Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce

Can the Stelvio deliver without the cloverleafs? We’re about to find out

TIMING IS EVERYTHING, THEY SAY, AND our new Alfa Romeo couldn’t have arrived at a more opportune moment. I’m about to be hit with multiple university visits around the country, as despite living in Peterborough, my daughter has selfishly decided that Durham, Newcastle and York are her best options. So the desire for something with space, comfort and the ability to hold my interest was strong, and thankfully our new Stelvio has all of those boxes ticked.

What it doesn’t have is the small cloverleaf badges on the front wings that would mark it out as the 503bhp, twin-turbo V6-equipped Quadrifoglio model. We, or more specifically photographer Aston Parrott, ran one of those a couple of years ago (see evo 266 for his end-of-term round-up), so this time we’ve got the Veloce version, which is powered by a turbocharged in-line four-cylinder with 276bhp. Although admittedly not as sexy as the rangetopper, it still boasts a decent amount of power, more than respectable acceleration (0-62mph in 5.7sec) and is packed with enough luxury extras and design touches to satisfy my shallow needs. The first thing you notice about our long-termer is its colour, which is Anodized Blue apparently, though could just as easily be called ‘Golf R Blue’. It pops brilliantly and perfectly shows off the distinctive curves and swooping lines of the exterior design. It’s been said that the Stelvio is simply a Giulia that’s been stretched vertically, and whilst I can see that, I would also argue it’s no bad thing, as amongst its SUV rivals (Jaguar’s F-pace comes to mind) the Stelvio radiates much more personality and class.

Complementing the bodywork are Alfa’s trademark Dark 5-Petal Design wheels, of which

I am a massive fan, in 20-inch diameter (21s of a different design are an option) plus brake calipers optionally finished in yellow. With an electric sunroof and a Driver Assistance Pack the £50,249 starting price is taken up to £54,149, which is still £20k less than the Quadrifoglio would set you back.

Inside, it’s refreshing to be surrounded by something a little different from the usual German stylings and layout. The slim-spoked steering wheel and the long aluminium paddles for the eight-speed auto ’box give the impression of being in a high-end sports car rather than an SUV. It’s also pleasing to discover that the infotainment system, which now has an 8.8-inch touchscreen and standard Apple Carplay, can still be controlled via a big dial on the centre console. There are dials and physical buttons for the air con too, and generally everything feels very premium in design and well considered and laid out.

On the first drive, the Veloce was pretty much what I hoped it would be: an SUV that’s clearly trying to be fun to drive and which sort of grips and feels like a sports car. That would explain why, despite being high riding, it feels more at home on smooth asphalt than bumpier roads. But its first proper test lies in its Tour of Britain over the coming month. More on that next time. Now, where’s that cruise control button?

Date acquired January 2022 Total mileage 3200 Mileage this month 1204 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 25.2

‘Among its SUV rivals, Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio radiates much more personality and class’

SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE THERE IS A LOT to say about a car. Other times you end up reading about an event called Entierro

de San Genarín or the Burial of Saint Genarin. On Holy Thursday in 1929 an unfortunate alcoholic beggar called Genaro Blanco was run over by the first rubbish truck in the Spanish city in which he lived. Ever since, there has been a procession through the streets to commemorate him. A bottle of orujo (a type of eye-watering pomace brandy) is carried aloft before being placed at the spot of his demise along with two oranges. Inevitably inebriation then ensues.

Why am I telling you this? Well, the city is León in the northwest of Spain. The Wikipedia dots hardly need joining. The procession sounds like a memorable annual occasion. In fact the whole city of León sounds like a rather fabulous place, with an amazing history and some extraordinary architecture. It clearly has the sort of flair and vibrance that I tend to associate with the Spanish arms of the Volkswagen Group.

But after a few months with the latest Cupra Leon I feel like it needs a bit more of that flair. For a start, a bodykit wouldn’t go amiss, and it’s not often I think that. There is some flamboyance in the way that the chassis has been set up, with a noticeably more tail-loose balance than a Golf GTI if you provoke it. Trail brake with some conviction and you’ll feel the nose dig in and the rear start to swing nicely, whereas the Golf is much more locked down and nose-led though its VAQ diff (which the Leon has too).

The only problem is that you can’t really exploit this aspect of the Cupra on the road, and when you’re not loading up the front tyres, the steering doesn’t quite give you the confidence that the more planted GTI does. Of course, given time you do tune in to the grip of the Cupra, allowing you to trust the turn-in, and when you want to cover ground quickly the Leon is incredibly capable. But, for all its pace, there is always a sense that it’s not quite as engaging as it should be.

Driving dynamics aside, the Leon was a very well-specced, practical car to live with. I had cause to use it like a small van for a week and it fulfilled the role admirably, cramming in a surprising amount with the seats down. Even with the seats up, the boot was pretty capacious. The Petrol Blue leather stood-up well to the rigours of family life too and fuel economy in daily driving was what I’ve come to expect from this EA888 engine, namely mid-30s if you’re being sensible. I also liked the big, configurable ambient light bar that runs round under the windscreen and into the doors (see page 129) – a welcome bit of after-dark pizzazz.

I hesitate to mention the infotainment because I feel like everyone is bored of hearing how irritating it can be, but equally it would be remiss to simply gloss over it. The positive thing is that there are physical buttons on the steering wheel (unlike the Golf), but, infuriatingly, for things like the heated seats, climate control or the various drive modes, you need to use the central touchscreen. Weirdly, the Cupra Leon Estate gets drive mode and start/stop buttons slung under the steering wheel spars, so that you can

quickly pop the car into a more appropriate drive mode when you reach a good piece of road, but the hatchback doesn’t. With the dynamic options solely accessible via the screen it often doesn’t feel like it’s worth the time and effort. And don’t even start me on the need to disable Lane Assist – via the touchscreen menus, of course – every single time you start the engine.

Overall, Ian Eveleigh (who ran the car for several months before I took the reins) and I agreed that the Leon was mostly very good, but also curiously not particularly memorable. It’s strange, because it feels that a brand like Cupra should stand out. It should pique your interest with its uniqueness. Just like the Entierro de San Genarín.

Date acquired July 2021 Duration of test 6 months Total test mileage 9095 Overall mpg 31.6 Total costs £0 Purchase price £38,090 Value today £34,750