New Hits

2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV Milano Edizione Review – An SUV With Ambition

admin

Driven: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV Milano Edizione

With keys to the controversial Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, is this compact luxury SUV worth the cherished Alfa Romeo badge?

What’s the Alfa Romeo Stelvio about?

Many people, usually people that have automotive affinity, love Alfa Romeo for what it really is, an Italian car manufacturer with an extraordinary portfolio of drivers’ cars.

Of course, although it could be argued that Alfa Romeo is past its prime, they’re still developing intriguing cars that are bound to pique interests in the open. With cars just like the 4C, 8C, Brera and Giulia Quadrifoglio, the Alfa spirit remains.

However, the brand’s latest product, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, is a little bit of an aberration for them. It’s a crossover or SUV that’s riding on the recent crossover fad, so there’s actually market for this. Is this SUV marketed for broad appeal from a distinct segment manufacturer worth your time and effort?

The Stelvio definitely gets the style appropriate with the Alfa Romeo badge it bears for me. Instead of forgoing Alfa’s venerated Italian elegance styling ethos towards typical SUV brawn, the Stelvio embraces it. With plenty of curves and bulges paired with Alfa’s distinctive front fascia with the trilobe grille, it’s a significant distinctive looker.

Of course, looking at it broadside, it will be appears like a jacked up hatchback. The perceivable ground clearance isn’t all that confidence-inspiring for avid trail trekkers. Although the trunk skid plate and plastic cladding may allude for some type of rally prowess, I wouldn’t depend on it. I reckon that the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is an improved representation of Alfa Romeo DNA within an SUV body.

I do that can compare with the side-profile of the Stelvio we’ve here though. Sitting on the priciest Milano Edizione trim’s standard 20″ 5 twin-spoke alloys with red painted brake callipers and painted in £770 ‘Vesuvio Grey’, our test Stelvio assumes a fairly menacing stance for an SUV. Since there is a variety of monochromatic hues you can choose, I really do adore the more vibrant options, there’s even ‘Visconti Green’, a deep vivid shade of green that’s quite eccentric.

The Milano Edizione trim receives two powertrain options, with this test Stelvio boasting the arguably lesser of both, a 2.2-litre turbodiesel inline-4. It generates 210 horsepower while producing 470 Nm of torque, so that it may end up being an alluring option for individuals who plan to tow with their Alfa Romeo.

The turbodiesel is then mated to a ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic transmission, a unit commonly shared on a great many other cars, that sends capacity to all four wheels thanks to Alfa Romeo’s Q4 AWD system. This diesel-powered all-wheel driven Alfa Romeo can manage 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds, onto a high speed of 134 mph.

The diesel will surely have an advantage in fuel efficiency though as its rated at 58.9 mpg combined while putting out 127 g/km of CO2. Not too shabby for an SUV that weighs over 1.6 tonnes.

Spending another £1,370 in the Milano Edizione trim will net you a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine within the bonnet instead. It’s married to the same transmission but generates 280 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque instead.

How does it drive?

While a diesel Alfa already sounds sacrilegious and dreary in some recoverable format, don’t diss this 2.2-litre turbodiesel at this time. It’s surprisingly punchy and moves the portly Stelvio along rather swiftly. Actually, I could describe the engine as peppy and willing, with a modicum of prompt torque that imbues the Stelvio with an agreeable sense of urgency.

However, it gets a tad hoarse when you push it, and does indeed feel quite coarse when you start to demand more from it.

The transmission can be quite likeable oftentimes. It’s smooth and quick, although it responds to abrupt throttle increase with a lot of haste. With a generous amount of gears to utilize, in addition, it keeps the diesel engine pleasantly hushed constantly.

What’s rather startling though, is when the Stelvio approaches a corner. The steering, while on the light side, is sharp and precise. With all-wheel drive, it has a lot of traction to utilize as well. Coupled with reliably consistent brakes that halt the automobile well, it handles comparable to a sports vehicle on stilts.

That essentially means a fairly eager nose that darts around amenably. It rotates itself around corners with poise as the engine provides sufficient grunt to catapult it out of corners. However, being truly a sports vehicle on stilts does mean that it can wallow around a bit, although within perfectly reasonable bounds.

