IT’S been almost ten years to the day since I came within a whisker of buying an Alfa Romeo.
I was living at home at the time, paying my mother a paltry amount in board, and had my heart set on a 147 GTA - the Italian marque’s flagship 3.2-litre, V6-engined hatchback which sounded glorious and had the drop-dead gorgeous looks to match. I had listened to every short YouTube clip of what they sounded like and had done an extensive amount of research on the potential pitfalls of owning an Alfa V6, but I remember going to the ill-fated test drive full of enthusiasm for owning a mini slice of exotica.
‘My’ GTA was painted in a hue called Bianco Nuvola - a pearlescent white which shimmered in the sun - and although it was a pristine example, the test drive was the biggest disappointment of all my motoring experiences. There was no excusing how bad it was: aloof, slow-to-react steering, poor handling, pitiful brakes and despite having 250bhp it simply didn’t feel fast because of all the weight it carried. I left without it and bought a Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy instead - a car which ran rings around the heavy Alfa and something I kept for three happy years.
The 147 GTA summed up Alfa Romeo - a brand which promised so much, produced jaw-droopingly gorgeous cars but ones which were only bought by hapless romantics who’d seemingly forgive the brand for all of their misdemeanours.
Fast forward a decade and Alfas are a very different proposition. After a few years of forgettable Giuliettas and disappointing 4Cs its new saloon - the Giulia - is stealing sales from its established German rivals in all of its guises while the Stelvio, Alfa’s first crack at an SUV, appears to be an enticing proposition in a market saturated by mind-numbing Audi Q5s and hateful BMW X3s.
In Milano Edizione spec, which features a 276bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine, it arrives for battle with a serious amount to shout about with its ultra-modern interior, twin-clutch gearbox and headline-grabbing 5.7-second 0-62mph sprint.
Looks wise, it’s typically Alfa. There are swooping lines and the signature front end, while from behind there’s a pair of large exhaust pipes. It looks good, different and stylish. Open the door and you’re met with an interior that carries on the renaissance started by the Giulia; there’s the same steering wheel, switchgear and infotainment system. The leather-clad seats hug you and it’s hard not to be impressed by its quality.
It’s a big car, the Stelvio, and tips the scales at 1,660kg. However, that doesn’t translate into how it drives and body roll is kept in check, helped in part by its trick adaptive dampers. As with every new Alfa, the SUV uses the ‘DNA’ system which offers the driver three settings - Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency. The throttle response is rather keen in Dynamic - you ask for a small amount of power and it jumps ahead like an excitable puppy on its first walk. The less said about Advanced Efficiency the better, as it completely dumbs down all of the car’s responses like most economy-minded set-ups do, so leaving the DNA system alone is perhaps advisable.
In its default mode you get the best of both worlds; the throttle response is perfectly acceptable, the damping is a good balance for the UK’s mish-mash of road surfaces and the steering weight, although light, never causes alarm.
What’s particularly impressive about the Stelvio is its tendency to feel smaller than it is when you’re driving. That’s the biggest compliment anyone can pay a car of this type as they’re often undone by their weight, but the big Alfa manages to hide it very well.
It copes with the mundane day-to-day commute with ease in comfort, style and that eight-speed semi-auto gearbox is never caught napping. Another positive about it is its fantastic elongated paddleshifters which make a mockery of the miniscule ones fitted to Audis and BMWs. Their sheer size entices you in to take control and although shift speeds can’t match Audi’s S-Tronic gearbox, it’s a very decent alternative.
Would I buy one with my own money? Given this car’s spec would set you back more than £40,000 and depreciation is still relatively unknown on the Stelvio - although as with every Alfa it’s bound to be an issue - it’s not for me. However what it is is a genuine class-leader, despite it being Alfa’s first attempt at the lucrative sector, and continues the recent purple patch of this much-loved manufacturer.
