ALFA ROMEO STELVIO QUADRIFOGLIO
The Alfa that thinks it’s a Lamborghini An Urus, to be specific. The 503bhp Stelvio QF corners like a sports car (almost), outpaces the Porsche Macan Turbo and moves the needle for SUV driving dynamics into the red. By Chris Chilton
UP AGAIN ST BETTER THAN Mercedes-AMG GLC63
Benz handsome but heavier, less fun WORSE THAN Porsche Macan Turbo PP
Less performance, more polish WE’D BUY Porsche Macan Turbo PP
So desirable, so complete
F
ORGET HUNTIN’, shootin’ and fishin’, the only ‘sport’ that matters in this utility vehicle is scalping icons at the traffic lights. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio reaches 62mph in 3.8sec, meaning the list of cars that can outsprint it is shorter than a slain M3 driver’s fuse – and doesn’t include the one car Alfa has in its crosshairs: the Porsche Macan Turbo. Expect Amnesty International to put out an appeal on Stuttgart’s behalf any day now, because even equipped with the optional 40bhp Performance Pack, the Macan Turbo makes just 434bhp and requires 4.4sec. Without it, it’s way back there on 4.8sec. Ah, remember when that was quick? It still is, of course, in absolute terms, but nowhere in marketing and pub bragging ones. Among SUVs only the unhinged Challenger Hellcat-engined Jeep Trackhawk (3.7sec), and Lamborghini’s new Urus (3.6sec) are quicker. And of those, only the Lambo has a hope of besting the Alfa’s 7min 51.7sec Nürburgring record for SUVs. The Stelvio’s kind of physics-cheating performance requires huge amounts of energy, and energy requires fuel. Lots of it. So it might seem appropriate that we’re driving the Stelvio in the Middle East, a region whose wealth was kickstarted by the realisation that its inhabitants were sleeping over a crude-oil swimming pool. But the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is actually the most economical car in its class according to official figures that put the combined mpg figure at 31.4mpg, something that can be attributed to a class-leading kerbweight and the ability to shut down three of its six cylinders. The lightweight platform and V6 engine are shared with the Stelvio’s saloon sister, the fourdoor Giulia Quadrifoglio, but there are some important changes in the conversion to SUV. First, the Stelvio comes only with a ZF eightspeed auto, and doesn’t get the Giulia QF option (available outside the UK) of substituting that for a not-very-good-anyway six-speed manual alternative. And second, that ZF transmission has sprouted a front diff and extra pair of driveshafts to spread the engine’s power across all four wheels rather than just the rear pair. That extra transmission hardware, together with the additional sheet metal (the wheelbases are almost identical but the Stelvio is slightly longer, wider and significantly taller) adds a hefty 306kg to the kerbweight, though by class standards it’s a proper twig. The hottest Macan is around 100kg tubbier again. Bonnet vents, colour-coded rather than black, wheelarch trims and chunky quad tailpipes help distinguish the QF from its slower Stelvio brothers. It looks purposeful, but relatively subtle given the performance. And too high.
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Interior looks fine but some of the controls feel cheap and the tech is one step behind rivals’
The aftermarket suspension industry is certain to sort the awkward tyre-to-wheelarch gap in short order. Peer closely at those tyres and you’ll uncover a couple of interesting clues to the Giulia’s character. One is that it wears ordinary Pirelli P Zero tyres rather than the stickier P Zero Corsas fitted to the Giulia QF. And the other is that unlike most SUVs, the rear rubber is substantially wider than the front. That’s because in normal driving the Stelvio operates as an essentially rear-wheel-drive car. As the limit of grip nears, the transmission diverts torque to the front axle, but only ever a maximum of 50 per cent. You’ve got torque vectoring on the rear axle done the proper way, not just by braking an inside wheel, but with a pair of clutches in the rear diff to apportion the torque left and right and help rotate the car. Jumping into the cabin you get a sense before you’ve even thumbed the steering-wheel starter button (red for QF cars, rather than black for cooking models) that Alfa has really made that kerbweight advantage and rear-biased torque split count. The standard sports seats feature huge bolsters anyway, but if you’re prepared to sacrifice their comfort for even more restraint, you can swap them for the gorgeous carbonbacked buckets available in the Giulia. The V6 doesn’t sound especially supercar-
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio > Price £75,000 (est) > Engine 2891cc 24v twin-turbo V6, 503bhp @ 6500rpm, 443lb ft @ 2500rpm > Transmission 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive > Performance 3.8sec 0-62mph, 176mph, 31.4mpg, 210g/km CO2 > Weight 1830kg > On sale Spring
