Shropshire Star

UK drive: Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio is a serious contender in the SUV segment

As its first SUV, the Stelvio is a hugely important car for Alfa Romeo. Simon Davis got behind the wheel to put it to the test

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What is it?

As Alfa Romeo’s first SUV, the Stelvio represents a venture into uncharted territory for the Italian manufacturer. While a car of this type may lead to a few raised eyebrows from Alfa purists, company bosses will no doubt have their fingers firmly crossed that their gamble pays off. And why wouldn’t it? After all, the SUV segment is one of the fastest-growing in the market right now.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio
(Alfa Romeo)

What’s new?

Practically everything you see on the Stelvio is new. Its Giorgio platform is shared with the excellent Giulia saloon, as are many of its styling cues – particularly the front end.

The Italian manufacturer claims the Stelvio was designed as “an Alfa Romeo first and an SUV second”, and while this might sound like wishy-washy marketing talk, there are a number of things about the Stelvio that go a long way to back this up.

First is its weight. With Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel-drive system, the Stelvio comes in at 1,660kg – making it the lightest vehicle in its class and working wonders for the way it handles. Second is the all-wheel-drive system itself, which sends 100 per cent of the drive to the rear wheels for most of the time, and only powering the front when required. After years of producing front-wheel-drive cars, Alfa fans will be happy to know it’s making the shift back to rear-wheel drive.

What’s under the bonnet?

Our test vehicle came equipped with Alfa Romeo’s 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine and the Q4 all-wheel-drive system. This produces 207bhp and 470Nm of torque, allowing for a 0-60mph time of 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 134mph.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio
(Alfa Romeo)

As far as fuel consumption is concerned, in this spec Alfa claims the Stelvio will manage 58.9mpg on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions of 127g/km.

What’s it like to drive?

Given the Stelvio’s size, the way it handled itself through the corners was impressive. It felt light on its feet, and there was plenty of feedback from the steering, with the front-end only washing out if you really pushed on through the corners. The laws of physics can only be bent so far, after all.

Out on the motorway, the Stelvio made for a comfortable long-distance cruiser. The 2.2-litre diesel was quiet under acceleration and non-intrusive at cruising speeds, while the ride was soft enough to deal with the odd imperfection in the road surface. Although there was a noticeable amount of road noise from the 20-inch alloys fitted to our test vehicle, this was by no means a source of irritation.

How does it look?

This is one aspect of the Stelvio we’re having a hard time making our minds up about. From certain angles, it’s a stunning-looking thing, while from others it can look slightly odd in its proportions. However, opinions over appearances are always going to be subjective, and will be driven purely by personal taste. Whatever your thoughts on the Stelvio’s aesthetics might be, you’d be hard-pressed to deny that it’s anything but an eye-catching SUV.

What’s it like inside?

Given the Stelvio’s sportier appearance and swooping roofline, the amount of space on offer in the cabin is impressive. Front-seat passengers will have no complaints whatsoever, while those in the rear will find they have plenty of head- and legroom, even when behind taller passengers. Boot space stands at 525 litres, which is good but not quite as much as what you get from the likes of the BMW X3 or Audi Q5, both of which offer 550 litres.

What’s the spec like?

Our Stelvio was in Milano Edizione specification, which will set you back a fairly hefty £43,990 if you opt for the 2.2-litre diesel model. This trim level is a limited-run option that’s being offered at launch, and includes a huge amount of equipment as standard.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio
(Alfa Romeo)

There’s 20-inch alloys, keyless entry, a 10-speaker audio system, a heated sports steering wheel and classy aluminium shift paddles, to name but a few toys you’ll get to play with.

Rounding out the range is the entry-level Stelvio model, which is followed by Super and Speciale trims. Speciale models start at £41,490, and will crown the range once the Milano Edizione launch edition cars are no longer on sale. Alfa Romeo is expecting this to be the most popular version of the Stelvio in the UK.

Verdict

You have to doff your cap to Alfa Romeo – it really has done a good job with the Stelvio. The styling may not be to everyone’s tastes, but the way it drives and the levels of practicality on offer really are impressive given this is the Italian company’s first attempt at an SUV. Expect to see a fair few popping up on our roads.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio
(Alfa Romeo)

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Milano Edizione 2.2 Diesel 210hp AWD
Price as tested: £43,990
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel
Power (bhp): 207
Torque (Nm): 470
Max speed (mph): 134
0-60mph: 6.4 seconds
MPG (combined): 58.9
Emissions (g/km): 127

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