NEW KID ON THE BLOCK OUTSHINES ALPHA ALFA
Italian sport ute still divine for drivers, but BMW offers the superior all-around package
Brian Harper: I have driven all manner of sport utes over the years, ever since I borrowed mom and dad’s Jeep Wagoneer to get my driver’s licence back in 1973. Since then, the SUV segment has exploded from a number of models that could be counted on the fingers of both hands to more than 120.
Which brings us to this comparison of two high-powered compact crossovers from Europe: the stunning, unbelievably quick (albeit not without issues) Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, versus the fortified BMW X3 M Competition, new for 2020 and spoiling for a fight. This is going to be fun!
Nick Tragianis: Sport utes like these typically don’t make much sense on the surface, do they? Still, horsepower makes things palatable, and these two are well-endowed in this regard. Let’s start with the Italian, shall we?
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio should be old hat by now. Having launched in 2016 to reach dealers in 2018, Alfa’s first SUV hasn’t changed much; it’s still powered by a Ferrari-derived, 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, puts out 505 horsepower and
443 pound-feet of torque, has an eight-speed automatic and a rear-biased all-wheel drive system, and sprints from rest to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The way the Alfa does all of that is, in a word, exquisite.
The steering is incredibly communicative and tight, the tires are stickier than superglue, and provided you’re in the correct gear, that boosted V6 turns this nearly 2,000-kilogram SUV into a slingshot. Plus, the exhaust note is a work of art — it truly does sound exotic.
BH: Let’s not forget that it once held the SUV lap record at the Nurburgring, its time since bested by the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S. Plus, there’s always something special about Italian cars.
That said, the Quadrifoglio has its work cut out for it going up against the new-for-2020 BMW X3 M Competition, the German SUV very closely matching the Alfa’s specs.
Under its hood is a twin-turbo 3.0-L in-line six pumping out a formidable 510 hp and 442 lb.-ft of torque, this engine also mated to an eight-speed autobox.
The fact that it’s about threetenths of a second slower to 100 km/h than the Stelvio can be attributed to an extra 193 kg of road-hugging weight. But make no mistake, the X3 M Competition is a coiled spring. Much like the M2 Competition, it strains to be let off its leash — ridiculous, really, these two as fast as many high-buck sports cars. Oh, yeah, its as-tested price ($99,150) is a fair bit less than the almost $114,000 Alfa, so you’re going to have to do some fancy talking to convince me this isn’t the better deal of the two.
NT: I don’t think I’ll have to convince you, because I agree: The X3 M is hands down the better all-rounder. The interior is far more comfortable, materials and fit and finish are absolutely top notch, and there’s more tech under the skin. Sure, both offer the de rigueur suite of active driving assists — blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, et cetera — but the X3 includes more bits you don’t get on the Alfa. They include a crisp heads-up display, a snazzy digital gauge cluster, a much sharper backup and 360-degree camera system, and a more intuitive infotainment system. The X3 also packs more cargo space and rear legroom, although the Alfa does offer a touch more headroom.
Still, it isn’t as though the Stelvio’s cabin is a penalty box. I actually prefer the simplicity in the Alfa: the layout is logical, with physical buttons and knobs, and it skips gimmickry like BMW’s infernal gesture-control system.
The Sparco seats are wonderfully supportive and the carbon-fibre backing looks very cool, but they’re also a $4,100 option, and they’re neither heated nor cooled, and aside from height, manually adjustable.
Also it’s a bit dreary inside and material quality leaves a bit to be desired, though I’ll grant the white-and-green stitching is a unique touch.
BH: No, the Stelvio’s cabin isn’t terrible. I like the flat-bottom, F1-style steering wheel — where the push-button starter is located — and I’m bemused by the aluminum paddle shifters the size of Dumbo’s ears. On the other hand, considering BMW is the master of form follows function, the X3 M’s interior is positively flamboyant. My biggest beef is the Bimmer’s shifter. No specific Park, not to mention up-down, side-to-side actuations. Whatever happened to simplicity, like the X1’s lever? And let’s face it, neither the BMW nor Alfa delivers anything remotely close to a cosseting ride.
NT: I’ll give BMW credit: The X3 M is tolerable in Comfort mode. It’s hardly supple, but it absorbs bumps, rough pavement, and wind and road noise better than the Alfa. But while the X3 M does get progressively tighter and more responsive as you climb through the various drive modes, it also gets choppier and less comfortable.
Speaking of drive modes, this is where the X3 M holds a key advantage over the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. You’re spoiled for choice with the BMW, so much so you can configure and save a personalized mode for easy access via the M1 button on the steering wheel. The Alfa, however, offers you three distinct modes, plus what it calls “Race,” which disables various safety nannies, stiffens the suspension even further, and uncorks the exhaust, among other tweaks. The V6 sounds absolutely delicious here, but the automatic disabling of stability and traction control is a bit unnerving. It needs a custom mode that lets you uncork the exhaust, while keeping the suspension in its most comfortable setting and the safety nets fully engaged.
BH: If I really wanted to stand out from the crowd, I’d opt for the Stelvio. If I want the better driving machine, the one with the nicer interior as well as the one with a more consistent track record for reliability, it’s the BMW all the way.
NT: Alfa Romeo deserves major kudos for absolutely nailing the Stelvio Quadrifoglio’s driving dynamics and feedback. It may be missing a few key bells and whistles, but the Alfa’s the one to get if you need the practicality and still care about driving. But at the end of the day, these are SUVs and you’ll be doing everyday SUV things with them, and in this regard, the X3 M is the superior all-rounder. It has more cargo space and creature comforts, and it’ll let you keep another $15,000 in your bank account.
Driving.ca