Alfa Romeo SUV with racing pedigree
Italian handiwork.
Friends and stuff: Rear seat passengers will be happier in this Alfa than they will in the Giulia, but that’s not saying a whole lot. Foot room is at a premium, legroom is so-so, although headroom is pretty good. Expect a whine from the center if someone has to sit there.
The rear seat is as hard as the front, although with less grip.
Cargo volume is 56.5 cubic feet, quite on the small side — smaller than a Kia Soul.
Looking backward: The Stelvio’s rear window is small and sits at a sharp angle, so the view behind is pretty poor.
A clear backup camera helps immensely in all but the worst weather.
Keeping warm and cool: Round vents in the corners offer great airflow that’s easy to direct. The center vents do a fine job as well.
Heated seats function well, but ventilated seats are not available.
Play some tunes: Alfa shows it is serious with some nice sound from the speakers (courtesy of the $895 Harman Kardon Premium Audio) and an easy-tooperate dial to get around the screen. The map program offers one of the best facsimiles of GIS grid maps of the United States, keeping most roads on screen even when zoomed way out.
Night shift: Here, the Stelvio and I could not find a happy medium. The low beams are far too dim and sit too low for safety.
Fuel economy: I averaged about 21 mpg in the usual Mr. Driver’s Seat round of testing. Feed the Stelvio premium.
Where it’s Cassino, Italy.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Stelvio’s reliability to be a 1 out of 5.
In the end: The Stelvio is a nice unit, but its performance is not as enticing as the Giulia — for which I would throw all caution to the wind. Maybe the 505horsepower Quadrifoglio will do the trick. built: and downs,” said Karyn Cavanaugh, senior markets strategist at Voya Investment Management. “They’re a good wingman for investors, and that’s why investors are sticking with them.”
The S&P 500 index rose 24.27 points, or 0.9 percent, to 2,798.29. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 224.44 points, or 0.9 percent, to 24,924.89.
The Nasdaq jumped 107.30 points, or 1.4 percent, to 7,823.92. Its last record came June 20.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks added 6.61 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,690.28.
Industrial companies also regained much of the ground they lost Wednesday, but energy companies and basic materials makers failed to rally. Defense contractors climbed after President Donald Trump advocated for more defense spending in the U.S. and Europe.
Several European leaders said NATO spending plans haven’t changed.
Software maker CA made the biggest gain in the technology sector after it accepted an offer from Broadcom worth $18.9 billion, or $44.50 per share. Its stock rocketed 18.7 percent to $44.15.
Broadcom investors expressed their disapproval of the deal, which involves Broadcom taking on $18 billion in debt. The stock dropped 13.7 percent to $209.98.
Broadcom’s market value fell by $14.4 billion.
The merry-go-round of potential media deals continued as Comcast offered to buy European pay-TV company Sky for $34 billion a day after Twenty-First Century Fox increased its ownoffer for Sky.
Fox already owns part of Sky, and while it tangles