Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2018 review

How important is appearance really? Of course, if you're a model, if you're dating Rihanna or Brad Pitt, if you own a sports car or a super yacht, it's good to be attractive. But if you're an SUV, like Alfa Romeo's brand-changing new Stelvio, does that matter?

There are people who believe that all SUVs are ugly because they are simply too big to look good, just like all 12 foot tall people, no matter how beautiful they are, will surely turn off.

However, there are undoubtedly many people who find SUVs, especially expensive European ones, very attractive as well as practical, because how else can you explain the fact that cars like this Stelvio - mid-size SUVs - are now the biggest? premium sales in Australia?

This year we are going to stock over 30,000 of them and Alpha wants to take as much as possible out of this delicious sales pie chart. 

If success could only be explained by appearance, you would have to support the Stelvio to achieve incredible success, because this is truly the rarest of things, an SUV that is really attractive and even sexy. But does it have what it takes in other areas to tempt buyers into choosing the Italian option over the tried-and-true Germans?

Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2018: (base)
Safety Rating
engine's type	2.0 L turbo
fuel type	Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel efficiency	7l / 100km
Landing	5 Places
Price from	$42,900

Is there anything interesting about its design? 9/10

It would be unfair to assume that Italians are more interested in design than anything else, but it would only be fair to assume that this often seems to be the case. And when that obsession with making things look good results in a car with the shape, sensibility and sporty character of this one, who can say that's a bad thing?

I once asked a Ferrari senior designer why Italian cars, and supercars in particular, look so much better than German ones, and his answer was simple: "When you grow up surrounded by such beauty, it's natural to make beautiful things."

For an SUV to look as good as a Giulia sedan is quite a feat.

For Alfa, producing a car like the Giulia that reflects its brand's design aesthetic and proud sporting heritage is the brand that Ferrari spawned, as its political strategists like to remind us, is almost expected or predictable.

But to accomplish the same feat on such a scale, in a large, bulky SUV with all its proportionate challenges, is quite an achievement. I must say that there is not a single angle from which I would not like it.

Even the base car featured here looks great from all angles on the outside.

The interior is almost as good, but falls apart in a few places. If you buy the $6000 "First Edition Pack" only available to the first 300 people who break in there, or the "Veloce Pack" they'll also offer ($5000), you get some really good sport seats and shiny seats. pedals and a panoramic roof that lets in light without restricting headroom.

However, buy the real base model for the notional $65,900 and you get a lot less class. The steering wheel won't be as sporty either, but no matter which variant you buy, you'll be stuck with a slightly cheap and plastic shifter (which is also a little illogical to use), which is annoying because that's the common ground you'll be using. everyday. The 8.8-inch screen is also not quite German standard, and navigation can be capricious.

There are some flaws in a beautiful interior.

On the other hand, the cool steel shift paddles are absolutely gorgeous and will feel right at home on a Ferrari.

Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 8/10

If you buy the absolute base model Stelvio for $65,990, which we advise you not to because it's a much, much better car with adaptive dampers installed, you get all of those goodies for free, plus 19-inch, 10-spoke, 7.0 alloy wheels. 8.8-inch driver's instrument cluster and 3-inch color multimedia display with XNUMX-inch satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, eight-speaker stereo, Alfa DNA Drive Mode System (which basically seems to light up some graphics but presumably allows you to choose between dynamic, normal and environmentally friendly option that you will never use.

The base car comes standard with an 8.8-inch color display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

But wait, that's not all, including cruise control, dual zone climate control, power tailgate, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, hill descent control, power front seats, leather seats (though not sports) and much more. tire pressure monitoring system. 

That's quite a lot for the money, but as we say, most people will want to upgrade to the extra features you get - and most revealingly, adaptive dampers - with the First Edition ($6000) or Veloce ($5000) packages.

The First Edition (pictured) offers adaptive dampers as part of a $6000 package.

Alfa Romeo is keen to point out how attractive its prices are, especially when compared to German offerings like Porsche's Macan, and they do seem to be good, even just north of $70k.

How practical is the interior space? 8/10

We were lucky enough to get behind the wheel of this car early on a recent family holiday in Italy, and we can tell you that the trunk (525 liters) can swallow an astonishing amount of badly packaged crap or a metric ton of Italian wine and food if it's shopping day.

A 525 liter boot can swallow a lot of badly packed crap.

The trunk is practical and easy to use, and the rear seats are also roomy. We may or may not have tried to pack three adults and two children in one stage (not on a public road, obviously just for fun) and it was still comfortable while I can easily sit behind my 178cm the driver's seat without touching the back of the seat with your knees. The hip and shoulder room is also good.

The room is good for passengers in the back.

There are map pockets in the seatbacks, plenty of bottle storage in the door bins and two US-sized cup holders, as well as a large storage compartment between the front seats.

What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 7/10

Since I'm older than the internet, I'm still a little baffled every time I see a car company trying to fit a four-cylinder engine into a big SUV like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, so I'm always politely surprised first. since such a big car with a small engine manages to climb a mountain without exploding.

While the bigger, faster Stelvios will arrive later this year and the all-conquering QV will arrive in the fourth quarter, the versions you can buy now should make do with a 2.0kW/148Nm 330-liter four-cylinder petrol engine. or a 2.2T diesel with 154kW/470Nm (later a 2.0 Ti will also appear with a more incredible 206kW/400Nm).

Most Stelvio models will be powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine (148 kW/330 Nm) or a 2.2-litre diesel (154 kW/470 Nm).

From these figures, it should come as no surprise that the diesel is actually the better option for driving, not only with more useful low-end torque (maximum is reached at 1750 rpm), but also with more power. Thus, the 2.2T accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, faster than the petrol (7.2 seconds) and also faster than competitors such as the Audi Q5 (8.4 diesel or 6.9 petrol), BMW X3 (8.0 and 8.2) and Mercedes GLC (8.3 diesel or 7.3 petrol).

More surprisingly, the diesel sounds slightly better, more raspy when you try to drive it hard, than the slightly raspy petrol. On the other hand, the 2.2T sounds like a tractor idling in multi-storey car parks, and neither engine sounds remotely like you'd want an Alfa Romeo to.

The diesel is the best bet at this level - it does an impressive job despite being asked to do the equivalent of Clive Palmer uphill - but the 2.0 Ti (which hits 100 mph in a more impressive 5.7 seconds) would have been worth the wait. for.

The 2.0 Ti pictured here will come later with even more power (206kW/400Nm).

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How much fuel does it consume? 8/10

Alfa is also keen to point out that its new Stelvio is class-leading when it comes to fuel economy, with claimed figures of 4.8 liters per 100 km for diesel (they say no one gets under 5.0 l/100 km) and 7.0 l /100 km. XNUMX km on petrol.

In the real world, when driving enthusiastically, we saw 10.5 l/100 km for petrol and closer to 7.0 for diesel. The simple fact is that you need and want to drive them harder than the advertised numbers suggest.

What is it like to drive? 8/10

Just as I sit down to watch the Socceroos lose again, I've learned not to expect too much from the driving experience that SUVs offer because how they drive clearly has nothing to do with how they're marketed.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio comes as a real surprise because it doesn't just ride like a sports car on slightly rubber stilts, but like an impressive high-riding sedan.

Reports about how good the QV version is have been coming in for a while and I took them with a big spoon of salt, but it's clear to see how this car can be so sharp and exciting to drive because of this car's chassis as well as the suspension setup ( at least with adaptive dampers) and steering are built to handle much more power and energy than is offered in this base model.

I was surprised at how good the First Edition Pack cars were when we drove on some pretty tough roads.

That's not to say that this version feels terribly weak - the few times we've overtaken uphill we wish it had more power, but it's never been slow enough to be a concern - it's just that it's clearly made for more.

In almost all situations, the diesel, in particular, delivers enough power to make this mid-sized SUV truly fun. I actually smiled a few times while driving, which is unusual.

A lot of it has to do with how it turns, not how it goes, because it's a really light, nimble, and enjoyable car on a twisty stretch of road.

It feels really engaged through the steering wheel and really capable in the way it holds onto the road. The brakes are really good too, with a lot of feel and power (obviously Ferrari had a hand in this and it shows).

After driving a much simpler model without adaptive dampers and generally unimpressed, I was surprised at how good the First Edition Pack cars were when we rode some pretty tough roads.

It really is a premium mid-size SUV that I could almost live with. And, if it's the right size car for your lifestyle, I absolutely understand that you want to buy it.

Warranty and safety rating

Basic Warranty

3 years / 150,000 km


guarantee

ANCAP Safety Rating

What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 8/10

Alfa talks a lot about how its offering wins in emotion, passion and design rather than being soft and off-white/silver in German, but they're also keen to say it's a rational, practical and safe alternative.

Alfa again claims a best-in-class safety rating for the Stelvio with a 97 percent adult occupancy score in Euro NCAP tests (maximum five stars).

Standard equipment includes six airbags, AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic detection and lane departure warning.

How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 8/10

Yes, buying an Alfa Romeo means buying an Italian car, and we've all heard reliability jokes and heard companies from that country claim to have these problems behind them. 

The Stelvio comes with a three-year warranty or 150,000 km to make you feel safe, but it's still not as good as the Giulia, which comes with a five-year warranty. We would have banged on the table and demanded that they match the offer.

Maintenance costs are another differentiator, the company claims, as they are cheaper than the Germans at $485 per year, or $1455 for three years, with those services provided every 12 months or 15,000 km.

Verdict

Truly beautiful in the way that only Italian cars can be, the new Alfa Romeo Stelvio is indeed what the marketers promise - a more emotional, fun and attractive option compared to the German offerings that have been offered to us for so long. Yes, it's an Italian car, so it might not be as well built as an Audi, Benz or BMW, but it will definitely make you smile more often. Especially when you look.

Is the Alpha's appearance enough to distract you from the Germans? Tell us in the comments below.