Cars

Alfa Romeo Stelvio: Alluring Alfa a sweet SUV

Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Alfa Romeo Stelvio

THE Stelvio has been a Drive favourite since Alfa Romeo launched its first SUV in 2017, writes William Scholes.

I mean - if you have to have an SUV in the first place, why not have one that looks like this?

It drives as well as it looks, too.

This is especially the case with the volcanic Quadrifoglio version, which is an astonishing vehicle - as it should be, for £75k.

The regular Stelvio models, which start from around £44,000, are impressive in their own right.

I like the £54k Veloce Ti model, which comes with the cosmetic drama of the Quadrifoglio and a sweet 276bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. That's more than 225bhp down on the Quadrifoglio, but it's still ample...

Four-wheel-drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox are part of the package, too, as is the carbon fibre drive shaft that is a feature of the latest Alfa Romeo models.

The Veloce Ti interior echoes the Quadrifoglio, with gorgeous aluminium gearshift paddles, sport seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara, black headlining and real carbon fibre accents.

The Stelvio's more obvious rivals include the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and whatever the Mercedes equivalent is called. Anyone thinking of one of those needs to try a Stelvio out first - to drive it is to understand what makes it special...