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like at start-up or low revs and Alfa’s annoying electronically assisted brakes still feel inconsistent underfoot. But the absolute stopping power is excellent, especially with our car’s optional carbon ceramic brakes (prices have yet to be confirmed, but expect them to cost a lot). Carbon brakes on an SUV? Sounds like pure vanity until you dip your toe deep into the right pedal’s arc for the first time. There’s a little lag and a big kick coming out the other side of it as the rev needle makes for 7000rpm, the segmented white lines on the road start to coagulate and the induction and exhaust systems suddenly find their voice. The ZF auto never feels as sharp as Porsche’s PDK twin-clutch in the Macan, but it has the refinement sewn up at low speed. With the Alfa’s DNA selector in the Race Mode reserved for QF cars, the next ratio kicks home with a thunk to amplify the sense of excitement. It’s a little overdone, and in any case the Stelvio doesn’t need any assistance on the excitement front. Flick the wheel into your first fast corner and your shock at the steering’s
Supportive standard sports seats have a bit of carbonfibre; optional buckets have a lot more
speed is quickly replaced by respect – and relief – that the QF has the body control to pull it off. For a tall and still relatively heavy car, the lack of roll is seriously impressive. So is the steering precision. You need to recalibrate your brain not to make allowances for the squidge and vagueness you might expect from even a good SUV. In the Stelvio you pick your apex, lock the nose on and use the fourwheel-drive traction to slingshot you to the next vector change. And despite the hyper-quick responses, there’s an easy, entirely natural feel to way the Alfa demolishes a road. Having said that, it’s not quite as much fun – and never feels as truly rear-wheel drive – as the lighter Giulia equivalent. The Stelvio’s not as steerable with the right foot, either on lift-off in an attempt to tuck the nose in and kill the understeer you’ll encounter when really pushing hard or by trying to shove the pedal through the bulkhead. Only when you’ve pushed through some front slip will the rear end start to move to the point where you might need to apply some corrective
Torque split is rear-biased but Alfa could have gone further still
control wheel and the media lock, and it all feels a bit snatchy. system it connects to. There’s no Given that this car is never going LOVE Supercar-like head-up display option, no virtual near a farm track I think Alfa could acceleration instruments, no air suspension. have been even more aggressive All of which you might be with the rear-biasing, or allowed it HATE Supermini-like persuaded to overlook at the to revert to fully rear-wheel-drive in cabin quality bottom end of the Stelvio range. Race mode, as the BMW M5 does. But at more like £70,000-£75,000 Now that really would have brought VERDICT Super-Sports Utility there’s not much more slack to something new – if ultimately Vehicle cut. And that price is a hopeful irrelevant for most – to the class. + + + + + guestimate based on what Porsche Where the Stelvio falls down has is asking for a Macan Turbo PP almost nothing to do with its rearand Stelvio pricing that is more drive-ness, or the QF components at all, but the failings inherent in all Stelvios. competitive in the UK than it is in Europe. In The interior looks pretty smart, and those shift Germany the Stelvio QF has a confirmed price paddles are as good and tactile as anything of €90,000, which corresponds to £80,000… On the other hand the QF does have practical you’ll find in a supercar, but a closer look reveals the QF is a step behind the competition in terms appeal. It’s strong on interior space and luggage room, and is cleaner and more economical than of quality and technology. The console-mounted gear selector looks the competition. At the same time it offers a like a BMW’s but the minute you touch it you tangibly different take on the Quadrifoglio can’t help but think Alfa’s team copied it from experience to ensure it puts distance between a photograph without ever having laid a finger itself and the Giulia. It’ll take confirmation of the UK price and a on the real thing. Same for the iDrive-style
twin test on UK roads to know for sure, but my gut feel is that Porsche’s slower Macan Turbo still has the best spread of talents in this small sector, including a better interior and the draw of a badge not tarnished by association with rebadged Fiat Puntos. But on the road the Stelvio leaves its rivals in the shade. If you want the fastest, most exciting SUV of the moment this side of a Lamborghini Urus, this is the one. @chrischiltoncar
Steering is precise and natural, helped by the Stelvio being significantly lighter than its key SUV rivals
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