If you don’t care about modern frills, it’s your car
One new Alfa Romeo Stelvio was registered in the first quarter of 2024. That is very little and when you hear the price you will probably understand why. It may not be worth that 90 grand at all. But there is still something to be said for the Stelvio: it is nice and old school.
Time is one of Alfa Romeo’s enemies. When the Stelvio was introduced in 2017, we already thought it was outdated on many fronts. Exactly at the moment when cars became ‘connected’ and multimedia systems became an essential part of every car, Alfa came up with a system that was anything but modern. And there were still some things to criticize about the Stelvio; time had turned against him. But now that the Italian is in the autumn of his career, his ‘old soul’ may well work to his advantage.
Car manufacturers are all on the train towards emission-free vehicles and with the disappearance of the combustion engine, a bit of character is lost that has not yet been found in electric cars. These modern powertrains are often combined with all kinds of modern ADAS systems that continuously ‘ride along’ with the driver. And all this is kept manageable via the large screen of a multimedia system, which is also permanently online. With the Stelvio you can hold on to the ‘old-fashioned’ driver’s car for a while. Because Alfa Romeo is also going electric and has already announced that the successor to this car will arrive in 2025 and will also be fully electric.
Unchanged powertrain
The reason for us to drive the Alfa Romeo Stelvio again is a small update that the model received last year. Minor exterior changes were combined with a new multimedia system and a digital instrument cluster. The classic clocks with hands have been replaced by a screen. In a technical sense, nothing else changed, the Veloce’s drivetrain has remained unchanged. Alfa Romeo believed that a series of subtle changes were enough to keep the Stelvio current. Furthermore, the headlight units have been revised. Although the basic form has remained unchanged, its content is new. It now has what Alfa Romeo calls the ‘3+3 design’. In the headlights we see three more or less separate modules. The dynamic turn signals are also new.
Alfa Romeo is further making changes to the ‘Tribolo’, Alfa’s name for the combination of the characteristic shield-shaped grille, called Scudetto, and the two horizontal grilles on either side of it. The three grilles were fitted with fresh meshwork and the bumper work, which also houses the air intakes, has been subtly different in design. The Stelvio’s rear lights were fitted with virtually colorless glazing.
Entertaining
A four-wheel drive Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a great driver. The sharpness of the steering and the good weight distribution (the engine is very far back) make it really fun to drive the Stelvio on a winding road. It is also not surprising that it drives so well, because it is closely related to the acclaimed Giulia. The steering wheel is nice to grip and the steering is light, but provides excellent feedback to the driver. Although our test car was on winter tires – which normally give up quite a bit of steering feel – the car follows our steering commands very willingly. Yet the Stelvio is also able to be a comfortable travel car, because the SUV exhibits a pleasant tranquility on the highway. It’s not nervous, which you might expect with such precise steering. The suspension comfort is also excellent, although enthusiasts of real comfort would probably choose a Mercedes-Benz GLC or Volvo XC60.
The four-cylinder turbo engine makes little impression with the engine sound. One of the first things we pay attention to when we start an Alfa Romeo. More than once there was doubt whether it was not a diesel, because unfortunately it does not sound very nice. The 280-hp engine is smooth and delivers enough for decent performance and its pulling power is available over a wide rev range. You can switch gears with the eight-speed automatic transmission yourself, with the whopper of paddles behind the steering wheel. It makes the car even more entertaining than it already is. The Stelvio has three driving modes, which have clearly noticeable differences, with the dynamic mode in particular really changing the character of the car: shift times become shorter, it stays in a gear longer when upshifting or shifts down earlier when slowing down. Dampers and steering become tighter – the effect will not go unnoticed by anyone in the car.
Break in style
The dashboard is tastefully designed and although the multimedia system has been updated, it is not exactly state-of-the art. The screen is small and fortunately minimally disrupts the classic layout. You can operate the multimedia system with a rotary knob in the center console, but fortunately it is also a touchscreen, because entering an address letter by letter is almost impossible.
Three large, round buttons are still available for the climate control. Unfortunately, Alfa Romeo made the decision to replace the classic analogue speedometer and tachometer with a digital display. It offers three different layouts and more functionalities, especially to visualize the operation of the adaptive cruise control. Contemporary, but above all a break in style that does not seem to suit Alfa Romeo. How different is the situation with the materials: in the Veloce you sit on sports seats with leather, you have glossy black moldings and aluminum pedals.
If you don’t care much about the modern frills that most cars have on board today, then the Stelvio is perfect for you. It just drives really well and has some charming imperfections. You could be happy with a car like that. Provided you tolerate the hefty price. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.0T AWD Veloce costs exactly €90,000 and that is a lot of money. More than 30,000 of this is spent on CO2-related bpm, because the tax authorities are also a big fan of dated cars that are not electrified in any way. Striking: those who order it with the 2.2-liter diesel engine will be €7,000 cheaper.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl