2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio review

WHAT IS IT?

Alfa Romeo’s first SUV – a critical addition to the Italian carmaker’s stable given the ever-increasing market share of high-riding luxury cars.

Based on the Giorgio architecture that underpins the Giulia mid-sized sedan, the Stelvio is lining up for a Q1 2018 arrival into the Australian market, with three variants – base, Veloce and, later on, performance-oriented Quadrifoglio.

Because it has to be good. Jacking up an existing sedan and adding a tailgate isn’t enough to guarantee success and, as Alfa is already well over a decade late to the premium SUV party its first effort at one needs to be outstanding to make up for lost time.

ALFA ROMEO STELVIO MAIN RIVALS

According to Alfa Romeo, the Stelvio bridges the gap between conventional mid-size SUV wagons and their ‘coupe-style’ derivatives, meaning it lines up against not only the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC, but the BMW X4 and GLC Coupe as well. Audi’s Q5, Jaguar’s F-Pace and the Range Rover Sport are also key rivals, and are formidable foes for Alfa’s first-ever SUV.

THE WHEELS VERDICT

PLUS: Gorgeous styling; sharp steering, great engine/gearbox combo MINUS: Brake feel; road noise; body control on rough roads; firm ride on smooth roads

DESPITE demonstrating it was capable of progressive thinking back in 2003 when it unveiled the Kamal SUV concept, Alfa spent the next 13 years sitting on its hands. But now the iconic Italian brand’s first SUV, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, is finally almost with us, with an Australian launch set for late Q1 next year. Expectations are understandably high.

And so they should be. The arrival of the Cayenne revitalised a struggling Porsche in the early 2000s, while Jaguar – another marque renowned for swift passenger cars with no prior SUV history – has been kicking goals with the F-Pace crossover that landed in Australia last year and quickly became its top-seller. Alfa Romeo is clearly hoping the Stelvio will be the catalyst that allows it to claw back market share, and replicate the success enjoyed by European rivals.

And of the mid-size SUV crowd it certainly feels like it has an athletic edge. Weighing just 1660kg in its heaviest configuration and boasting a 50:50 weight distribution, the Stelvio feels light on its feet – a lightness that’s promoted by its fast-reacting 12:1 steering rack ratio, agile front end and good suppression of bodyroll.

At eight-tenths driving the Stelvio is superb. The steering is not only quick at just 2.1 turns lock-to-lock, it’s connected to front tyres that bite the surface and refuse to relinquish their grip until speeds get properly inappropriate.

Pedal feel from the brake-by-wire setup is also at odds with the taut chassis and alert steering, with initial dead travel followed by an abrupt engagement that’s difficult to modulate.

With an incredibly strong midrange and a tacho needle that happily rotates right to 6500rpm, this four-pot has the muscular feel of a larger V6 – especially when the drive mode selector is twisted to ‘D’ for ‘Dynamic’. It sounds pretty rorty in the upper reaches of its rev range, too.

Regardless of which powertrain you choose, all Australian Stelvios will run a superb eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, and the traction provided on soggy Irish roads at its launch was difficult to breach. In Dynamic mode, manual upshifts are executed with a racey ignition cut that imparts an even sharper feel to what is already a very crisp-feeling transmission.

Then again, those lovely metal shift paddles are a tactile delight and encourage the use of the eight-speeder’s manual mode, while rear-seat headroom is generous given the Stelvio’s D-pillarless glasshouse.

And stand out it must.

2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Specs

Model: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 206kW Engine: 1995cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power: 206kW @ 5250rpm Max torque: 400Nm @ 2250rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Kerb weight: 1660kg Fuel economy: 7.0L/100km (claimed) 0-100km/h: 5.7 seconds (claimed) Price: $77,000 (estimated) On sale: Q1 2018