Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Italian flair
Did you know that we have a soft spot for Alfas? No? Well, that spot is the size of Italy! Like the gladiators in the Colosseum, only one could be victorious and guess what. It’s me, I had the chance to try out the new Stelvio. So without furthermore, I give you the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio began its beautiful life in 2017 as -not the first but- third all-terrain vehicle of the brand. Didn’t expect that did you! In the olden days, Alfa Romeo has produced the Matta and 156 Crosswagon Q4 (you can argue about the last one). But this is definitely the first SUV for the brand and therefore a very important car. Anno 2020, Alfa Romeo has done a few changes to the Stelvio.
Focus within
The MY2020 for the Stelvio is one that concentrates on the technology, feeling and ease on the inside of the car. Being the owner of a 2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia, it hurts to say that a few things on the inside could have been better or maybe less Italian (?). But Alfa attacked those issues to improve the useability and get them closer to the “German standard”.
“Getting closer” is the correct way to put it. Alfa Romeo did their absolute best and you can see that. But it just can’t get level with his German rivals in the same price range as the Stelvio. The infotainment system made a leap forward with the possibility to rearrange the settings, nicer navigation and the use of touchscreen (or the center knob, like old). A refreshment is the “nice developed” analog dials -no digital screen here- in front of you. Certainly in combination with the Italian way to make the interior feel special. A bold but beautiful color combo that cast fits like an Italian tailored suit in higher quality than the pre-facelift. For example: The shape of your elbow will not easily settle into the armrest, a problem I have with my Giulia. The only thing missing is the tune of “The Godfather” banging out of the great stereo as you enter the car.
In the year 2020, a car needs to have a lot of tech and mostly safety technology. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio provided us with Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Traffic Jam & Highway Assist, Driver Attention Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition and Active Cruise Control. How can you still crash something like this? It’s a rhetorical question, please don’t try it. We are not responsible if you do try it! Next to all of those gadgets, our Stelvio gets an electric tailgate, electric and heated seats, heated steering wheel, panoramic open roof, … the lot.
And sometimes the Italians did it better than the German rivals. The beautiful, decent and solid paddle shifters behind the wheel that are fixed to the steering column, are the living proof of Italians doing a clever and good job. Never ever searching for the “plus” ever again!
Diesel-power
You can choose your Stelvio with various petrol or diesel powered engines, no hybrids yet ,but Alfa Romeo gave us a diesel-powered one. The strongest of the pile being the 210 hp Veloce 2.2-liter four-cylinder. All of the engine-choices get an 8-speed automatic gearbox as standard and only the 160 and 190 hp diesels have rear-wheel-drive. You can fit the all-wheel-drive system as an option to your 190 hp Stelvio, but if you choose the strongest diesel or a petrol you get it as standard.
So, the strongest diesel will get you to 100 km/h in 6,6 seconds and on to a top speed of 215 km/h. Nothing world-changing, but certainly not bad for a 1.745 kg weighing SUV. Also important to know is the feeling this car delivers. The Stelvio doesn’t feel that big. It doesn’t roll in the corners but stays flat. Thanks to 470 Nm of torque it always pulls, the light steering feel makes you corner more directly and due to the lower seating position -in the car- you get that sharper edge. You can feel the contact of the tires with the road in your whole body, not in an uncomfortable but communicative way.
But not is all good in our diesel-powered Alfa Romeo Stelvio. It hurts my Alfa-heart to say it, but that 2.2-liter is too present and it doesn’t sound that nice. If it’s loud, it better doesn’t sound like a tractor, Alfa.
Bella Italia
Now the looks! The hardest part of a car review. With most cars, there are strong proponents but just as many opponents. With the Stelvio, it’s a completely different story. Everyone -and I do mean everyone- likes the looks of the modern Alfa Romeo’s. They just got that flair and strong appearance. Maybe that’s why Alfa Romeo hasn’t messed about and kept most of it the same. Just some colors and rims.
The distinctive nose with the V-shape in black makes the car look so aggressive and will make other people move over. The combination of the fine adaptive bi-xenon headlights -including daytime running lights- and big air intakes complements the general presence of the Stelvio. Again, just like an Italian tailored suit.
Moving to the side, elegant lines arises into beautiful hips -you know, the “JLo” kind-. The Veloce-pack gives the Stelvio wheel arches in its body color, on our Stelvio that means: Bianco Trofeo, all the way. Combine the color and awesome looking dark Miron Diamant light-alloy wheels with a full chrome deleted and a sloping roofline. You get a fine-looking vehicle and it doesn’t stop on the side because the back is equally beautiful. A heavy butt with black exhaust tips, again small lights and a rear window that is in proportion to the rear lights. Giving us a hard time looking out of the back window, thank God we had parking sensors and a camera.
The final question
The cheapest new Alfa Romeo Stelvio will set you back 39.990 euro (Belgium). This Veloce, with all those options, that color, those rims will cost you near to 68.900 euro. A lot of money and yes, it ain’t perfect. But the feeling you get when you drive an Alfa Romeo can’t be explained, you need to experience it yourself. Personally, I would go for a petrol engine and if the wife approves: the 2.9 V6, please.
