Stelvio Ti leader of the pack
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio aims to bring some Italian passion into the medium-SUV world, writes David Linklater.
The Alfa Romeo brand has had a highly acclaimed reboot with the Giulia sedan. But here’s the model an SUVobsessed world has really been waiting for: the Stelvio, tested here in Ti guise.
This is the super-fast one with the Ferrari engine, right?
Not quite. You’re thinking of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, but we can understand the confusion because that model, with a twin-turbo 375kW ‘‘Ferrari-derived’’ V6 engine, is basically the only Stelvio anybody talked about last year.
For the record, the $144,990 Stelvio Quadrifoglio is still at ‘‘coming soon’’ status in New Zealand.
So that makes our Ti test car the flagship of the range for the moment. There’s also a brace of lower-spec petrol and diesel models on offer, starting at $80k.
What you’re getting in the $100k Ti is a 206kW version of the 2.0-litre engine (same as the Giulia Veloce sedan), with all-wheel drive, special Koni suspension and a limited-slip differential at the rear.
The Ti also steps up to 20-inch alloys with red brake calipers behind them, sports/heated front seats, adaptive cruise control and a 10-speaker sound system.
Is it sporty enough to be a proper Alfa though?
It’s certainly quick, with linear performance from the turbo engine and a 0-100kmh time of 5.7 seconds. The eight-speed automatic is slick, although it can also be very aggressive in the more sporty drive settings. Love the supersized shift paddles on the steering column.
Stelvio does also feel specifically Alfa-like in a couple of respects.
The steering is one: more contemporary Alfas are famous for having very (some might say alarmingly) quick steering.
It takes a little time to adjust to the Stelvio’s 2.2 turns lock-to-lock, especially in urban driving. On the open road, it’s also very eager to turn in at high speed. Very Alfa-like, not very SUV like.
But it all works because the rest of the car is so well sorted. Weight distribution is a perfect 50/50 and the Stelvio is actually 100 per cent reardrive until extra traction is needed; then, up to 50 per cent of torque can go to the front. Put the limited-slip differential into the picture and this is incredibly agile for a high-riding family car.
It’s not at the expense of ride
comfort, either. At least not in the Ti, which gives you a choice of two trick suspension systems.
The standard setup gets Koni Frequency Selective Damping (FSD), which uses valves to adjust the damping force depending on the frequency of the bump, meaning less compromise between handling and ride.
It’s not an active system necessarily, because it all works via hardware inside the dampers.
But the Ti also offers the no-costoption of Alfa Active Suspension (AAS), which is electronically controlled.
With AAS, as fitted to our car, you also get a special suspension button in the middle of the DNA (that’s Dynamic, Natural or Advanced efficiency) drive-mode dial, so even if you’re in max-attack settings you can instantly make the suspension soft (but leave everything else alone). This is basically Alfa’s version of the Ferrari Bumpy Road Mode. Clever.
OK. Is it practical enough to be an SUV then?
That depends what you’re expecting, but Stelvio is more an Alfa SUV than an Alfa SUV. It’s not fatally flawed, but it’s not as spacious or practical as premium-brand rivals from BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Volvo.
The fastback-type styling does have an impact on rear-seat space: head and legroom is only just acceptable for adult passengers and it feels a tad claustrophobic once you’ve been in there for a while. The fashionably high waistline and blacked-out glass that’s standard on the Ti (windows and tailgate) don’t help.
The boot is also only average for the class, with quite a narrow aperture. You do get split-folding rear seats and they do fold kind of flat (but not completely). Tow rating is similarly middle of the road for this size of vehicle: 1400kg.
Is it $100k worth of posh?
The Stelvio will possibly be perceived as a risky purchase by some: just because it’s an Alfa Romeo (old images die hard) but also because it’s a completely new product from a maker with no track record in the SUV genre.
It certainly has a lot of presence and it’s certainly loaded with equipment: the powertrain/chassis package is impressive and there’s plenty of luxury equipment in the cabin. On paper it looks like a lot of SUV, even for a six-figure sum.
Where it doesn’t quite pan out is in cabin design, especially the quality of materials and overall fit/ finish.
There’s nothing drastically wrong, but it’s of a level that would be more at home in a cheaper mainstream model than up at this price level.
Any other cars I should consider?
Medium-sized premium-brand SUVs with lively petrol engines: there’s a lot to choose from.
Porsche’s Macan is regarded as a benchmark by many (especially other carmakers), but you’ll have to spend $115,000 to get into the 180kW entry model.
The Jaguar F-Pace 30t is exactly the same price as the Stelvio Ti and serves up 221kW from its fourcylinder turbo engine.
Or you could look at the usual suspects. BMW’s X3 30i is also close in price ($101k) and probably the most polished of this bunch. It makes 185kW. The Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 is even a little cheaper at $96,900... but makes just 155kW.