Item: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2017-2023
Rating: 3.5

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Launched in 2017, the Stelvio was a radical departure for Alfa Romeo, although the firm waited longer than many rivals before launching an SUV. But as then CEO Reid Bigland said at the unveiling: "The Stelvio is an Alfa Romeo first and an SUV second."

True to his word, Alfa gave us a head-turning high-rider that was as desirable as its talented German contemporaries and delivered no small dynamic edge.

Today, just £10,000 will get you into an early high-miler, but playing it safer at £15,000 will net a cleaner example with a more reasonable mileage. The Stelvio was on sale between 2017 and 2025 and was only minimally updated during its eight-year history, so if you choose an older one, it won't look outdated.

Several trims were available at launch: Stelvio, Super, Speciale and Milano Edizione. Stelvio and Super have a 6.5in infotainment screen, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a powered tailgate, but we would aim for mid-rung Speciale. It gets 19in wheels, bi-xenon headlights and aluminium interior brightwork, and it was popular so you will have no issue finding a well-maintained example.

In any trim the Stelvio will appeal to those who want a family car that doubles as a thrill-seeker. Using the Giulia's lightweight aluminium platform, the Stelvio weighs just 1659kg, so it's far leaner than rivals like the Jaguar F-Pace and Porsche Macan, and on a twisty road it lives up to its alpine namesake. Its rear-biased four-wheel drive set-up brings balance and poise in corners, and the quick steering carried over from the Giulia means it's almost as good to drive as its saloon sibling. That handling prowess comes at the cost of ride comfort, however, with the Stelvio's firm set-up becoming detrimental over rougher surfaces, albeit not unbearably so.

Move inside and some chinks in the Stelvio's armour appear. Overall it's nicely appointed and a pleasant thing in which to cover miles, but it lacks the material richness and refinement of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. The sloping roofline reduces headroom in the rear, too, so there's less space for adults in the back.

That being said, the Stelvio is still a practical cruiser, and with 525 litres of boot space you will have no trouble loading it up with luggage, bikes or the family dog.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Used Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2017-2025 review

Spry-handling SUV is likeable, if short of the class’s usual refinements

Good

Engaging handling

Punchy diesel engines

Charismatic styling

Bad

Quality of materials

Shortfall of refinement on UK roads

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Looks unlike anything else in this class

Sporty details, but not overdone

Cons

Big wheels look good but spoil the ride

The pictures might not convey this but, dimensionally, the Stelvio is more super-sized hatchback than traditional SUV. It’s marginally taller than a Macan and quite a bit shorter than a BMW X5, which illustrates that Alfa is attempting to purvey athleticism over any utilitarian ideals.

The front end is all but a straight transplant from the Giulia saloon – a little chubbier, certainly, and less handsome for it – and it is linked to the steeply raked rear by a relatively high belt line. There’s the hint of a shooting brake here and that’s no bad thing.

Underneath its unusually rigid body, the Stelvio is built on the same modular Giorgio platform as the Giulia and, scanning the spec sheet of our four-wheel-drive diesel test car, one figure in particular demands a second glance: a kerb weight of 1659kg. That’s remarkably light, and hints at the use of aluminium for the suspension and much of the body.

The Stelvio also employs a carbonfibre driveshaft, with the decision to use a brake-by-wire system chasing yet more weight out. Filling out the Stelvio range beneath the flagship, vent-laden Quadrifoglio model – whose Ferrari-derived 503bhp twin-turbo V6 once propelled it to a new Nürburgring lap record for an SUV – is a choice of either a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a 2.2-litre diesel.

Each is available in two states of tune, so you can have your non-QV Stelvio with as little as 177bhp or as much as 276bhp, with Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel-drive system mandatory across the range except in the base diesel model, which gets the option of a solely rear-driven chassis.

As with the Giulia, power is sent through an eight-speed automatic gearbox developed by German firm ZF and used widely among luxury car makers.

The suspension, meanwhile, features a passive set-up, with Alfa’s ‘DNA’ mode selector altering only the response of the gearbox, engine map, stability control (which cannot be entirely deactivated) and Q4 driveline. There’s also an absence of control gear alluding to any variable-terrain programmes, this car being pitched as a road-going SUV.

INTERIOR

Pros

Nice balance of buttons and screens

Quality improved over the years

Cons

Build quality never matched that of an Audi

The Stelvio adopts the tone set by the Giulia, which means its interior is stylish enough to impress at a glance but a disappointment in terms of materials quality and, in some instances, fit.

The hard plastic of the door cards and some play in the switchgear are particularly conspicuous, and although there’s plenty of space in the front, the ambience is a bit rudimentary for a car purporting to be a ‘ luxury’ offering.

It is refreshingly uncluttered, though, with a transmission tunnel that’s home to just three dials (DNA mode selector, infotainment volume and BMW-iDrive-style rotary controller) and two buttons, along with the gear selector.

You also get a thin-rimmed steering wheel with enormous, Ferrari-style paddle shifters mounted on the column and a lovely starter button that sits within the spokes.

It affords a good view of the tachometer and speedometer, which are separated by a 3.5in digital readout.

Continuing the driver-centric theme are seats that are decently bolstered, low-set (a feeling augmented by the Stelvio’s high belt line) and comfortable.

Good seat adjustability means drivers of nearly all shapes and sizes should manage to find a position that affords a good view of the road ahead, although the range of telescopic steering column adjustment should be greater.

However, close your eyes and you’d swear you were sitting in a moderately focused performance saloon, which is a neat trick by Alfa.

