ALFA ROMEO'S PRIZED STELVIO FACES SERIOUS COMPETITION
Italian luxury SUV still reigns supreme, but German models have plenty to offer
Were you a biker, you would know the Stelvio Pass is the most famous road in the world. Straddling the Italian and Swiss borders, it's the highest paved pass in the eastern Alps — the second highest in the world. And any vehicle, twowheeled or four, that dares wear the Stelvio moniker better have some seriously sporting bona fides. Doubly so if it's an SUV flying Alfa Romeo's Visconti serpent on its hood.
Thankfully, the Stelvio — at least the TI Nero Edizione I recently drove — does have the chops to back up its name. Even the base engine has some moxie: 280 horsepower and 306 poundfeet of torque.
It's a responsive little beast, all that power not coming at the expense of turbo lag and lowr.p.m. sluggishness — as long as the Stelvio's DNA selector is in D (as in Dynamic) mode. In Natural or All-weather, the eight-speed automatic doesn't seem happy. I just left the DNA selector in D mode all the time and let 'er scream.
The steering is tight, roll very well contained (for a sport ute) and the grip from its low-profile 255/45ZR20 Pirelli all-seasons prodigious.
Inside, the Stelvio's cabin is pleasant but doesn't quite have the hedonistic opulence that we've come to expect from the Italians. To be sure, the Alfa has to be built to a price — the TI'S base price of $56,545 is competitive with equivalent Audi Q5s and BMW X3s — but the centre console seems a little spartan. Seriously, just one USB port? And Alfa Romeo makes its suite of active safety features a $2,395
option, when many of the same systems are standard on the lowliest of Toyotas.
That said, Alfa has upped the ante for 2020 and upgraded its Uconnect-based infotainment to an 8.8-inch touch screen. The interface is tile based and can be a little confusing, but once familiar, it's an excellent system.
If the standard accommodations are a little austere, there's the $4,500 Customer Preference Package 22S that will take care of that with sport leather seats, black headliner and window surrounds, not to mention a leather-wrapped flat-bottom
steering wheel and sport-tuned suspension.
The front has bulges and scoops in all the right places, and my oh my, Alfa's traditional front grille — blacked out in this Nero edition — is a thing of beauty.
The Stelvio has enough sprightly moves and comely looks to take on the best of Germany, if not beat them. But I'm not sure the Stelvio's advantages — on the base version — are enough to win over brand slaves. If you want to play it safe: There's the Audi's Q5, the default choice in the segment. Stylish without being dramatic and quick without being scintillating, it's the mainstream choice when you're shopping $50,000 luxury sport utes. The Q5's best foot forward is its interior. Top-shelf materials and impeccable build quality are married to an excellent infotainment system and top-notch ergonomics, which the Alfa can't quite match. It's also roomier in the back seat as well as the cargo area. But Audi's 2.0-L engine can't hold a candle to the Alfa's booming four. The Audi's 248 horsepower is 32 down from the Alfa, and the Stelvio's 306 lb.-ft of torque is 33 more than the Q5.
If you want the ultimate driving machine:
Well, that would point you in the direction of BMW'S X3, which offers three distinct midpriced powertrain packages. First up, there's the base xdrive 30i, its 2.0-L turbo-four boasting the same 248 hp as the Q5. Next is the xdrive 30e, which adds a plug-in electric hybrid drivetrain, with 288 hp. And then there's the xdrive M40i with 382 hp. The hybrid offers excellent off-the-line torque, and of course, the in-line six in the M40i is a model of BMW deliciousness. But both cost significantly more than the base Stelvio, which in a straight line at least, puts the X3 on the trailer. As for BMW and its famed road holding, it's a bit of a toss up between the two. BMW is still the master of delicate steering; the Stelvio's feedback through the steering wheel not quite as precise. On the other hand, Alfa Romeo really is the master of suspension tuning, the Stelvio rolling but a smidgen during hard cornering, yet extracting no penalty in ride compliance.
If you want the ultimate performance SUV: Then march on down to your local Alfa dealer and plunk down $93,700 — more, if you want all the options — on the rompin', stompin' Quadrifoglio model. Imbued with 505 hp of twin-turbocharged Ferrari goodness, the QF'S V6 is basically a 488's V8 with the front two cylinders lopped off. Tires squeal, exhausts roar, and it fairly flings around corners. In fact, Car and Driver recorded a 3.4-second sprint from rest to 60 m.p.h. (96 km/ h) in the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. The base Stelvio's only issue is it doesn't quite stand enough above its competitors to give loyal brand slaves reason to leave their Bavarian comfort zones. The Quadrifoglio model, however, does.