Car and Driver Reviews on 2019 Alpha Remoe
Who is declining to acknowledge reality?
Many auto enthusiasts dislike crossovers because, taller and heavier than cars, they inherently handle with less agility. Yet an increasing number of high-performance crossovers have been finding buyers. Do the laws of physics force a choice betwixt utility and driving enjoyment? Or can high-performance crossover owners really "have it all," with minimal compromises? For active handling, less (size and mass) is more. So the recent introduction of ultra-high-performance meaty crossovers, with 400-plus horsepower, adjourn weights in the mid 4000s, and all of the infinite almost people need (hence surging sales of the Honda CR-Five and Toyota RAV4), provides the best chance yet of a "no compromise" vehicle.
The 400-horsepower 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo was the first. But the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, introduced every bit a 2018 model, could be the best. Ferrari helped wring 505 horsepower from a turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 engine. Unlike in the related Giulia QF sedan, an all-bike-bulldoze arrangement helps convert all of this power into acceleration rather than condom dust. Like in the Giuia QF, a twin-clutch differential actively distributes torque between the rear wheels to mitigate understeer and adaptive dampers seek to sharpen treatment without killing the ride. And then the Stelvio QF but might do justice to its namesake, a famed road that switchbacks over the Italian Alps.
BMW, Mercedes-AMG, and Jaguar also offer ultra-high-operation compact crossovers. Similar the Alfa, the X3 M has a six-cylinder engine. The other ii employ V8s, with the supercharged five.0-liter engine in the F-Type SVR churning out a class-topping 550 horsepower.
With a focus on handling, I opted to compare the Stelvio to the Porsche. For 2019, the updated Macan topped out with the Southward (no updated Turbo until 2020). Simply 348 horsepower should be enough for suburban roads, right?
Bated from the Alfa face, nosotros've seen this bones shape on many competitors get-go with the Audi Q more Stelvio photos
Leather, suede, and carbon fiber cover many surfaces. The other bits, though, don't measure up.
| Compared to the Macan | |
| Handling | |
About cars steer enough alike that I sometimes forget alternatives exist. The best of these steer with shine precision and weighting that just feels right (and then does not call attending to itself). Point the car where you want it to get, and it goes there. The Porsche Macan S steers this fashion.
The Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio steers similar something else. Its steering not only reacts far more quickly, merely has an edge to it that makes even the smallest alteration in the wheel's bending experience similar its immediately and directly affecting the angle and grip of the front end tires. In the Porsche, in contrast, the process feels more gradual, with smooth rather than sharp transitions and less sense of a direct connectedness.
The chassis compare similarly. The Macan'south suspension is technically excellent, handling very well without calling attention to itself. The Stelvio tin be trickier thanks to an all-bike-drive system that shunts power to the front wheels only when the rear ones slip and and that actively varies the torque split between the rear wheels, simply by the aforementioned token has a broader range of reactions to commuter inputs and mostly feels much more alive. The tested Macan was not fitted with the optional ($1,500) torque vectoring arrangement, which brakes the within rear wheel in turns to counteract understeer. This might explain why it didn't feel nearly as willing to rotate and steadily (if slightly) understeered through curves. In contrast, the Stelvio QF readily oversteers when accelerating through a curve, and generally has the dynamic character of a rear-wheel-drive automobile.
Not that all is perfect with the Stelvio QF'due south treatment. Although the Stelvio QF weighs a couple hundred pounds less than its competitors, information technology's all the same iv,300 pounds and never feels calorie-free and active. I never forgot its height and heft. In short, information technology doesn't fully replicate the experience of driving a lower sport sedan much less a sports motorcar.
Simply if fun, engaging handling is the goal, the Stelvio QF delivers it. And if you don't demand (or want to pay for) the 505-horsepower engine? Based on my experiences in the 280-horsepower Giulia sedan, an intelligently optioned 4-cylinder Stelvio will also accept unusually quick steering for a crossover and likely handles nearly as well equally the QF.
| Powertrain performance | |
Though competitors from Mercedes and Jaguar have 4.0- and 5.0-liter V8 engines, respectively, the relatively pocket-size 2.9-liter V6 in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is strong enough to somehow make it just every bit quick. In magazine testing (with various tricks to achieve the strongest launch) the Stelvio gets from a expressionless finish to lx mph in just a fleck over 3 seconds. Just mash the accelerator, and a momentary lull equally the turbos spool upward precedes the thrilling blast to 60, yielding a time in the mid 4s. Both figures are well-nigh the same every bit the others. At highway speeds there's no lull. Need a burst of speed to execute a pass? Yous've got it.
