The variety of Stelvios we’ve seen on the native roads seems to be growing, which makes us completely satisfied because it means extra persons are discovering the Alfa Romeo mystique, nevertheless it’s been awhile since we’ve pushed one. We felt it was time to spend some extra time behind the wheel and Alfa occurred to have a Stelvio Lusso readily available and was feeling indulgent on the day we requested. It arrived wearing Alfa Rosso paint, wanting as Italian as doable.

The Stelvio hasn’t misplaced it’s beauty. It’s nonetheless the identical beautiful five-door SUV that first graced our shores a couple of years in the past. From the V-shaped grille, by way of the muscular fenders to the tiny Alfa Romeo badge on the again hatch, it stands out as one thing particular in an overcrowded market of limitless SUV’s. Inside, the Lusso is wrapped in wealthy cream-colored leather-based and stuffed with a combination of particular design touches and digital luxuries to boost the driving force’s expertise. The seats are agency and comfy, well-bolstered to maintain you in place however not so bolstered that they’re troublesome to recover from. Each the entrance and rear seats are heated, as is the steering wheel, however not ventilated like one would possibly anticipate in a luxurious mannequin.

Below the hood lies Alfa Romeo’s candy little 2.0L turbocharged and direct injected four-cylinder engine. It makes 280 hp and 306 lb-fts of torque. Whereas the specs don’t appear particularly overwhelming, the engine is a tiny powerhouse that strikes the Stelvio a lot faster than you’d anticipate. Whereas it has respectable low-end grunt, the mid-range and upper-range torque actually make the Stelvio really feel particular. The turbo helps the engine pull laborious by way of the rev-range making passing maneuvers fast and worry-free. The facility is transmitted by way of an 8-speed computerized transmission that makes clear, clean shifts. Whereas the Lusso lacked the attractive aluminum paddle shifters most Stelvios we’ve pushed have, we had been ready to make use of the shifter lever to manually upshift and downshift by way of the gears.

For all of the pace the small engine creates, the Stelvio is blessed with massive brake rotors and crimson Brembo calipers that do a unbelievable job of slowing and stopping it time after time after time.

The suspension is nice. It’s agency and sporting however does an excellent job of mitigating potholes and freeway enlargement joints. The steering is extremely sharp nevertheless it tracks straight as an arrow down the street.

If pushed conservatively, the Stelvio returns excellent mileage. It’s rated at 28mpg on the freeway and 22 mpg in metropolis driving. Our mileage wasn’t fairly that good however then we prefer to dip into the throttle a bit when driving them. You doubtless will too.

The Stelvio begins at $51,525. Our Lusso stickered at $59,868. It appears a little bit on the excessive aspect however you’d be laborious pressed to seek out as keen an SUV because the Stelvio. In a world of lifeless SUV’s, the Stelvio stands out as one of many extra sporting and pleasurable SUV’s to drive.