► New Alfa Romeo Stelvio review
► SUV based on Giulia saloon
► We live with a Stelvio diesel
We’ve been living with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio as part of our long-term test review to see what the Italian SUV is like in the real world, over an extended, eight-month test.
Does it live up to the hype? Can you trust Italian reliability? Did we have to visit the dealers often, and what are they like? Read on to find out how we’re getting on with the 2.2 TD Milano Edizione – and click here to read our original Stelvio review.
Month 8 of our Alfa Romeo Stelvio long-term test: the verdict is in
Living with an Alfa Romeo for a few months has been a real pleasure. I’m a naturally cynical person, but even I can’t help falling for the brand’s charisma. Yes, it’s true that in the ’70s the Alfasud rusted faster than a bent nail and had a wiring loom made of spaghetti. Yes, in the ’80s Alfa sold the heinous Arna, a rebadged Nissan Cherry with all the charm of a filing cabinet. And yes, in the ’90s it assembled parts-bin Fiats after being absorbed by the Italian mothership in 1986. Yet despite all of this, something romantic still resides in the Alfa Romeo badge – something a Ford or a Hyundai could never aspire to.
Part of it, for me personally, is the trip I took to Turin in 2015 to see the new Giulia and meet Lorenzo Ramaciotto, the former Pininfarina designer who oversaw the design of the then-new Alfa sports saloon (CAR, November 2015). Ramaciotto told me about the ‘skunk works’, assembled under ex-Ferrari engineer Philippe Krief, by order of Sergio Marchionne, which developed the car from the ground up, clean sheet of paper, no compromises.
I fell in love with both the Giulia and this bold, resurgent Alfa Romeo brand right there.
Of course the taller Stelvio doesn’t have the proportions or dynamics of the saloon, but the SUV shares enough of the Giulia’s muscular magic to do the trick: the rear-biased, four-wheel-drive chassis, the styling, the interior. I was ready and willing to be won over by the Stelvio, and it hasn’t disappointed.
I still love the way it looks. Even though I’ve driven it every day, I still notice this car. I’ll glimpse it from an upstairs window, parked outside our house, and stop to look for a couple of seconds. And I think ooooh. I suggest it’s the best-looking SUV you can buy.
It’s also great to drive. All the touch points feel premium: the steering wheel, the leather seats, the stalks, switches and paddles. Our 207bhp 2.2 turbodiesel feels a bit ordinary if you’re in N (for Natural) mode, but switch the DNA system to D (for Dynamic) and it dramatically lifts the car’s responses, making it feel quick and sharp. My only gripe is that the DNA system resets to N every time you switch off and restart. Every day I had to put it back into D because it’s a much more fun, engaging car that way. Alfa should allow the system to remember your last setting.
Hey, but maybe you’re not willing to take my word for any of this, because you think I was bought cheaply by an Easyjet flight to Turin and a lunch with my hero Lorenzo Ramaciotto? So let me tell you, our Stelvio also won over every passenger who’s climbed into it over the last eight months, bar none. Seriously – everyone commented on the interior or the seats, the ride or the handling. Most had never been in an Alfa before, and its all-round comfort and competence, combined with the sporty Italian style, always prompted a comment.
And that’s the Stelvio’s strongest card: it’s not French or German or Korean, it’s not another Land Rover. Ours was the only red Alfa among all the silver and grey SUVs at school drop-off.
I liked that – driving something different, something interesting. The Alfa Stelvio follows closely in the footsteps of the Giulia, in offering a real alternative to all those obvious choices. I’d recommend it.
By Mark Walton
Logbook: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 TD Milano Edizione
Price £45,590 (£47,510 as tested)
Performance 2143cc turbodiesel 4-cyl, 207bhp, 6.6sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 43.5mpg (official), 35.5mpg (tested), 147g/km
CO2
Energy cost 17.6p per mile
Miles this month 1092
Total miles 8092
Count the cost: Alfa Romeo Stelvio depreciation
Cost new £47,510
Part exchange after 8 months/8000 miles £30,307
Energy cost 19.2p per mile
Cost per mile including depreciation £3.12
Month 7 of our extended Stelvio test: practicality and releasing our inner lumberjack
Take a proper look at the Stelvio next time you see one and notice how clever the design is. It looks like a sporty fastback with that sloping roof, but at the same time that tail is actually quite bulbous. Open the standard-fit electric tailgate, and there’s a deep boot – you get a metre of floor from the boot lip to the back of the seats.