In Sport and Rail modes, the Stelvio QF'south active exhaust unmuffles diverse popping and crackling noises. While these do make driving the crossover more exciting, I've heard better--from V8s. The V6 might pull as strongly as a V8, but information technology doesn't audio as sweet. That said, the Ferrari-tuned six does audio considerably meliorate than nearly any other half dozen and any four, including the turbocharged 2.0-liter in lesser Stelvios. Sadly, it's not possible to separately select the open frazzle. If you want to hear the engine, fuel economic system must have a hit. In competitors the throttle, exhaust, manual shift points, steering, and adaptive dampers can oft be adjusted separately. In the Alfa they must be varied together by selecting one of four uncustomizable modes, with a partial exception. In Sport and Track modes the dampers can be set one notch softer. But you cannot separately select the exhaust mode or pair house dampers with an economy-oriented drivetrain (which I often like to do in suburban driving).
I haven't driven the regular, 280-horsepower Stelvio. In magazine tests it's near 2 seconds slower to 60 than the QF. While this is a substantial difference, specially in pct terms, it'southward still pretty quick. In fact, it'south about as quick equally the 6-cylinder, 348-horsepower Macan South I'k comparing to the QF.
Which means...the acceleration of the Macan South doesn't really compare to that of the QF. Approaching my test bulldoze of the Porsche, I wondered if the Alfa'due south extra 157 horsepower would actually brand a deviation when driving on suburban roads. How much horsepower can yous actually use? Non nearly 505, I figured. And the QF'southward engine is actually a bit smaller than the Porsche'due south, so unless y'all really wring it out does it feel essentially stronger?
Yes, yeah information technology does. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio'due south dispatch feels much stronger and is much more thrilling, even inside the legal limit on public roads. In that location is the aforementioned lull when accelerating from a dead stop. Later on that, information technology pulls like a boosted V8.
There's such a big price and performance gap between the regular Stelvio and the Quadrifoglio that a merely loftier-performance variant like those offered by competitors seems a no-brainer. Yet 1 is not offered.
Unnecessary boomerang-shaped grapheme line parallels cut line. Otherwise generic from this angle.
Sporty but dated cockpit. Many controls not intuitive. Smallish brandish.
| Ride smoothness | |
For a crossover that handles so well, I was surprised that even in Rails manner with the dampers set to firm (the default) the Stelvio's ride is far from punishing. In the other modes, with the dampers set to soft, the ride is merely a fiddling smoother. The Macan S rides even more than smoothly, perhaps as smoothly equally any meaty crossover I've driven, but this impresses less since the Porsche doesn't handle with the aforementioned verve as the Alfa.
| Fuel economy | |
For a 505-horsepower, iv,500-pound crossover, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio tin can get very good fuel economy. Driving with a calorie-free foot in "a" (Advanced Efficiency) mode, I observed trip figurer averages in the mid-twenties in both suburban and highway driving. Annotation that I said "can." Drive the Stelvio QF like you stole information technology in "d" (Dynamic) mode and the average plunges into the low teens. Keeping footstep with traffic in "n" (Natural) mode yielded mpg in the loftier teens or depression twenties.
In the EPA's tests, the Stelvio QF scored 17 mpg city, 23 mpg highway. The Macan Southward, with 157 fewer horsepower, managed only a single mpg better in the city and the same on the highway.
Commonly ultra-high-performance engines guzzle fuel. Merchandise-offs, you know. But Alfa Romeo has adult an ultra-high-performance engine that only uses actress fuel if you lot utilize its extra potential. I'chiliad impressed.
| Compared to the Macan | |
| Reliability & durability | |
TrueDelta has no reliability information on Alfa Romeos. Car magazines have frequently reported reliability bug--and they only had each vehicle for a calendar week or 2.
| Materials & workmanship | |
Within the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the instrument panel and upper doors likewise equally the seats are upholstered in leather, and the trim is carbon fiber. Just too many of the other interior parts would be marginal in a $40,000 car, and are thus not nearly worthy of an $80,000 auto. The HVAC controls could exist from any Chrysler. Pulling the door shut I often felt some requite in the handle and heard a slight creak. You're buying this high-end crossover for its powertrain and chassis, not for its interior.
Does the traditional Alfa grille shape work on a taller crossover face? Thankfully no huge badge.
