Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio review

Driving position 

We all have a threadbare dressing gown or an old, holed pair of jeans that are so comfortable that we just can’t let them go. Well, sitting in the Stelvio Quadrifoglio for the first time is just like that feeling, only different because it’s new and not covered in unidentifiable stains.  

There’s plenty of adjustment in the seat and the steering wheel, the latter wrapped in a blend of grippy Alcantara and plush leather for a premium feel with a sporty edge.  

It’s by far the best steering wheel we’ve ever held and can be likened to that of a Porsche GT product or Lotus Emira – it’s that good. And it’s covered in physical buttons, including a very inviting red starter button, which unlocks an unholy sound we’ll get onto later. 

Even over hundreds of miles in the Alfa, we didn’t experience any back pains and aches as you may otherwise have in a more budget seating position. 

No expenses were spared to make this one of the best SUVs to sit in, and we believe that’s down to its equally excellent Giulia Quadrifoglio relative and Alfa’s incredible racing heritage – it’s a brand that truly knows what its customers want. 

Tech and features 

Technology is perhaps an area Alfa Romeo didn’t spend so much time on. The engineers were clearly more interested in making a car that looked like it was sculpted by Greek gods than the software for your screens.  

Its infotainment system is outdated to say the least. It’s surprising for a brand linked with the behemoth that is Stellantis, which owns companies such as Peugeot and Vauxhall who make great infotainment systems today. 

The central screen is 8.8 inches and works via touch or a central dial. It’s not the smoothest but it’s functional and does get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – wired-only though. 

The system itself is easy enough to use, and it has endless performance pages which show your fastest 0-62mph times, which wheels are providing power at any given moment and a boost gauge.  

Because what kind of childish car enthusiast doesn’t want to see power and torque figures while driving? We’ll wait to find one. 

You do of course get a lot of other creature comforts you’d expect to find in a modern car, such as heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a big sunroof, a wireless phone charger, plus USB-C ports and USB-A ports. 

But perhaps slightly more ‘old-school’ are its physical climate controls. It sounds like a small thing but it’s really refreshing instead of the usual touchscreen nonsense so many new cars have today. 

Engines and power 

The reason anyone is buying a Quadrifoglio Alfa is for its glorious engine, and when you experience it in the Stelvio, the car just starts to make sense. 

Grumbling away under the bonnet is a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine that produces 520hp (10hp over the pre-facelift) and 600Nm of torque. 

This propels the sporty Stelvio from 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 176mph, which is just bonkers in a family SUV.  

Helping to put this power down is an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It sends the power to the rear wheels most of the time, but a clever all-wheel drive system kicks in when it senses you losing grip at the front. 

Four drive modes make up Alfa’s ‘DNA’ system. ‘D’ for Dynamic, ‘N’ for Natural and ‘A’ for Advanced.  

But what about that fourth one? That would be Race mode, which, for lack of a better word, turns this family car into a track monster. 

It opens up the exhaust valves (which is also done in Dynamic), sharpens up the throttle, increases torque to the full 600Nm, activates overboost and lets you control the firmness of the dampers.  

Race mode gives you ‘tunnel vision’ when you floor it, so it’s best reserved for track use.  

You’ll want to keep it in Advanced or Natural most of the time – keeping the exhaust valves shut (to save your neighbour’s ears) and calming the rest of the car down. 

Handling and ride comfort 

For a 1,905kg SUV, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio corners like the smaller, saloon-shaped Giulia with sharp and direct steering, offering precise turn-in and a lively corner exit. 

With its standard suspension mode on, it’s quite a firm ride but still has plenty of travel, so if you go over bumps and undulations in the road, it handles them well. 

‘Soft suspension’ mode does what it says on the tin and softens the ride and makes it a little more floaty, but it doesn’t feel like it’ll roll over around the bends. 

We took the Stelvio up to the Yorkshire Dales to test its corner capabilities, and even on narrow roads, it’s almost as if the car’s size shrinks, and you feel like you’re zipping about in a hatchback. 

Out on the motorway, it feels composed, has minimal wind and road noise, and is a competent mile-muncher. It does slurp fuel like it's drinking a slushy at the cinema. 

Boot space 

For an SUV of its size, boot space isn’t terrible at 525 litres but lags behind rivals such as the BMW X3M’s 550 litres and Jaguar F-PACE SVR’s 613 litres. 

Fold down the rear seats using the levers in the boot and or on the lower part of the seats, and you get 1,600 litres and more space for longer items. 

Rear seats 

If the Stelvio were a saloon, we’d say it’s got decent rear-seat space, but because it’s a fully fledged SUV, the same cannot be said. 

For taller passengers, legroom and headroom aren’t so good, meaning longer journeys are far less comfortable. But if you’re below six foot, you should have an easier time. 

There’s a USB-A and a USB-C in the back too so they can keep their devices charged on the go. 

Storage solutions 

For an SUV, it doesn’t have the most storage options, but they’re not bad. Between the driver and front passenger is a central armrest, which has storage space for your wallet and keys. 

There’s also a nifty place to pop the car key to the left of the gear selector – stopping it from rattling around the cabin. 

In front of that is a set of cupholders, and the door bins have enough space for two standard-sized bottles each. 

The story is similar in the back with decent door bins and a pouch in the back of the front seats for books and magazines, or more likely, iPads and charging cables. 

Safety 

Like the standard Stelvio, the Quadrifoglio is packed full of safety features like front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning and lane-keep assist. 

When it was last independently tested by Euro NCAP in 2017, the Stelvio scored a full five stars. However, the test has become stricter since then, so this score is now outdated. 

Fuel economy 

Yeah... fuel economy is about as good in the Stelvio Quadrifoglio as a chocolate teapot. 

While you’re not buying a high-performance car like this for efficiency, it’s still worth preparing yourself for how much time and money you’ll have to spend at the petrol station. An important factor to consider because you’re going to be living with it for many miles and many years. 

Official Alfa Romeo figures claim 23.9mpg, and in our testing we averaged 20.1mpg over 740 miles with a mixture of long motorway slogs, faster B-roads and town driving. 

This means it’s going to be very thirsty and might leave you eating cold baked beans until payday, but at least you’ll have a twin-turbocharged V6 sitting on the drive. 

It's also worth touching on road tax, which is very high for the Stelvio. It sits in the highest tax bracket (producing 267g/km of CO2), and it costs an eye-watering £87,195 (£94,745 for our test car with a few options ticked), so you’ll need to pay the extra luxury car tax as well. 

All that’s to say you also need to be in the highest tax bracket to afford a Stelvio Quadrifoglio. 

Reliability 

Alfa Romeo doesn’t have the best history with regards to reliability; in fact, for years, it was infamous for a lack of it. But things are much better now, and part of that is thanks to Stellantis swooping in to take the Italian brand under its wing. 

We didn’t have any reliability issues during our time with the car. It’s hard to say what long-term use would be like, but we’d imagine it’s solid provided the car is well-maintained and cared for – like with any other car. 

Every new Alfa Romeo comes with an industry-standard three-year/unlimited mileage warranty. And if you’re buying a used one on cinch, you can add an extended warranty for extra protection.