Stylish crossover with sporty character - Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2022

Alfa Romeo Stelvio has been restyled and is ready to fight for new owners again. The sports crossover is actively sold in the US, but it is also eagerly awaited in Russia…


Usually, when it comes to exclusive cars available only to a select group of drivers, the most important criterion that comes to mind is finance. At the same time, there is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, which breaks this practice of many manufacturers. The legendary Italian car factory does not yet offer cars for everyone due to a limited range.

Over the years, its lineup has been dominated by small hatchbacks and large (but just as fast) sedans. Thus, the dream of owning an Alfa Romeo could only be fulfilled by a driver who does not need a car for a family with a lot of luggage. But the Stelvio changed everything.

Newbie pretending to be experienced

Thanks to its size, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio attracts attention both in traffic and in a parking lot - it is quite easy to find in the maze of Volkswagen, Opel and Hyundai. It's just a big car. Its length is almost 4,7 m, width - 1,9 m, and height - more than 1,6 m. A set of 20-inch alloy wheels only strengthens the association with a powerful high-speed car. Before you see the inside of the Stelvio, it's worth appreciating its graceful lines.


But if you look at the Stelvio from a different point of view, you will see painfully familiar silhouettes. Porsche Macan, Audi Q5 or even Maserati Levante - what did these Italians mix in there? Rounded shapes and an interesting solution that imitates a never-born spoiler on a heavily tilted trunk lid reinforce the deja vu.


But the remarkable underlining of the silhouette in the form of a protruding rib, stretching along the windows in a swift line through the door handles, reminds us not of the premium class, but speaks of speed. Yes, and what to judge strictly - after all, we have a restyled version of the first Alfa Romeo SUV, released in 2017. Without changing traditions, the brand carried out the long-awaited update of the Stelvio model for the fifth anniversary.

A new look at ergonomics and safety

When you get behind the wheel of a Stelvio, you involuntarily realize that this is the first SUV of this brand, which is not inferior to German cars in absolutely anything. Before starting the car and driving, there is a desire to carefully look around and study the interior details. Everywhere we see finishing elements made of aluminum inserts, emphasizing Italian chic. The use of such an elegant interior detail perfectly resonates with the sporty character of the model - everything in the Stelvio has its place. The aforementioned wood (matte!) inlays can be found across the entire width of the dashboard, in the door trims and even in the center tunnel with the gear lever.

By the way, this is a fairly compact joystick that fits nicely in the hand. Nearby are three handles of different sizes, which are used to control the multimedia system and all car options (this, in turn, resembles the solution known from Audi models), as well as a very wide armrest that opens without a special button.


The steering wheel is straight, three-legged, not too big, neatly cut from the bottom in the so-called "D" shape. The set of buttons on it seems quite classic, but an interesting detail is the starter button located near the thumb of the driver's left hand (on the steering wheel). This solution is of course of interest, but rather oversized paddle shifters look much more dynamic.


With their help, the pilot (he made a reservation - of course the driver) can manually (!) Control the automatic transmission, so that the crossover can still show that driving dynamics. They make it a bit difficult to turn on the turn signals, but when the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is in racing mode - what kind of turns are we talking about?


At the first visual contact, the beautiful casing of the air intakes, as well as the somewhat confusing system menu in the on-board computer, can irritate. But the screen itself in the central part of the cabin does its job more than confidently.

It is worth noting that the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is all right with semiconductors. Intelligent systems fully comply with the concept of safety for a car with a sporty explosive character:

✅ Active Blind Spot Assist
✅ Driver Attention Warning
✅ Highway assistance system
✅ Intelligent acceleration system
✅ Lane keeping assistant
✅ Traffic jam assistant
✅ Traffic sign recognition system

Another advantage of the cabin is the extremely sporty seats of the first, and comfortable second rows.


Behind three adults are comfortably accommodated, and behind them - 525 liters of luggage space with the seats fully extended. A slight discomfort may be due to the high floor in the center - due to the drive to both axles.

What's so sporty in there?

The most revving engine available is a 2,9 petrol V6 with a capacity of 280 hp. With. with turbine. It may seem that this is enough "for the eyes" for a mass of 1600 kg, but the sporty performance in this car is not achieved at the expense of volume. The secret is in the torque - already at 2250 rpm you can remove 400 N * m. You can really feel it.



But what is most pleasing about this car is its adaptability to any needs of the owner. One and the same car, but in a different configuration, can be successfully used as a “school bus” that arrives at school every morning.


Or an executive car for business trips and what admirers with a large family crave - a spacious crossover for dynamic driving. The model is presented in 4 variations:

✅ SPRINT RWD - 2,0 l / 280 l. With. /306 N*m/automatic transmission 8HP50/46700 USD
✅ TI AWD - 2,0L / 280L. With. /306 N*m/automatic transmission 8HP50/52400 USD
✅ VELOCE AWD - 2,0 l / 280 l. With. /306 N*m/automatic transmission 8HP50/53900 USD
✅ QUADRIFOGLIO AWD - 2,9 l / 505 l. s./505 N*m/automatic transmission 8HP75/88500 USD

Prices are for the US market and include a maximum selection of optional equipment. Let's just say that the difference in cost in separate trim levels TI and QUADRIFOGLIO will be 2200 and 3800 USD, respectively.

And this is already taking into account the installation of additional options! And keep in mind that these are not floor mats or metallic color, as in domestic car dealerships, but quite options:

✅ High performance Brembo brakes (all round)
✅ Power tailgate
✅ Door glass with soundproof film
✅ Glossy roof rails
✅ Three-layer paintwork Ocra GT and others

Agree, the latter solution would definitely be in demand in Russia, but I’m afraid to even come close to guessing our dealer’s markup - 20% of the cost is the most conservative assumption.

The crossover proved to be quite roomy, ideal for leisure trips, and the 4X4 drive can surprise not only the owner in the field. As for meetings on the roads with lovers of Italian cars - Stelvio will not be left without attention, you are guaranteed that.

We must honestly admit that after getting used to, for example, a very short stroke of the gas pedal, the operation of an 8-speed automatic transmission or a number of unusual solutions in the cabin, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio will fully deserve your love and favor. However, you will have to pay for this, and a lot. But is it possible (even in our time) to measure belonging to the group of owners of Alfa Romeo in money?