The balanced nature of its chassis is remarkable, so much so that I needed to constantly remind myself it was an SUV.
I usually refrain from turning off traction and stability controls on cars approaching 500 horsepower, but the Stelvio Quadrifoglio exhibits excellent feedback and inspires great confidence despite the lack of an electronic safety net. It’s not something I’d recommend on the road, but on the track, Race is my preferred setting.
Auto mode provides quick, intuitive gear changes, but I resort to more engaging manual shifts using the long, column- mounted shift paddles. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio shifts almost immediately when operating the paddles, and it does so while belching out an angry, if artificially induced, burble between gears.
The base Stelvio starts at $51,845, so it’ s a big jump to the Quadrifoglio’s $ 95,000 price. But what you’re getting for that premium is more than 500 hp, a zero- to-100 km/ h time of 3.6 seconds ( two- tenths of a second quicker than the rear- drive Giulia Quadrifoglio), remarkable handling and credentials that include a blistering Nürburgring lap time of 7:51.7, which is faster than the BMW M5, Porsche Cayenne Turbo S and Lamborghini Gallardo. All that performance is wrapped up in an attractively styled SUV that offers comfortable seating for five and has a 3,000lb (1,361-kg) towing capacity.
Though one is less likely to thrash an SUV on a track than off- road, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is a track- bred anomaly that will satisfy your impulsive and your rational sides. Just don’t show your spouse the spec sheet.