Comfortable tiptop and sufficient room in rear seat. The Macan is a little tighter.
| Forepart seat support & condolement |
From the shoulders downwards the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio has a comfortable and supportive front end seat. The adaptable side bolsters provide much better lateral support than the much smaller bolsters on the standard Macan seats (Porsche does offer better-bolstered seats every bit options). Unfortunately, the Alfa'southward headrests are too far forrad for drivers with upright postures (such every bit myself) and lack a fore-aft adjustment. The Porsche's seats include such an adjustment, equally do most in this price range.
| Controls and instruments | |
The Stelvio's climate controls include simple, conventional knobs. The other controls tend to be less piece of cake to understand and operate. The infotainment system, operated via a knob and pair of buttons on the console, is far from intuitive. Proficient luck learning how to learn all of its ins and outs without reading the manual. Even the plow signals proved relatively hard to operate equally the stalk is cached behind a large column-mounted shift-paddle. Oft when seeking simply three blinks to change lanes I got a total signal which then needed to be manually canceled.
The Macan's interior includes far more than buttons. These make basic tasks more than complicated--information technology's hard to best a pocket-sized number of large knobs here--but they enable adjustments that you must either dig through menus to make in the Alfa or cannot make at all. The Macan's infotainment system, updated for 2019, includes a huge display and much more sophisticated graphics than the Stelvio'southward. Information technology'south easier to operate than the Alfa's, but this isn't to say it's easy. It'southward not.
| Driving position & visibility | |
The view forward from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio'south driver seat could be more open up, every bit its instrument panel is relatively tall. The rear seats block most of the view to the rear, reducing the infinite between them and the roof to a slot. I appreciated the blind spot alert organization and rearview camera.
In the Porsche Macan a lower, more compact instrument panel makes for an airier cockpit and a more open view forrard.
| Compared to the Macan | |
| Rear seat room & comfort | |
The Stelvio's rear seat is mounted comfortably high off the floor--something that cannot be taken for granted in crossovers--and is a little roomier than the Porsche Macan'due south. Sitting backside my five-9 cocky in the Alfa, I had about 6 inches between my knees and the front seat back and a couple of inches betwixt my head and the headliner.
| Cargo capacity | |
The Stelvio's cargo area is usefully long, but narrower than most.
| Outside styling | |
With vents in the hood, flares around the wheel openings, and muscular fenders, the the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio'southward exterior successfully communicates its performance potential. But is it a beautiful vehicle? Take abroad the vents and flares and the Stelvio would wait much like the many other Audi-influenced crossovers. The Porsche Macan, though it similarly resembles the Audi Q5 on which information technology is based, has cleaner lines and a sleeker shape.
The Stelvio'southward interior similarly communicates the vehicle'south performance, but otherwise isn't especially aesthetic. The infotainment system doesn't appear nearly as up-to-date as the Porsche's, which was revised for the 2019 model twelvemonth.
| Safety & braking | |
Fifty-fifty without the tested crossover's carbon ceramic brake rotors, the Stelvio QF has large, powerful brakes. Unfortunately, these brakes are besides touchy, requiring more attention than most to achieve a shine stop in normal driving. Information technology took me a couple of days to get used to them.
Automatic emergency braking is available, but different in an increasing number of competitors it is not standard. Lane departure warning is in the same optional package. As is commonly the example, information technology's more nuisance than help. Lane go along assistance is not offered.
| Price or payments | |
Ultra-high-performance compact crossovers are all priced close enough together that price is not likely to exist a deciding factor.
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio starts at $81,590. A "driver assist package" that includes adaptive prowl command and lane departure warning adds $one,200. A panoramic sunroof adds another $1,350. Cosmetic options add together a further $1,850. These are likely common options. Less mutual, and unneeded past the swell majority of owners: $viii,000 carbon ceramic restriction rotors. The bottom line for the loaded exam vehicle: $94,190.
The Porsche Macan S lists for much less, with a $59,850 base price and $74,770 as-tested. But the S, while the most powerful Macan for 2019, will be joined past the 434-horsepower Macan Turbo for 2020. The new Macan Turbo starts at $84,950 and lists for $100,450 when equipped like the tested Stelvio. And it still won't be equally powerful.
Other competitors do not offering carbon ceramic brake rotors. Without these the tested Alfa would have listed for $86,190. No need for the black wheels and carbon fiber steering bicycle trim? Then $85,290.
The 550-horsepower Jaguar F-Pace SVR has a base of operations cost close to the Alfa'south, $fourscore,985. Carbon ceramic brake rotors are non offered. Otherwise equipped like the tested Alfa the Jaguar lists for $84,590. The new-for-2020 473-horsepower BMW X3 Chiliad starts $10,000 lower than the others. Unless y'all need the upgraded 503-horsepower Contest variant. So it starts in the same ballpark, $77,895. Adding a couple of packages to become features on the tested Alfa brings the bottom line to $84,045.
