128
sexy Roof BaR s
The black gloss roof bars
are a hefty £300 option,
but with the addition
of cross bars (another
£225) at least I can fit a
really cool ski rack or bike
carrier. Or more likely a
sad holiday-maker’s
roof box.a UDIo UPGRa D e
This £500 option may
well be wasted on me – I
spend all my time listening
to Brexit analysis on Radio
4 – but Harman Kardon’s
Sound Theatre with 14
speakers certainly makes
John Humphrys sound really
commanding and powerful.oPt Ional a lloys
These sensational 20-inch
alloy wheels are called
Dark Petal, but Alfa
enthusiasts will spot that
they are of course a modern
interpretation of the classic
Phone Dial wheels. The
standard V-spoke wheels
are still 20-inch with our
spec, but this £590 option
is worth every penny.sPace s aveR
Standard equipment on
the Stelvio – even on the
top-end Milano Edizione
like ours – is a Fix & Go
puncture repair kit. To get
a proper spare wheel you
have to pay an extra £275.headlights. A Stelvio in Super
trim, which has halogen lights and
18-inch wheels, looks very different
from this one.
All Stelvios come with the
rear-biased Q4 drivetrain and
an eight-speed automatic box, so
no difficult configurator choices
there. Along with another couple of
relatively minor extras (see above)
our car comes in at £47,510.
First impressions: I love the
Stelvio’s interior. The dashboard
may be stolen straight from the
Giulia, but that’s no bad thing- overall, the cabin has a clean,
modern ambience (though you can
spec the dash with retro walnut,
believe it or not). It has a sporty
steering wheel with a pushbutton
start; tactile rotary heater controls
that feel properly premium; lovely
textures and fonts everywhere;
and all the usual connective tech.
True, the seven-inch colour screen
at the centre of the dash looks
surprisingly small, compared to
the wide multi-screens of the latest
Audis and Jaguars, but it seems to
work fine – I’ll let you know how
I get on with the technology in a
future report.
Otherwise, the Stelvio certainly
drives well – it’s clearly at the
performance end (rather than
the farmyard end) of the SUVspectrum. The driving position and
handling are close to the Giulia’s,
it’s grippy and satisfyingly fast too.
If I have one disappointment so far
it’s the sound of the four-cylinder
engine – I know, it’s a turbodiesel,
so it’s unrealistic to expect it to
sound good, but I wish there
was just a little more life in its
lacklustre drone.
Otherwise, it’s been a solid
start from our Alfa Stelvio, and
I’m looking forward to getting
some solid miles under those
pretty 20-inch wheels. Maybe I
should do an epic tour of all the
great mountain passes of Europe?
Buttertubs here I come.the stelvio is
clearly at the
performance
end – rather
than the
farmyard end- of the sUv
spectrum
Alex TapleyCARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY 2019