The 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio looks unusual for a compact crossover because it hails from Italy, has sharp styling, and drives like a sports car. It has all the features of a luxury everyday driver, and it rides well enough that its owner won’t miss the sports car that no longer fits their lifestyle. And you can’t ignore the fact that this thing is different from the rest. If you choose one of Alfa’s more daring and bright paint colours, an Italian car with its distinctive “Scudetto” grille will stand out in a parking lot full of the most common family cars with more conservative designs.
- Pros: It has great ride and handling, comes with two sportier engines, and stands out from the crowd.
- The negatives: mediocre interior, poor tech, and small for its class.
The Stelvio’s biggest problem is that the interior doesn’t live up to the rest of the car’s grandeur. Charming and sporty, the Stelvio doesn’t look too exotic because it’s not too big and the materials aren’t too good. If you like carbon fibre, the Quadrifoglio has you covered (and pretty much every surface). The technology works, but it’s not quite as good as what you’ll find in the competition (although considering how cluttered some infotainment systems are today, that might not be the worst thing ever).
The next update for the Stelvio is due in 2024, so this generation will be around for a few more years before Alfa starts releasing a range of electric cars.
However, if you’re not sure whether you should buy one now or wait until next year, we don’t think there will be any major changes, especially when it comes to performance. Although we think some of its competitors offer more in terms of luxury and practicality, the Stelvio is still a great choice for the customer who cares about driving dynamics and standing out from the crowd.
What’s new in Stelvio?
The Stelvio has an Estrema trim that borrows features from the top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio, like the adaptive suspension and limited-slip differential, without getting a more powerful engine or the much higher price tag that comes with it.
There will also be a limited-edition Lusso trim that builds on the Ti with “Crema” Cannelloni-style leather seats, leather dash and door trim, and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
How does the Stelvio’s inside look, and what kind of technology does it have?
The inside of the Stelvio doesn’t look or feel as high-end as the inside of an Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, or Volvo. From the boring design to the boring materials, it doesn’t seem like Stelvio’s interior will be a reason to buy it. Still, it’s less likely to turn you away now.
The switchgear doesn’t look or feel like a toy anymore, the leather is still of the highest quality, and the steering wheel is enough to make you forget about the cheap parts elsewhere. It fits your hands perfectly, the start button on it is cool, and you have to give Alfa credit for putting in big metal paddle shifters that look like Ferrari’s.
Before the 2020 update, the infotainment system was also a deal-breaker. Now, it’s not. Its standard widescreen may be a little low and doesn’t have as many options as Porsche’s similarly configurable system, but we like that Alfa offers both a touchscreen and a rotary control knob as ways to control the system. There’s nothing like BMW’s Gesture Control or natural speech recognition, but even if those work, which isn’t given, they might as well just be tricks. Along with satellite radio, the car comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto built-in.
What is Stelvio’s size?
Outside, the Stelvio is about the same size as the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Porsche Macan, and Mercedes-Benz GLC, which are its main competitors from Germany. The same can be said about the inside, except for the legroom in the back and the amount of cargo space.
Alfa says that the Stelvio has 31.9 inches of legroom in the back, which is 5 to 6 inches less than its competitors. It’s not exactly a limo back there, but it’s not all that different from the other cars in real life, and we think this could be because of different ways of measuring.
The same could be said about the cargo space, which, as we found in our luggage test of the Stelvio, can hold a lot more luggage than its small official measurement suggests (so much more, in fact, that the number isn’t even worth mentioning). We found that it could fit five different-sized suitcases, which is pretty good for an SUV this size. The maximum amount of cargo space of 56.5 cubic feet seems reasonable. It’s not as much as a BMW X3 or Volvo XC60, but it’s the same as a GLC and more than a Q5 or Macan.
How fast does the Stelvio go and how much gas does it use?
The standard engine in the Stelvio is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, which is the same as almost all of its competitors. But it has 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque, which pretty much beats them all. As a result, it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, which is the same as the others. All but the base Sprint trim, which only has rear-wheel drive, come with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive as standard (AWD is optional). With RWD, it gets 22 miles per gallon in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg overall. With AWD, it gets 22/28/24 mpg. This is about the same as most of the competition.
A 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine from a modular Ferrari engine family powers the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio in 2023. This engine makes 505 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. It comes with an automatic transmission with eight speeds and all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard.
It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds,
which is crazy for an SUV or anything else. It has far more power and is much quicker than, say, a Porsche Macan Turbo, which is more expensive. The fuel economy of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is 17/23/19 mpg, which isn’t too bad given how fast it is.
What’s it like to drive a Stelvio?
When you get behind the wheel of the Stelvio, it will feel a little different than its competitors. This is because the steering is shockingly quick, yet precise and easy to control at low parking lot speeds. Aside from that, the standard Stelvio is impressive because it has a lot of power, a comfortable ride, and a better-than-average grip on the road. But it’s not as lively or interesting as you might think. It feels more like a regular luxury SUV than its brother or sister, the Alfa Romeo Giulia, which stands out more than its own sports sedan competition. A sharper response, maybe a little closer to the Quadrifoglio’s, or a more interesting engine/exhaust note might do the trick.
The Quadrifoglio, which is as hot and wild as you might have heard, has plenty of spice, though. All of its other controls need a deliberate and precise touch, just like the steering. The pedals are as close together as they would be in a sports car, and the brakes bite right away. The throttle won’t respond to jerky movements (driving in work boots is not recommended). The Quadrifoglio also acts like a sports car at low speeds, slowing down more when you take your foot off the fuel than you’re probably used to in a regular automatic transmission car. So, it can be a little rude in traffic, like a caffeinated puppy trying desperately to get out of the house and run around.
The way the car stays on the road is great, and whoever thought of putting a Soft Suspension button on the “dynamic” mode of the car was a genius (a feature also available on Sports trims). It lets you quickly soften the springs if you’re driving on a road with a lot of bumps, which can be hard on the car’s frame or your back. Even though this SUV is made for speed, the ride is pretty good.
How much does the 2023 Stelvio cost?
The base Stelvio, which is the Sprint trim with RWD, starts at $48,170, which includes the cost of delivery. AWD costs an extra $2,000. All other levels come standard with all-wheel drive. From the basic Sprint to the high-end Estrema, which has more luxury features and better ride and handling, the 2.0-litre engine is used. The top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio has a 2.9-litre engine, several performance upgrades, and an interior made of carbon fibre. However, even at this level, advanced driver assistance features and a dual-pane sunroof is still extras. We think the Stelvio Ti is a good balance of style, convenience, and value, but the addition of the Estrema with its adaptive suspension and rear limited slip differential makes it a good choice for a driver’s companion without going all the way up to the Quadrifoglio.
The price of the 2023 Stelvio is broken down by trim, with destination fees of $1,595 added on.
- Sprint RWD: $48,170
- Sprint AWD: $50,170
- Ti: $53,780
- Veloce: $55,580
- Estrema: $61,420
- Quadrifoglio: $89,770
How safe is the Stelvio, and what features help the driver?
Standard driver assistance features include stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, and parking sensors in the front and back. Also available are lane-keeping assistance, recognition of traffic signs, active blind-spot assistance, and detection of driver inattention.
A third-party crash test has not yet been done on the Stelvio.