The 469-horsepower Mercedes-AMG GLC63 is priced like the "bones" X3 G with a base MSRP of $71,795. Equipping information technology like an $85,290 Alfa brings its price to $81,095. The cheapest of the bunch, only also the least powerful.
For more than ability in a compact Mercedes crossover you'll need the Coupe variant of the GLC in 503-horsepower 63 S form. The price then starts at $81,800 and ends up at $89,245. For carbon ceramic brake rotors--on but the front end wheels--add another $5,450.
The prices for the Mercedes practice include the peak leather interior to hopefully friction match the hide coverage in the Alfa. The BMW's and Jaguar's musical instrument panels are upholstered in synthetic leather (i.eastward. vinyl).
Bated from leather coverage, though, the Alfa's feature list falls brusk. You cannot get ventilated front end seats or heated rear seats. Nor tin can you go a caput-upwards brandish, an around-view camera system, lane keep assistance, net connectivity, or a telematics system. In terms of available features, the Stelvio is falling well behind the upscale vehicle curve.
Also not bachelor in the Stelvio, but similarly non available in any competitor: a manual manual.
Compact crossover sales have been surging. For many makes they've already become the best-selling model. While yous can buy a larger crossover, these offer all of the passenger and cargo space nearly people need. Since they're also lower and lighter than larger crossovers, they too tend to handle more than like cars. This opens upwardly the potential for a vehicle that "has it all," the utility and seating position people want plus the performance and handling enthusiasts crave. In response, ultra-high-performance crossovers recently have become a thing.
But do these evangelize? The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio doesn't handle quite like a sport sedan, but it is nonetheless a blast to bulldoze thanks to a V6 that performs like a V8, quick steering, and a highly competent, engaging chassis. A Porsche Macan, while technically splendid, with a surprisingly good combination of precise handling and smooth ride for a crossover (or fifty-fifty a regular car), isn't nearly as exciting. Plus if you lot tin somehow bulldoze the Stelvio QF with economic system in listen, it manages decent fuel economy, with no apparent punishment for its extra power compared to the much weaker Porsche. Sadly, other tradeoffs that have cipher to do with physics remain. No one seems to trust the current Alfa's to be reliable. Interior materials and available features also lag competitors.
Is the Stelvio Quadrifoglio and then much fun that these tradeoffs seem justified? For committed driving enthusiasts (who still want a crossover), yeah. Information technology's truly a different animal. For the typical buyer of something German, probably not. Hopefully Alfa can fix the reliability bug and upgrade the interior rather than once more giving up on the American market, as they really do offering a special something others exercise not. Add this special something to a crossover, and you've got the virtually heady one I've driven.
No cover, still can't see the engine. It takes a lot of plumbing to extract 505 hp from two.nine liters
Narrow cargo area. Not much space between the seat backs and the ceiling.
See more than 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio photos
Alfa Romero provided an insured car for a week with a tank of gas. Dan Kelley of Suburban Porsche in Farmington Hills, MI, provided a Macan South for comparison purposes. Dan can exist reached at 248-741-7903
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2019 Alfa-Romeo Stelvio pros and cons, according to Michael Karesh: the best reasons for buying (or non buying) the 2019 Alfa-Romeo Stelvio. Join TrueDelta to mail service your own impressions.
I tin but speak to the standard Stelvio, which I had a few times equally a loaner. It was a very nice machine to bulldoze around in, non really a useful SUV. Cargo area too small and too high for my big lazy dogs who wouldn't bound in. But the four seats were very nicely appointed and PLENTY of room for 4 adults. I would say they compromised the cargo area for rear sit comfort a bit.
I enjoyed sitting in it more than my wife's Guilia. Much roomier and more comfortable. I enjoyed driving the Guilia more. The dig on Alfa interiors is that they're not up to BMW or AUDI quality, and that may be true, but I don't remember the interiors of the German language cars are that great, or as good as they were, I guess. I'd agree, though, the Alfa seems be a lilliputian cheaper; that the QF doesn't seem upgraded is an oversight.
One thing I really likes was the large shift paddles on both the Stelvio and the Guilia. I'd beloved to try to drive the QF and that neat 90 5-vi. I'd besides like Alfa to succeed here and bring something like the Gulietta over here, but that volition never happen fifty-fifty if they practice pull this out.
Source: https://www.truedelta.com/Alfa-Romeo-Stelvio/pros-and-cons-M270
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