Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio 2018 review
Content
- Is there anything interesting about its design? 9/10
- How practical is the interior space? 7/10
- Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 8/10
- What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 9/10
- How much fuel does it consume? 8/10
- What is it like to drive? 9/10
- What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 8/10
- How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 8/10
- Verdict
- A fast Alfa SUV will do it for you? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
We first meet Alfa Romeo's Stelvio Q, parked halfway up the highest peak in the United Arab Emirates, its engine making those ominous ticks and ticks after being punished by an earlier driver, a river of smooth and twisty asphalt flows in every direction, just like the whole world. the mountain was tightly wrapped with bitumen-licorice ropes.
Frankly, every corner of the world seems to have been jammed into the 1934m Jebel Jais Pass, from the tightest curves to the fastest sweepers, and so it's the kind of road that usually instills debilitating fear in the metal hearts of the big and clumsy. SUVs.
And yet, Alfa Romeo's attendants seem overconfident, gleefully urging us to turn off the traction control and generally jostling excitedly.
Apparently they knew something we didn't. And it's time for us to find out for ourselves.
| 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
There was a time when, due to the lack of quality engineering, Alfa Romeo relied only on design flair when shifting units. And so it would be the cruellest fate for them to lose their crayon skills when their cars became world-class.
Luckily, the Stelvio looks fast and fantastic from just about every angle. Somehow the Stelvio manages to look cool and beautiful at the same time, it's a near-perfect mix of curvy lines, angry hood vents and flared fenders.
Inside, the cabin is performance-focused, with form-fitting seats and carbon inserts, but it's also polished and comfortable enough for longer, less exciting rides. The quality of the materials used lags behind German premiums in places, and the technology already feels a little clunky and outdated, but it's a beautiful cabin nonetheless.
How practical is the interior space? 7/10
At 4688mm, the Stelvio Q is actually quite petite for a premium midsize SUV. The BMW X3, for example, is 4708mm long, while the Merc GLC beats them both at 4737mm.
There's plenty of room up front, and the controls are easy to reach and understand. There are two cup holders that separate the front seats and three USB charging points (one mounted under the touchscreen and two more in the center storage compartment) to handle all your phone mirroring needs, as well as a 12-volt power supply.
Inside, the cab is performance oriented.
Sit in the back seat and the legroom and headroom are good behind my (178 cm) driving position, I find it to be the best in class and offers enough width to squeeze in (but that would be it; squeeze in) three adults in the back seat. There are rear vents but no temperature controls, and two ISOFIX anchor points, one on each rear window seat.
The Stelvio Q will serve a maximum of 1600 liters of storage space with the rear seat folded down, and its 64-liter fuel tank holds 91 octane fuel.
Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 8/10
Alfa Romeo has yet to reveal pricing for its humblest Stelvio, but the sleuths among you may be looking for clues in the Giulia lineup.
With this car, Alfa Romeo has never tried to beat the competition. Instead, the QV model (which for some reason still bears part of the Verde name and the fastest Stelvio is known simply as the Quadrifoglio) sits between the BMW M3 ($139,900) and the Merc C63 AMG ($155,615) for 143,900 XNUMX dollars.
So if this trend continues, expect to see the Stelvio Q somewhere north of $150k but below the $63 Mercedes GLC171,900 AMG.
The real delight here is how nimble and light on its feet the Q feels as it races down the challenging mountain road.
With that money, you'll buy 20-inch alloy wheels, big Brembo brakes, bi-xenon headlights, LED taillights, and keyless entry. Inside, you'll find a leather steering wheel and Alcantara, leather-trimmed seats, aluminum paddles, dual-zone climate control, and a power tailgate.
The technology is driven by an 8.8-inch touchscreen equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which (in our test car at least) is paired with a 14-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo. Navigation is also standard, and the driver's binnacle has a 7.0-inch TFT screen that handles all driving data.
What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 9/10
What a peach this engine is; powerful 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, borrowed (then slightly modified) from the Giulia QV. Its power is 375 kW / 600 Nm - enough to accelerate the Stelvio Q to 0 km / h in 100 seconds and reach a top speed of 3.8 km / h.
Its power is routed through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission to the clever Q4 all-wheel drive system, which essentially works like a rear-wheel drive system, engaging the front axle only when needed.
Alfa's Active Torque Vectoring (via dual clutch packs on the rear differential), adaptive dampers and a five-mode engine management system are also standard. It's also lightweight, at just 1830kg, which doesn't affect performance at all.
How much fuel does it consume? 8/10
This big V6 has a cylinder deactivation feature, turning off three cylinders whenever possible to save fuel. This helps to reduce claimed fuel consumption to 9.0 l/100 km on the combined cycle, while CO201 emissions are 2 g/km.
What is it like to drive? 9/10
That Alfa Romeo finally gave in and built its first SUV is not truly surprising. This particular call ends up ringing all manufacturers (Bentley, Aston Martin and even Lamborghini now offer SUVs, for example) and so it's no real shock that Alfa followed suit.
What's shocking is how he pulled off the fast SUV formula perfectly the first time around.
What's shocking is how Alfa Romeo pulled off the fast SUV formula perfectly the first time around.
For starters, it's fast. Really and amazingly fast. But this special party trick can be pulled by anyone who wants to tie a huge engine to something (such people are mostly Americans). The real delight here is how nimble and light on its feet the Q feels as it races down the challenging mountain road.
It all starts with that great engine, which pumps that thick, beefy stream of power to the tires, of course, if you even look at the accelerator pedal. The gearbox is also perfectly in sync with what's going on, shifting each gear with precision and accompanying each change with a delightful pop or crackle.
But the real highlight is the steering, which is so direct - so incredibly precise - that you feel sharp contact with the road below and are confident that the car will go exactly where you want. To be honest, it seems so precise that it can slice truffles thinly.
It's fast. Really and amazingly fast.
There's more feedback here than a bad AM radio, and secondly, the rear tires lose traction (in "Race Mode" all traction aids are disabled, the suspension works as hard as possible and the gears shift as quickly as possible), you can either quickly pull it back into line or, if you're much braver than me, bring down a smoky hell on a mountain with no runoff and drops so abrupt that you'll die of fright long before you reach the bottom.
Jebel Jais is the Middle Eastern answer to the Stelvio Pass (look what Alpha did there?), and the asphalt is so smooth as silk that in winter it looks like you can skate on it. So we'll wait until we ship the Q to Australia to judge the ride quality on our road surfaces and how it handles the day-to-day rigors of traffic and malls.
But if this is a test of taste, then it points to good things ahead.
But the real highlight is the steering, which is so direct - so incredibly precise - that you feel sharp contact with the road below.
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
While detailed specs for Australia are still being determined, expect the Stelvio Q to feature a rear view camera, AEB, forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring and six airbags (dual front, front and side) along with the usual set of . traction and braking aids.
The Stelvio was awarded the highest five-star crash test rating by EuroNCAP (ANCAP's European affiliate) earlier this year.
How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 8/10
None of the key players have made any moves regarding the premium warranty, so you can forget about a four or five year warranty. Like Mercedes, Audi and BMW, three years (or 150,000 miles) is standard on the Stelvio. Expect service intervals of 12 months/15,000 km.
Verdict
Of course, not everyone will like the Stelvio Q (of course, the list of people buying a mid-size SUV that can punish some mountain pass is not endless), but the fact that such a large and practical car can devastate such a difficult road as Jebel Jace is an insane feat of engineering.
Perhaps more importantly, it proves that the Giulia QV was no fluke. So, Alfa Romeo's Italian renaissance continues.
A fast Alfa SUV will do it for you? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