If you have anything longer to carry, the rear seat splits in three, including a narrow tunnel down the middle – giving you a 1.8-metre cargo bed. Perfect when you want to shift some lengths of Siberian larch. The seatbacks don’t fold completely flat, they slope up, so I wouldn’t recommend sleeping in the back. But the wide, deep space makes the Stelvio a practical load lugger, despite the racy profile.
By Mark Walton
Month 6: is it an SUV, or a pumped-up estate?
Maybe car journalists think about these things more than normal folk who have more important things to worry about, but I keep looking at the Stelvio and wondering what kind of car it is. Take the roof rails: these have evolved from the sturdy bars of a Camel Trophy Land Rover into the black pencil lines that adorn the Alfa. I like them. But they are £300, and a bit pointless. They’re like those thick aluminium sump guards that have now morphed into a different coloured bit of plastic bumper moulding. Evolutionary biologists would call it ‘vestigiality’.
The Stelvio itself doesn’t have a fake skid plate in its front bumper. In fact it doesn’t have a front bumper. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t look much like an SUV.
Maybe I’m being unfair on the roof bars, because they’re not useless. Slender though they are, they will support Cross Bars (a £225 option) which in turn will hold a bike carrier (£96) or a windsurf carrier (£63). Such accessories would help it look more rugged and adventurous… but they’d also ruin the sleek, fastback profile.
It’s a puzzle.
By Mark Walton
Logbook: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 TD Milano Edizione
Price £45,590 (£47,510 as tested)
Performance 2143cc turbodiesel four-cylinder, 207bhp, 6.6sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 43.5mpg (official), 33.8mpg (tested), 147g/km CO2
Energy cost 19.2p per mile
Miles this month 770
Total miles 6202
Month 5 of our Alfa Romeo Stelvio long-term test: poring over the details
Close to your heart
Don’t underestimate the lingering power of the brand. Driving a Stelvio isn’t a default choice, it’s a deliberate expression of something, whether it’s an appreciation of Italian cars or simply a need to defy (German) convention.
Old-fangled screens
The likes of Audi and Jaguar have moved the game on, in terms of in-car screens. The Stelvio may only be a couple of years old, but its 8.8-inch screen seems small and the sat-nav feels crude and dated. It’s not a touchscreen, so everything is done through a rotary controller.
Two modes too many: the DNA selector
I use the D-N-A system a lot, but only in one direction: every time you restart the car, it resets to Natural, and then I switch to Dynamic. I never use the slower Advanced Efficiency. Alfa should just make Dynamic the default.
Ribbed for pleasure: the leather seats
Milano Edizione trim means a sporty leather interior. The front seats are excellent: comfortable on a long journey but also supportive and firm, and I love the ribbed stitching. Like a 512 BB. Delusional, I know.
By Mark Walton
Month 4: an appetite for AdBlue emissions drinks
AdBlue is an aqueous solution comprised of 32.5% high purity urea. Urea turns nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen and water. I’m telling you this to make me sound intelligent, and to divert you from the fact that somehow I’ve never actually run a diesel car with AdBlue before.
Which is why, when the Stelvio’s low AdBlue warning light came on this month, I thought I’d undo the little blue cap (beside the main diesel filler) and perhaps pour in a teaspoonful of blue liquid? Maybe a litre? Turns out AdBlue isn’t blue, it’s clear, and the Alfa swallowed 10 LITRES OF THE STUFF. I was shocked. (Seasoned AdBlue experts will be rolling their eyes.)
By Mark Walton
Month 3 of our Alfa Stelvio long-term test: a diesel lap record of Silverstone!
Do you care about production car lap records? Because I do. Oh yes – I care a lot.
How much the manufacturers care probably depends on whether or not they hold a record. When Alfa Romeo set a new SUV production lap record at the Nürburgring in 2017 with its hot Stelvio Quadrifoglio, it probably thought the Green Hell was the most important yardstick any car could be measured by. When Mercedes beat Alfa’s time a year later (with the ludicrous AMG GLC 63), I imagine Alfa decided the Nürburgring was irrelevant.