It’s quite an enthralling experience shifting the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV around B-roads. Actually, at times I came across it perhaps a bit overzealous for a supposed SUV. The chassis is merely markedly responsive, demonstrating hints of the Alfa DNA within it. DNA can be the name of the overall game for the Stelvio’s drive mode selector, with D – Dynamic indicating the devious alter-ego which prepares the Stelvio for ballet. Switching it to A enables All-Weather Driving for intimidating road conditions.

However, around a city, the contentious demeanour isn’t quite as favourable. Even in Normal mode, the suspension remains firm for an SUV. At slow speeds it feels nervous, sometimes even jarring through severe crevasses. It really is quite fidgety for an SUV. You might find smaller wheel options to become a better choice for the Stelvio.

At motorway speed, the engine is pleasingly muted. However, you will surely notice a little bit of wind rush and tyre roar within the cabin.

What is it truly like inside?

As an SUV, the Stelvio is really rather effortless to go in and out of. A thing that the Giulia definitely struggles with a bit.

Step inside, and you’ll look for a group of sports seats upholstered in pragmatic black leather. They offer solid bolster support, hugging you rather tightly even amidst overzealous cornering. I also found them to be plenty comfy for longer journeys with good adjustability to match drivers of varying stature.

The material choices that Alfa chosen is normally acceptable, bar a few plastics that feel a tad lacklustre. The two-tone brushed aluminium look is fairly nice though, I really do prefer it over the choice which is wood which seems a bit inappropriate when contrasted against the performance-inspired interior.

Design-wise, the inside overtly mimics the assertive athleticism that Alfa products abide by, with a cockpick-esque front passenger compartment, the large aluminium shifter paddles and minimal needless clutter. Notably, the beginning button is situated on the tyre that is a nice touch.

At the centre of everything there’s an 8.8″ Alfa Connect display with satnav. It’s controlled via the rotary dial located just behind the apparatus lever, and the display itself is comparable to a widescreen that elegantly integrates in to the dashboard. As the graphics and interface isn’t up to contemporary German standards, it’s attentive to inputs and is normally snappy to use. The driver also receives a 7.5″ information display at the instrument cluster.

The Milano Edizione trim receives an 11-speaker surround audio system as standard, but also for £500 more you can instead expect a 14-speaker Harman Kardon Sound Theatre. It sounds quite vivid and rich, so for the relatively small amount of cash, its worth a thought.

As an SUV also means space for storage, and the Stelvio has quite an laudable selection of it. The cupholders are massive, the entranceway pockets are deep and useful, you’ll find a lot more within the armrest and an admittedly small glovebox. Passenger space is overall praiseworthy, but rear headroom is compromised somewhat as a result of sloping roof.

While it’s not officially denoted, you can start the trunk boot to reveal 525-litres of cargo storage. While it’s definitely plenty capacious with tethering points and charging ports. The trunk seats do fold in 40/20/20 fashion to release extra storage in the event you require a lot more.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Driving the Alfa Romeo Stelvio was quite an odd experience. The Stelvio displayed dynamics that’s quite reminiscent of an effective Alfa, but of course, it includes a higher driving position and substantially more room.

The big feature for me though will be the road presence, with the daytime-running LEDs on, it’s a significant stunner from leading 3-quarters angle. It’s a bold stance for a bold SUV that dares challenge its innate nemesis: B-roads.

Verdict

I really do applaud Alfa Romeo for what they’ve done here, carving out a tiny market for themselves by means of a genuinely capable SUV handling-wise. I’d say it rivals even the Porsche Macan, which may be the benchmark for sporty SUVs.

Beginning with £44,035 though, the Stelvio Milano Edizione has tough competition like the Jaguar F-Pace, BMW X3 or Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class if they’re searching for a luxury SUV.

Hence, the variant that I’d rather choose may be the Stelvio Super with among the turbodiesels. You get almost all of the kit just like the 8.8″ Alfa Connect system with satnav and the 7″ driver information display with many electronics assistance, but you’ll be saving a few grand with a couple of smaller wheels. However, in the event that you truly want something ludicrous, maybe the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is your poison.

2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV Milano Edizione Specs