The double-cowled instrument binnacle, smallish steering wheel and intuitively placed transmission controls characterise a driving environment of a certain likeable simplicity, and where there is little to distract you from what you are primarily there to do.
Versatility is what should continue to sell the car to Alfa regulars. The three-seater rear bench needs a little less climbing up into than in some mid-sized SUVs, but once inside you will find adult-appropriate accommodation that bears comparison to cars like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5, and plenty more than any equivalent mid-sized saloon affords.
Rear boot space is up to a metre in length with the seats up and just over 500mm deep under the tonneau cover (figures to beat a like-for-like X3, according to our tape).
Up front, a new digital instrument pack is the biggest departure. At 12.3in in size, it is only about as large as rivals offer, and its display modes, though typically stylised as you would expect from Alfa, aren’t particularly innovative. More user configurability would have been welcome.
Little effort has been made to lift the Stelvio’s material quality, which remains underwhelming by premium segment standards. While more expensive versions of the car get a leather-upholstered fascia, they would need it to level with the likes of Audi and BMW for richness of feel. In our test car, although there were some more expensive-feeling highlights, coarser plastics and cheaper finishes weren’t hard to find around the steering column and door consoles, while the leathers of the car’s sports seats were a little hard and plain.
From a functional point of view, however, there’s much to like about the Stelvio’s controls and layout. The cabin is roomy, and from the lowish-couched driving position to the oversized aluminium shift paddles, easy-to-use physical temperature controls and clever angled wireless charging drawer for your smartphone, there’s plenty of good sense about it.
Multimedia system
The facelifted Stelvio comes with connected digital services, among which is a remote vehicle status app downloadable to your smartphone. The car’s TomTom navigation system can also now be sent destinations and pre-programmed journeys from your smartphone.
The infotainment system has a user-configurable home screen for easy top-level access to the menus you use most often. It is decently intuitive and responsive, getting more complex as you delve into the menus.
The screen itself remains a little dim on brighter days. The navigation system works well enough. It is easy to program and follow, with good, dependable live traffic information. There are, however, some slightly strange routing preferences and mapping that lacks the detail and easy configurability of other premium-brand factory systems.