Still, the itch to break records spread from Alfa’s HQ in Italy over to Alfa Romeo UK, which recently decided to set its own lap records at some British circuits. One of those would be Silverstone: the car would once again be the 503bhp Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and the driver would be David Brise, among other things chief driving instructor at Goodwood. ‘Would you like to join us?’ Alfa asked. ‘You could attempt to set a record time before David!’
Inwardly I shrugged. Lap records? Meh. Trinkets, baubles – inconsequential gestures. Then a thought struck me: ‘Actually, is there a current production SUV lap record at Silverstone?’ I asked. ‘Er, no there isn’t,’ Alfa admitted. Which means… wait a minute. If I do a quick lap in my long-term-test diesel Stelvio before the Quadrifoglio goes out, then technically it would be the lap-record holder! If only for a few minutes. ‘Count me in!’ I told them. ‘Breaking records is a glorious affirmation of human motivation and courage! It must be done!’
Days later, there are two Quadrifoglios waiting in the Silverstone pit garage, both in identical spec with standard road tyres. Parked alongside, my diesel Stelvio looks remarkably similar. The fast one has slightly wider arches and bonnet louvres, and while the wheels aren’t identical, my optional 20-inch alloys echo the Quadrifoglio’s.
I start in the V6 and, as I’ve never driven around the modern Silverstone GP circuit, David sits alongside. ‘It’s a notoriously hard circuit to learn,’ he tells me. ‘It’s long and technical, and although there are no hills, you can’t see a lot of the apexes so the turn-in points are blind.’ It’s also not helped by having two start-finish straights that look strangely similar when you’re going flat-out.
But what a car this thing is – the morning session is an open trackday, with everything from Caterhams to Lamborghinis out on track. The Alfa chases them down with surprising eagerness, and the entry speeds into corners seem to defy its SUV label – helped by the adaptive dampers set to Race.
After about six laps, I go out to set my record-breaking lap in our long-term-test diesel. Of course the droning diesel feels slow down the straights, as you wait… and wait for the next gearchange. But it’s actually not too far out of its comfort zone, sharing that same weight distribution and the rear-biased 4×4 system. It’s a diesel SUV that definitely doesn’t embarrass itself on a track, and in the end I do a 2min 57sec lap. Is that a record-breaking speed? Lewis Hamilton did a 1min 25.8sec at last year’s British Grand Prix. Still, I don’t care, no one else has set an SUV record yet, so I’m claiming it.
Then it’s time to go out in the Quadrifoglio. Needless to say, I smash my diesel time as I post a 2min 37sec, but frankly I’m still trying to remember which corner is which as I drive round, lifting when I should be flat out.
I know David’s now going to demolish me, and he duly does – setting a 2min 31sec, a new production SUV lap record for other manufacturers to pointlessly chase after. But I think technically I still hold the diesel record?
By Mark Walton
Logbook: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 TD Milano Edizione
Price £45,590 (£47,510 as tested)
Performance 2143cc turbodiesel four-cylinder, 207bhp, 6.6sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 43.5mpg (official), 34.9mpg (tested), 147g/km CO2
Energy cost 19.4p per mile
Miles this month 812
Total miles 3746
Month 2 living with an Alfa Romeo Stelvio: meeting some real mud-pluggers
The Alfa Stelvio joined an off-road sludge-fest for a future CAR story, acting as camera car as we shot the new Suzuki Jimny, Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes-Benz G63. In this kind of company, the Stelvio is a bit of a wishy-washy, lily-livered city-dweller – it’s based on the Giulia’s platform, remember, so it really is a saloon car in SUV clothing. Drill into the nerdy 4×4 details – departure angles, suspension articulation – and the Stelvio can’t compete. Heck, Alfa doesn’t even publish the Stelvio’s ground clearance in millimetres! What kind of off-roader is that?
Well, in truth it’s not any kind of off-roader. Look at those 20-inch wheels and Michelin tyres – in the quarry they got clogged with clay within seconds. And the Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel-drive system is actually rear-wheel drive most of the time, until it starts to run out of grip and then it sends up to 50 per cent of the torque to the front. There is an optional limited-slip diff available for the rear axle (not fitted to our car) but compared with the G-Wagen’s fully-locked monster mode, the Alfa is a child’s toy, a bauble, a plaything.
Still, away from the quarry and out on the road, I’m really impressed with the Stelvio’s ride and handling. Despite the SUV styling, you actually sit pretty low in it, and it’s relatively light too, at 1659kg (for reference, the tiny Jimny’s kerbweight is 1135kg, the gargantuan G-Wagen is 2560kg).
