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What might arguably the fastest SUV you can buy be like? According to Alfa Romeo, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, launched in 2018, was it. Rivals from that period made similar claims but from this Italian high performance SUV seemed to have the firepower to match its bravado, offering the same Ferrari-derived twin turbo V6 that featured in the glorious Giulia Quadrifoglio super sports saloon. This top Stelvio was lightly revised in 2023. Here, we look at the earlier 2018-2023 versions of this model.
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Performance Sporting Cars
History
It's rather refreshing in automotive world currently obsessed with electrification to come across a car like this. Proper sports cars might be a dying breed but proper sports car engines were in this case very much alive and well. And the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio model we look at here absolutely has one; a turbocharged 510hp V6 bi-turbo shoe-horned in below its carbon fibre bonnet.
This powerplant was designed by former Ferrari engineer - Gianluca Pivetti. And another ex-Ferrari engineer, Philippe Krief, handled the team responsible for trying to make this big SUV handle somewhere in the same ballpark as the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio saloon that shares nearly all this fast Stelvio's engineering. Which is quite a task given that this SUV is 200kg heavier.
Early 2020 brought a light upgrade, with technology, design, and safety upgrades. For the outside, changes were limited to LED rear lights, three new paint colours and a carbon fibre front grille. Inside there was a redesigned centre console, a switch away from carbon trim to leather and the addition of Level 2 autonomy features including traffic jam and highway assist. A further update package was announced for the 2024 model year, but it's the earlier 2018-2023-period Stelvio Quadrifoglio models we're going to look at here.
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What you get
The taut proportions of the Stelvio work well with the Quadrifoglio embellishment. Visual changes made as part of the 2020 update were slight. On those updated models, a smarter glossy black finish adorns what Alfa calls the front trilobe, the brand's unique heart-shaped front grille with its stylish cross and dragon badge. With all versions of this model, you get bespoke bumpers and piercing bi-xenon headlamps give the car some serious overtaking presence.
Inside, there's a cockpit that to some extent at least, succeeds in combining classic Alfa charisma with modern functionality. In this Quadrifoglio variant, it was set apart with red-stitched sports seats upholstered in a leather-and-alcantara combination. The dashboard and the door panels are also wrapped in stitched leather and there are carbon fibre inserts around the fascia and the lower centre console, plus Quadrifoglio cloverleaf badging on the steering wheel and the rev counter.
Changes made to 2020 updated model included a revised leather-trimmed steering wheel and a much nicer gear stick under which, evocatively, is a little Italian flag. But the key improvement was the 8.8-inch centre-dash infotainment display, which became a touchscreen and adopted a more up-to-date layout, with widgets able to be dragged and dropped to create a fully customisable homepage, in which each of the vehicle's functions becomes an app. Access to info is either via the screen, by voice or using the lower (but rather cheap-feeling) lower centre console dial (another thing updated in 2020). The improved centre monitor got a split-screen format so that different things could be viewed all at once - audio, nav and 'phone functions for example. And further horizontal scrolling calls up screens for 'Driver Assistance', 'Climate', 'Vehicle Information', 'Connected Services' and the engine and powertrain-orientated 'Performance Pages'.
Also re-designed in 2020 was the 7-inch TFT display in the centre of the instrument cluster, revised to offer more information in a more rational way. This could better show the updated model's freshly added autonomous driving technology features, along with selectable screens for G-Forces, plus digital speed and trip computer data (the latter two displaying with a lower fuel economy meter).
When it's time to take a seat in the rear, taller folk might find access hindered a little by the swept-back roofline. Still, the rear door opens decently wide and once inside, there's a lot more headroom than the sleek silhouette previously led you to expect. Leg room though, isn't quite as good as in some direct rivals - though it's better than in a Porsche Macan - and a couple of talk folk sat behind a lanky driver will find their knees very close indeed to the scalloped cut-outs indented into the front seat backs.
Out back, it was possible for original owners to specify the powered tailgate to include a hands-free feature so that it activates with a swipe of your foot beneath the bespoke bumper. And when it raises, a 525-litre boot is revealed, with compartments under the floor in lieu of the proper spare wheel we'd much rather have. You get a recessed area to the right, four silver tie-down points and a 40:20:40-split backrest so that, if necessary, longer items like skis can be slid in between two rear-seated passengers. If you need more space, pushing forward the rear bench (by pulling on the cargo sidewall-mounted catches) extends the space available to 1,600-litres.
