By Jeff Glucker
This era of insane crossovers and SUVs is in full swing. While the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk might definite it, it’s the Alfa Romeo Stelvio that serves as a fantastic ambassador to this world. Specifically, of course, the Quadrifoglio version.
Lift the hood. Staring back at you is a Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. It’s good for 505 horsepower. Working together with its eight-speed gearbox, forward motivation is of the face-melting variety. This is a machine that has no business being this quick and fast, but business here is good. And the Alfa Romeo is good at it.
Molto ..er, expensive-o!
Cheap? No, of course not. The starting price is about $83,000. That’s a few thousand bucks below the 707-horsepower Insane-O Jeep. But this Alfa Romeo might be the better machine, if you desire a life spent slicing up backroads or apexing corners on a race track. Turn in is well tuned and the steering is responsive. Breathe on the brakes and you’re stopping. Switch the drive mode dial to RACE, the suspension to Mid, and then start tugging on the paddles.
Inside, this Alfa speaks fluent Italian. You’ll find red leather and carbon fiber everywhere. Sure, it’s tight inside but there is enough room for little adults and toddlers. I fit a car seat back there, in fact. Up front, the buckets are heavily bolstered and you’ll come to appreciate that after duking it out with your favorite section of right-left-right-left.
Crazy crossovers are still oddball machines. Yes, a real car or wagon is better suited to going fast. But that doesn’t make the Alfa Romeo Stelvio QF any less potent. The dash from 0-60 miles per hour happens well under the four second mark. Felony speeds exist with just a short bit of time on that throttle pedal, and the exhaust note barks defiantly for the entire journey.
Is it perfect? Of course not, it’s an Alfa! Is it awesome? You bet your ass it is.
Call me a heretic, but stick a Lancia Badge on it and call it a Delta Integrale and it wouldn’t be the worst thing that’s happened that other once-proud Italian brand in recent years…
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FCA is more likely to bring back the Nitro as a Lancia.
If that makes you a heretic, save me the stake next to yours.
Still seriously considering a used 4 cylinder one of these in the next few years. I would want the biggest extended warranty that I could find. Just hoping that depreciation gets them down to my price range.
That sound is intoxicating. The interior, fabulous. The silhouette looks BMW-ish, which is ok. I strongly dislike the rear, which looks saggy and sad, and I still haven’t warmed up to the pinched face of the new Alfas (that grille pairs much better with the round headlights of old).
Regardless, if I had the money, I think I’d own one. I would never tire of that exhaust.
Just treat it like a funny shaped wagon.
Have to respect what Alfa has done with the Giulia and this. More alternatives to the German three are welcome.
True, although I still don’t understand their US strategy of starving existing Chrysler & Dodge dealers of new models while spending money establishing new Alfa dealers (and trying to keep failing Fiat dealers afloat).
Chrysler is down to 300 and Pacifica, Dodge is selling mostly ancient platforms (Durango, Journey, Challenger, Charger, Grand Caravan), Fiat sells only 500, 500L and 500X and of course 124, while Alfa only has 4C, Stelvio and Giulia. And then we have Jeep and Ram as separate brands (probably the only profiatble ones).
So many brands, so few models per brand! It’s like British Leyland or GM at their worst… Hard to see their thinking since many of the dealers don’t sell all the brands. How much chance does a newly started Alfa/Fiat dealer have without any volume models?
The Juke Nismo with Skyline GT-R running gear is still the ultimate crazy crossover.