You pay the price for the Stelvio’s undeniably elegant, sweeping roof line, though. The rear seats will feel a little cramped for taller passengers, despite positioning occupants strangely low, something that in turn limits forward visibility.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

All engines feel powerful enough

Cons

No lower-powered V6

You can choose between a 197bhp or 276bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, or a 2.2-litre turbo diesel with either 188bhp or 207bhp. The petrols are smooth and generally refined, but the more potent 276bhp lump encourages you to drive the Stelvio with a verve and enthusiasm that's uncommon in this segment.

The lesser-spotted diesels are responsive and torquey, the 207bhp, 354lb ft option particularly so. It sings a more clattery tune, but it's refined at a cruise and will do close to 50mpg. Some might say choosing a diesel Alfa is like ordering a ham and pineapple pizza in a family-run Italian restaurant: borderline sacrilegious. But if you're regularly carrying the family or towing, it's actually a sensible all-rounder.

The polar opposite of an allrounder is the fire-breathing Stelvio Quadrifoglio, with its twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 making 503bhp and 443lb ft for 0-62mph in 4.0sec. It has a fairly firm ride and a shortfall of SUV versatility, and you will do well to get 25mpg out of it. They are scandalously cheap to buy now, though, with prices starting from £30,000 for earlier cars. But cast a careful eye over the service history. From 2023 the Stelvio was boosted to 518bhp, although it's difficult to feel the difference.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Probably the best-to-drive in the class

Cons

Suspension never settles, especially on larger wheels

Refinement suffers without sticking to smaller wheels

‘Worthy of a real sports car.’ That’s how Alfa describes the Stelvio’s handling characteristics and, in this case, it’s a statement largely devoid of Turinese hyperbole.

The Stelvio’s particular variety of tightly controlled pliancy comes as a very welcome surprise in this segment and is made all the more enjoyable by a fundamentally rear-driven chassis that seems to find natural balance through corners both daringly quick and nonchalantly steady alike.

Given that the hardware beneath the curvaceous body is largely carried over from the Giulia saloon – as is that car’s quick steering rack – perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised by this, but the manner in which this car permits just enough body roll to communicate its grip level clearly and then quells it before it becomes superfluous or starts to affect balance of grip is impressive. The car’s handling poise and response are near the top of the class.

It all means that although the hip point in the Stelvio is 190mm higher than in the Giulia, it feels much less than that, and you can find yourself subconsciously committing to corners with a zest that you would normally only attempt in a car with a far lower centre of gravity.

There’s some compromise for that handling prowess. Brought about in part by stiffer-than-average suspension springs and anti-roll bars, the chassis lacks the ability to glide fluently over rougher road surfaces in the manner of, say, an Audi Q5. At a cruise, it also has a tendency to fidget – not to an unbearably noticeable extent, but this characteristic is certainly ever present.

Conversely, the Stelvio also seems to lose a degree of its composure when the road asks stern successive questions of the damping. It’s not hard to imagine that its refinement issues would be remedied to some extent by the fitment of 18in wheels – our test car sported 20in items, as per Milano Edizione spec – and its versatility would be improved by the use of adaptive dampers. However, the lightness and shortage of feel in the steering is probably less easy to cure.

Ultimately, versatility is where this car’s ride and handling falters. On reasonably smooth roads, it’s close to unbeatable for driver satisfaction. Buyers in this segment will want a broader repertoire, though, and on B-roads and motorways, Alfa has scope to improve this car’s appeal.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

Diesel is economical despite the performance

Cons

Quadrifoglio as thirsty as a V8

You’ll pay a small premium for the more powerful of the two diesels, and given that they both return the same claimed fuel economy, that’s not a particularly difficult decision to make. A diesel would be our choice thanks to their blend of economy in the real world (up to 50mpg) and their impressive performance.

The 2.0-litre petrols are much thirstier (roughly 30mpg) and won't reward with significantly more performance (in fact, the 197bhp model feels a little lacklustre next to the diesels). However, if you undergo lots of short journeys you will avoid DPF issues that the diesels can suffer from.

All Stelvios over five years old will be £195 a year in road tax. Servicing shouldn't be any more than German rivals, especially if you go to an Alfa/Italian car specialist who will offer reasonable prices and peace of mind.

The Stelvio suffered the effects of depreciation more acutely than many rivals, but on the flip side, that makes a used example in a high specification a very tempting proposition.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Used Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2017-2025 review

Spry-handling SUV is likeable, if short of the class’s usual refinements

Good

Engaging handling

Punchy diesel engines

Charismatic styling

Bad

Quality of materials

Shortfall of refinement on UK roads

Alfa Romeo is not the first marque beloved by purists to fall for the financial temptations of the rampant SUV segment. BMW, Jaguar and Porsche were all quicker on the draw and have benefited significantly as a result.

However, we’d suggest that none of those companies has been as successful as Alfa Romeo in translating its brand values to an elevated platform – and certainly not at the first attempt. The Stelvio is unusually attractive among its vanilla peers and unusually rewarding to drive.

Its interior quality needs work but its powertrain is compelling and it undercuts premium rivals on price too. It will find numerous buyers, and rightly so, but in the future, the question is likely to be whether it could have found many more.

Alfa Romeo has achieved a rare dynamic feat in tuning the way its first SUV handles, but this has come at the cost of ride refinement, which is a price that many potential customers may be unwilling to pay. Subsequent iterations will need to address this before the Stelvio challenges for class honours.

Sam Phillips

Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website.

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport.

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.