That’s down to lots of aluminium in the engine, wishbone suspension, bonnet, wings, doors and tailgate, plus a fancy carbon driveshaft. Like the Giulia before it, the Stelvio feels properly engineered with real conviction.
The result of all this? I’ll be honest, after my first few miles I was a teensy bit disappointed – the modern 207bhp 2.2 diesel is smooth and quiet but it’s not terrifically sporty; and while the car’s responses were lively enough, it didn’t feel terrifically engaging.
And then I remembered the ‘DNA’ system – that little rotary dial by the gear selector that allows you to choose between Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency modes. Dynamic noticeably sharpens the Stelvio’s throttle, steering and brakes, and – combined with gearchanges using the lovely alloy paddles – the Stelvio really does step up a level as a driver’s car.
Most evenings now, I drive home as fast as I can in Dynamic mode, and with its relatively low centre of gravity and 50:50 weight distribution it’s not wishy-washy at all. Like the Macan before it, you really have to think of the Stelvio as a high-roof sports estate rather than a traditional SUV.
So the Stelvio may not have the swamp-crossing credentials of our three ‘proper’ 4x4s, but that’s fine with me – I don’t drive in many swamps.
By Mark Walton
Logbook: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 TD Milano Edizione
Price £45,590 (£47,510 as tested)
Performance 2143cc turbodiesel 4-cyl, 207bhp, 6.6sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 43.5mpg (official), 32.5mpg (tested), 147g/km
CO2
Energy cost 20p per mile
Miles this month 716
Total miles 2934
Month 1 of our Alfa Romeo Stelvio long-term test: the introduction
Stelvio. Go on, say it. In fact, say it with an exclamation mark. Stelvio! The Alfa Stelvio! What a great name, a classic Alfa name, a name so good it’s a wonder it’s never been used before. I think from now on all Alfa Romeos should be named after legendary mountain passes: the Alfa Turini, the Alfa Furka. Maybe a future model could be named after that great pass in the Yorkshire Dales: the Alfa Buttertubs.
Actually that doesn’t work. Moving on.
So we’re agreed the Stelvio has an awesome name, and because I’m shallow I’m already enjoying casually slipping it into conversations at dinner parties, because I think it makes me sound so stylish and Italian. ‘Yes, I drive an Alfa Romeo Stelvio,’ I say, with a slight accent.
Which means Alfa’s new SUV passes a crucial first test: it’s a cool car to own and a cool car to admit to driving; but what about the more meaty substance?
Does the Stelvio follow the Giulia saloon in being a proper, well engineered alternative to the German mainstream? Can it live up to the positive launch reviews it garnered back in 2017? CAR described it as ‘borderline brilliant’ on first acquaintance. Bold. Then, late last year, Chris Chilton compared the top-of-the-range Stelvio Quadrifoglio with the Macan Turbo, and declared the Alfa the winner. Brave.
To find out if the Stelvio stands up to closer scrutiny, we’re driving this example for the next six months, living with it every day and drilling deeper into its character.
Alfa’s SUV is available with five engine options: there are two 2.2 diesels (a 187bhp and a 207bhp); two 2.0-litre petrols (197 and 276bhp); plus the 503bhp turbo V6 Quadrifoglio, of course.
Trim on the non-Quadrifoglio models comes in four levels: Super, Nero, Speciale and the top-spec Milano Edizione. Ours is a 207bhp diesel in top spec, which means our car retails at £45,590. It’s finished in Alfa Red paint with a black leather interior, both standard specification on this trim level, and I think the car looks great.
The stand-out feature has got to be those optional 20-inch wheels, which look absolutely sensational – like they belong on a Lamborghini supercar rather than an SUV. I also love the mad-staring bi-xenon.
Logbook: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 TD Milano Edizione
Price £45,590 (£47,510 as tested)
Performance 2143cc turbodiesel 4-cyl, 207bhp, 6.6sec 0-62mph, 134mph
Efficiency 43.5mpg (official), 31.9mpg (tested), 147g/km CO2
Energy cost 16.2p per mile
Miles this month 376
Total miles 2218
First drive review: Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Where have we heard that name before? You’ll be thinking of the Stelvio Pass, an Alpine road famed for its challenging hairpins and uncompromising nature. Naturally enough, it’s where Alfa chose to launch its new model.
