Fast facts
Model: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2,0T Veloce Q4
Price: R1,205,500 with the only option, a sunroof R1,225,500
Engine: 2,0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbopetrol
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 206 kW @ 5 250 r/min
Torque: 400 N.m @ 2 250 r/min
0-100 km/h: 5,7 seconds
Top speed: 230 km/h
Fuel consumption: 7,0 l/100km (claimed)
CO2: 161 g/km
Service Plan: Five-year/100 000 km
Those drivers that demand engaging driving dynamics and striking curb apeal will feel perfectly at home behind the wheel of the Italian styled and impressively agile Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce crossover. Its balanced chassis is paired well with a torquey turbo-four that hits above its weight class, offering power delivery that feels more inline with a V6. The smooth eight-speed transmission compliments the engine with snappy operation and quick shifts. We appreciate the Stelvio’s design and performance, but we found its luxury to be a bit lacking. Cabin materials aren’t quite up to Standard when compared to rivals such as the Porsche Macan and Mercedes GLC, and the 8.8-inch infotainment screen looks outdated. The rear seat is a bit cramped, and cargo room slightly smaller than the BMW X3’s 10 more cubic-feet of space behind the rear seats. Although the Stelvio lags behind competitors, it’s still worthy of consideration for shoppers who appreciate its sporty Italian flare and passion the others lack.
What’s been updated?
For this update, the Stelvio gets a new 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster that can be set to three different configurations: Evolved, Relax, and Heritage. Alfa has made slight tweaks to the front fascia, including the repositioning of the logo and revisions to the two bottom air ducts. The Italian crossover also gets cool new headlights with LED matrix technology and “3+3” accent lights with a very nice dynamic style indicator giving the Stelvio the same lighting signature as the new, smaller Tonale. The taillights have also been updated with rearranged LED elements. Alfa has shown a new Competizione model as well but hasn’t indicated whether it’s coming to the SA market.
How’s it drive?
The Stelvio’s turbocharged four-cylinder produces a healthy 206kws through an eight-speed automatic ZF transmission. The torque figures of 400nm makes this engine effortlessly quick in our testing and during daily driving, and we were particularly fond of its responsive throttle and smooth power delivery in all drive modes. Its exhaust note sounded rather downplayed buy maybe more appropriate for this application. The Volece we had on test was fitted with the Q4 all wheel drive system and is always rear wheel bias but can move power to the front wheels in 150ms when needed. Towing capacity is 1.3 tons. In addition to its lively powertrain, the Stelvio boasts athletic handling and a Confident ride. The on test was equipped with the standard 20-inch wheels on this model, and yet it provided sufficient isolation from all but the harshest bumps. Although its maximum cornering grip is similar to rivals, the Alfa is the alpha dog when it comes to driving engagement. The chassis, which is shared with the Giulia sedan, has damping that’s composed and comfortable. Although the Stelvio’s steering isn’t as sharp as the Giulia’s, its light effort and quick reflexes are still exceptional—especially for a crossover.
Fuel Economy with Real-World driving
Although the Stelvio’s real-world fuel economy and highway range are average at best, they align with all the four-cylinder competitors. The Stelvio we ran on our 150km highway and some urban driving fuel-economy route, which is part of testing course, returned 8.6L/km on our test route. Alfa claims a 7.0L/100km but with the Alfa’s unrivaled performance and unique persona make this a nonissue in our minds, but alternatives such as the X3 are thriftier at the pump.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
Like the Giulia sedan, the Stelvio offers a stylish interior and a comfortable driving position. The supportive front seats are upholstered in leather, and handsome aluminum accents adorn the dash, doors, and center console. The Stelvio has some useful storage tricks up its Italian sleeve, but with a small cargo area behind the back seat, it’s not the most capacious crossover among this set. Although the Alfa’s other cubbies only held average amounts, we appreciated the useful smartphone slot between its cupholders and the hidden compartment near the driver’s right knee.
Infotainment and Connectivity
For this update, the Stelvio gets a new 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster that can be set to three different configurations: Evolved, Relax, and Heritage. The infotainment system still only comes in one size—8.8 inches—and responds to touch inputs as well as the handy rotary controller on the center console might seem a redundant control, but we definitely found ourselves using this more than the touch screen and its great for getting to the custom shortcuts quicker. Built-in navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto are standard. We found the infotainment system to be visually attractive, navigation alerts come from the built in TomTom software.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
- Standard forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking
- Standard adaptive cruise control
- Standard blind-spot monitoring
Warranty
Five-year/100 000 km
Review Overview
-
Driving experience
-
Exterior styling
-
Interior look and feel
-
Technology and connectivity
-
Family friendliness
-
Value for money
Summary
We love the charismatic styling, impressively agile, turbo-four packs a punch, and is always ready on demand. issues seem to be interior trims, some items aren’t the best material but this is really nit picking, a bigger infotainment screen would be nice for sum and to keep up with competition, but at no point during the test did I feel the screen could be bigger.
The Stelvio offers Giulia-like thrills plus the added utility of a crossover. It brings all the passion!