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WHEN Alfa Romeo announced it was making a car called the Stelvio I thought it sounded familiar.
That was in 2016 and I finally remembered why two weeks ago, a couple of days before I drove it.
It gets its name from the Stelvio Pass, in Italy and I’ve driven over it loads of times.
At 2,757m (9,045ft) it is the highest pass in Italy and the second highest in the Alps, just 13 metres below France’s Col de l’Iseran (2,770m). Resort
Its 48 hairpin bends make it a fabulous driver’s road in the summer so it perfectly suits Alfa’s first ever car aimed at the growing SUV market.
Mind you, I never got to try those bends out properly because I used to go there skiing in the winter when the whole road was covered in snow and ice.
It takes you from the ski resort of Bormio to a hideway town called Livigno where I went so many times I ended up on first name terms with the staff at the Trauma Clinic (hospital) before realising that skiing is ridiculously dangerous.
At least it is when people go out wearing headphones and ski in a dream, hopelessly unaware of the people around them, like the idiot who broke my ribs, my fingers and smashed up my face. Thanks for that.
The Stelvio (the car not the pass) perfectly deserves its name. Despite being a 15ft 6in monster that weighs in at 1,660kg, it handles and drives wonderfully well.
The car I tested was a 2.2-litre diesel which might not sound particularly inspiring but once you add 470Nm (346lb) of torque to its 209hp motor, along with four-wheel drive and an eight-speed auto box, it starts to sound like the fun car it really is. Most of the time it sends power to the rear wheels, perfect for excellent handling. But push it to the point where it starts to lose grip and it feeds power to the front as well.
Add that to its well-weighted and astonishingly direct steering, and suddenly you’ve got a big SUV that feels like a sports car. I loved it.
To be honest great handling and talkative steering are all I really need from a car but the Alfa adds a lot more.
Famous
First thing you’ll notice is its famous badge. It’s a classic, a legend, and it firmly deserves to wear it.
My Alfa Romeo-obsessed Son of Motormouth immediately said that Alfa “shouldn’t be making cars like that. It’s not the Italian’s style”. But then he never had the pleasure of driving the Stelvio. You wear that badge with pride.
The interior is exactly what you’d expect from an expensive car. It’s all electric, with antique-look leather, a brushed swathe of dark silver running along the dashboard, softtouch trim and big front door pockets.
Add the famous serpent badge embossed into the headrests and it’s gorgeous.
Raising its standard electric tailgate reveals a big 3ft 3in boot, while folding down the backs of the rear seat leaves a flat near 6ft loading bay with a 12-volt socket, sturdy twin shopping bag hooks and lights that come on automatically on each side.
So it’s practical as well as fast and beautiful.
A trip to my local “reclamation site” (tip) resulted in a comment from the man parked next to me: “Nice car,” he said. “I’ve been looking at one of those.”
Needless to say, he was driving an Alfa Romeo.