Just as many were asking for an exotic and unique flair to the crossover class, Il solo e unico, the Godfather himself has granted their wish for Italian flair in the form of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio – “on this the day of his daughter’s wedding.” With a combination of slick styling and a formidable chassis, the Stelvio is all about producing comfortable drivability; every trip to the market will feel like an adventure through the foothills of Tuscany. Prego! I can smell it now, a hint of olive oil, some fresh baked pizza, a little parmigiana. Dannazione I am stopping for something to eat. Enzo park the car and wait for me here.
Named after one of the most infamous scenic roadway’s in the world (Italy’s Stelvio Pass), the Alfa Romeo Stelvio has both impressive standard features and exotic styling, which is sure to fulfill the appetites of these crossover starved North Americans. Built extensively with aluminum framing for weight and control, the Stelvio handles incredibly and vigorously. Assisting with the handling is the addition of the electric power steering. This is exceedingly helpful when parking or turning, allowing for minimal effort to be applied to the steering wheel.
The exterior is unique and unlike most other vehicles around. I have had conflicted opinions throughout my personal test drive and from others continuously offering to share their thoughts. I have had some that say it looks like a Mitsubishi rip-off; which I took as a negative comment to its credit. While others having said it looked original, foreign, and a was nice change from the similar looks to all the regular SUV’s you see everywhere. This is like being the new kid at school; some people aren’t going to trust an outsider, and can take some time to warm up. While others are going to be immediately intrigued by the novelty. I concluded that I do like the downward aggressive Bi-Xenon headlamps and uniquely shaped front grille. However I find the rear to be somewhat plain and boring, and the rear window from a functionality standpoint can be slightly difficult to see out of.
The interior is pretty standard and lacks pizzazz. For a country that produced Giorgio Armani, and Guccio Gucci, the mark was missed on some fashionable design to this interior. The seating was noticeably uncomfortable, and clearly didn’t take the average sized American into account. The side bolsters of the seat were so tight that a man built like Tony Soprano physically couldn’t fit, and he would have had to find the shmuck that designed it. The Stelvio has pride itself on being more spacious then other crossovers. With a 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat configuration, the space opens to an impressive stretch of trunk capacity.
The impressive powerhouse is a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine that produces 280 horse power, 306 lb-ft of torque and a top speed of 232 km/h when mated with the 8 speed automatic transmission. Fantastico! Starting at $43,240 for a base model, the Stelvio is on the expensive side amongst it’s direct competitors. While that comes with some premium standard features like a leather interior, automatic power hatch, and Apple CarPlay to name a few; The Ti trim performance package includes paddle shifters, limited-slip differential, and sport-tuned adaptive suspension to enhance your driving experience.