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What to look for
Though quite a few owners in our survey seemed happy, there are certainly things that you'll need to look for. We have come across reports of warning lights coming on to 'service electronic throttle control' or 'check engine', sometimes for no apparent reason. Also look out for unnecessary warning lights for things like low oil levels, unlatched doors and malfunctioning parking sensors. Some items required things like a software update or a tightening of plug connections, but issues can also be down to broken wiring through harness abrasion. If you're looking at an early car, make sure the owner dealt with the needed fitment of an updated scuttle panel - the original one allowed water to infiltrate the ECU. And an early cars, poor quality control could lead to coolant leaks through poorly tightened hose clamps.
We've heard of fuel pumps blowing, but these were usually replaced under warranty. Turbo overboost valves also have a history of malfunctioning, as have batteries. Look out for a whine from the rear on the test drive - this could turn out to be a faulty differential, but it could just be a malfunctioning wheel bearing. Tyre replacement costs won't be cheap: expect a replacement front Pirelli P-ZERO, for instance, to be around £130. Regular short services shouldn't cost you too much more than £200, but you need more than £500 for the 30,000 mile service that includes replacing the spark plugs and can hoist. Look carefully for signs of crash damage. We've heard of alarm system problems. And obviously insist on a fully stamped-up service history.
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Replacement parts
(approx based on a 2020 Stelvio Quadrifoglio - Ex Vat - autodoc.co.uk) An air filter costs in the £15-£76 bracket. An oil filter costs in the £19-£44 bracket. Front brake pads sit in the £25-£277 bracket for a set; for a rear set, it's in the £35-£185 bracket. Front brake discs sit in the £82-£270 bracket; for rears, think in the £57-£267 bracket. An alternator is in the £503-£698 bracket. And a starter motor is in the £74-£186 bracket. A water pump is in the £166-£280 bracket. A cabin filter is around £5-£14.
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On the road
This exclusive Stelvio model certainly has the stats to back up its bold performance claims. Under the bonnet lies a 2.9-litre petrol V6 Biturbo powerplant that's essentially a cut-down version of the 4.0-litre V8 used in Ferrari's 488 model. As with the Giulia Quadrifoglio from the 2018-2023 period, it develops a thundering 510bhp, which allows the car to storm to 62mph in just 3.8s, en route to 176mph. Alfa's thrown all the performance technology it has at this halo model and on this top Stelvio, you get one feature not fitted to UK versions of the alternative Giulia Quadrifoglio - the Italian maker's innovative Q4 all-wheel-drive system. This normally sends all its torque to the rear wheels, but should slippage be detected, up to 50% of drive can be sent to the front axle.
This works with a range of other advanced drive systems that combine to try and make this portly 1.83-tonne SUV handle something like a sports saloon: 'Active Torque Vectoring' helps get the power down through the bends, 'Active Suspension' varies the damping and 'Alfa Chassis Domain Control' connects the different systems to deliver the best set-up as the car is being driven. There's also an 'Alfa Active Aero' package that alters the angle of the front splitter to help this model scythe through the air more cleanly.
Does it all work? To an impressive point, yes. If you were to jump into this car after pounding round a race circuit in a Giulia Quadrifoglio, you'd notice the extra weight and height, but that's to be expected. Otherwise, this manic Stelvio deports itself impressively, helped by direct, quick and intuitive steering feel. As in an ordinary Stelvio, 8-speed paddleshift auto transmission is mandatory, with gorgeous big cool silver Ferrari-style steering wheel paddles and shift times you can alter via the modes of the usual Alfa 'dna' drive modes system, which features an extra 'Race' setting that ramps up the engine note.
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Overall
There are other super high performance SUVs at this price point from this era that you could certainly consider as alternatives to this Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the most obvious being the Jaguar F-PACE SVR, the Porsche Macan Turbo and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63S. Each of these alternatives can offer a bit more polish than this Alfa, but in many ways, this Stelvio is a more uncompromising performance car. If that's what you're looking for, then that'll matter.
The Biturbo Ferrari-derived engine is worth the price of admission alone and you get the all-wheel-drive traction that is missing from this model's Giulia Quadrifoglio sports saloon stablemate. The 'Quadrifoglio Verde' four-leaf clover badge that sits over the front wheel arches of this SUV first featured on Ugo Sivocci's Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio, a car with which that driver triumphed in the race of the same name back in 1923. Unlike its rivals, this model feels like it has that kind of heritage. And for that reason, we like it very much.
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