GRR Garage: Four things we love about the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio

The looks

Sure it’s big and it isn’t getting any smaller visually no matter which angle you approach it from, we think it looks pretty darn good. Grafting the face of a brand from its smaller vehicles onto the larger SUVs isn’t always the easiest of things to do and vice versa (just ask Subaru about switching from Impreza to Tribeca) but with the Stelvio I think Alfa Romeo have done a good job.

The new dimensions actually give that classic Alfa grille more space to relax and the aggressive flared intakes around it have helped create an aggressive approach to the car. At the back it doesn’t feel too dumpy, something Alfa could easily have ended up doing. The quad exhausts look great and are set nicely into the lower bumper, and the light clusters are pleasing. Sure, from the side it’s a big old SUV, but there’s no getting away from that. It might not be saying much, but we think the Stelvio might be the best looking SUV around, especially in Quadrifoglio form.

The engine

As I mentioned a few weeks ago (before Seán went off on his carbon-fibre seats madness) the engine is three-quarters of a Ferrari V8 and that is wonderful. Power is fantastic, getting the big SUV to 60mph in around four seconds, but it’s the noise I want to mention today. It sounds absolutely fantastic when on song. That’s a partly manufactured noise, but what isn’t these days? And when it starts that process it sounds ruddy marvellous! If it didn’t involve everything being a bit too firm for day-to-day life we’d probably leave it in race continuously.

The handling

A massive go kart. That’s what the Stelvio is. Something about this car’s chassis dynamics and ride control make it feel so much smaller at speed. The confidence of a rear-driven system that you’re not going to immediately understeer when you turn in, is backed up more by the fronts chiming in when needed, just hauling the car around that bit more should it start to slide. In our case we’ve found that helping hand come in when driving in the wet. You can bring the back around when it’s raining with a cheeky shove to the throttle (we’re not talking drift heroics here but good lively fun), but the moment it might get out of hand the fronts will drag everything back into line. Sometimes you wish you could turn that off, but most of the time it’s just sends your confidence at the wheel sky high.

The paddles

The gearbox itself is fine, the paddles that control it are lovely. Machined from aluminium and at least half a foot in length, they’re fantastic to use. The throw is nice and short, although the click you go through to activate the ‘box is a little obvious to both hear and feel. However it doesn’t spoil it. The fact that the dash tells you that the experience is better in manual if you stick the car in race mode, just makes it the little bit better. A little show that this car was made for you to enjoy, rather than just as a tool.

Photography by Pete Summers and Joe Harding.