It’s a statement of intent from Turin, a clear suggestion that despite entering SUV territory the Stelvio is not about to sacrifice any sports car lineage in the name of versatility.
Jaguar gate-crashes Alfa Romeo Stelvio launch with its new E-Pace
Reminds me of the Alfa Giulia from the front…
And deliberately so. There’s plenty of shared hardware with the Giulia saloon, but the Stelvio’s looks are a big draw. That nose is just as eye-catching as on its sibling while the overall shape successfully blends the need for space with attractive curves.
It’s a bit retro compared to the ultra-modern F-Pace, but who doesn’t love Alfa’s back catalogue? It’s possibly the only SUV you’d buy on looks alone…
What about the Alfa Romeo Stelvio hardware?
All Stelvios ride on double wishbones at the front and multi-link at the rear (Alfa says it’s a ‘four-and-a-half-link’), as well as what we’d say is among the most direct steering set-ups in the segment.
Q4 four-wheel-drive is standard, albeit with a rear-bias to the power distribution: 100% in normal driving conditions and up to 50% pushed to the front when circumstances demand it. You can also option in a mechanical LSD at the rear if you’re planning on hot laps (as if!).
For now the engine line up is restricted to two choices, both with a pair of power outputs: the 2.2-litre diesel comes with either 178bhp or 207bhp and a new 2.0-litre aluminium four-cylinder petrol gets 198bhp or 276bhp.
Even though there’s the rampant Quadrofolgio still to come, the highest-powered petrol also offers up a hefty 295lb ft of torque, and feels like a genuine performance crossover.
Read our review of the hotter, Stelvio Quadrifoglio here
Alfa claims 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds – we didn’t think it felt that quick, but it responds sharply to the throttle and spins happily to 6000rpm, although peak power arrives at a relatively modest 5250rpm.
It’s just a shame it doesn’t sound particularly interesting in the process – we think Alfa could have done more to enhance the engine’s character. It’s a highly strung motor, and Alfa’s engineers report it’ll need some hardware changes to push power up any further.
We’re expecting a Veloce version akin to Audi’s S models to join the range below the Quadrofoglio just like you get on the Giulia saloon.
The standard eight-speed automatic transmission works happily in tandem with the petrol engine, shifting without fuss in automatic mode but it’s even better when you use the elegant aluminium paddle shifters. Zipping up and down through the gearbox and exercising the motor is a genuine pleasure.
We came away less enamoured with the lower-powered petrol, because it sounds less interesting again, and its performance felt lacklustre. The pair of torquier diesels felt better-suited to the Stelvio – especially with the Alfa-tuned ZF automatic gearbox, which shifts smoothly and accurately.
Of the two diesel options, the lower-powered version makes the most sense to us. Its torque output is as near as makes no difference – there’s just 15 lb ft in it – and both engines perform almost identically on the road.
Sure, the top-spec one hits 62mph a second quicker, but when you work these engines that hard they’re at their worst, the din intruding into the cabin unacceptably noisily. With that in mind the extra performance isn’t relevant.
But does it handle like a phonebox on castors?
Not a bit of it. Of course it’s taller than a Giulia and similar in width, but there’s aluminium throughout the body and suspension which helps to keep the centre of gravity low.
You’re also sat relatively low for a crossover; you still get some of the raised driving position but body roll is kept well in check and that inspires confidence if you need to push on.
The flip side is a relatively firm ride, and there’s no electronic trickery to soften things up, but on balance it’s a worthwhile trade-off. Only the Porsche Macan drives better.
So is there any SUV in the Alfa Stelvio at all?
More than enough to get by. Up front, head and legroom is competitive, if not exceptional, and the same can be largely said for the rear, although the boot is usefully big at 525 litres, enclosed by an electrically operated tailgate.
It’s a pleasing cabin, too; our car added the Luxury pack which brings a smart wood finish and more leather. The quality on this early example was fairly decent (apart from a few questionable plastics such as those around the air vents flanking the dash) and, although not rammed with new tech, it was easy to operate and a refreshing change from much of the competition.
Verdict
If you want a crossover that sacrifices as little of the conventional-car driving experience as possible, then the Alfa Romeo Stelvio should be given serious consideration. It’s a great car in its own right, but given it is Alfa’s first SUV, it’s borderline brilliant on first acquaintance.
Read our review of the hotter Stelvio Quadrifoglio here