Used 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Drivers looking for something on the sporty side of compact luxury SUVs should test drive the 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. This crossover captures the character of the Alfa Romeo brand in the form of a practical SUV. From its exotic styling to its exciting performance, the Stelvio has the soul of a sports car and the body and interior of a crossover.

You wouldn’t be off-base if you thought of the Stelvio as a more budget-friendly alternative to the Porsche Macan. Both are similarly sized, performance-oriented luxury SUVs, but the starting price of the Stelvio is about $10,000 lower than the Macan. If you like the idea of daily driving an Italian sports car but need the practicality of a small crossover, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a happy medium between the two.

Unsurprisingly, performance is one of the strong suits of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. It boasts the most powerful base engine in its class, which is a 280-horsepower turbocharged inline-4. When equipped with all-wheel drive, it accelerates from 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds. Not only does it have a lively base engine, but the Stelvio also benefits from near-perfect weight distribution, resulting in agile handling for a crossover. This is an SUV that’s engineered like a sports car.

The DNA drive mode selector can change the personality of the Stelvio on the fly. You can choose between Dynamic, Natural, and Advanced Efficiency modes that adjust things like throttle response, steering, and suspension. The Natural and Advanced Efficiency modes make for a smooth and comfortable ride, while Dynamic mode provides more engaging performance.

Performance is cranked up if you opt for the Quadrifoglio model. With 505 horsepower and a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds, this is an SUV with the performance to rival the likes of the Porsche Macan GTS, BMW X3 M, and Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 63. The twin-turbo V6 under the hood is derived from a Ferrari engine, giving it thrilling acceleration and an intoxicating sound. Other features improving the performance of the Quadrifoglio model include a carbon fiber driveshaft, an active suspension system, and Race mode.

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is one of the most exciting performance SUVs on the market, but its lofty price tag makes it a questionable value. The more affordable and more efficient base engine is a better fit for most drivers. Even in the lower trims, the Stelvio has sporty handling that few rivals can match.

The 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio interior is nicer than a more mainstream compact SUV but not quite on par with some similarly priced class leaders like the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. The interior design of the dashboard, seats, and steering wheel reflects the performance-oriented nature of the Stelvio. Still, the quality of the materials is not quite up to snuff, considering the price tag.

Whether you’ll like the seats in the Stelvio depends on what you’re looking for in an SUV. The seats are a little stiff, which is a good thing for spirited driving. However, if comfort is your top priority, you can find more comfortable seats from different luxury brands. Naturally, the interior quality — including the seats — improves as you work your way up the model range. The interior can also get sportier with appointments like carbon fiber and aluminum interior trim and more heavily bolstered seats.

Seating space is about average for this segment. There’s plenty of room in the front and enough room in the back to seat two adults comfortably. The cargo space is a little tight compared to rivals but still useable and better than a sedan.

It’s a challenge to make a 2-box crossover SUV really stand out, but Alfa Romeo has done it with the Stelvio. It wears the corporate Alfa Romeo face very similar to the one on the Giulia sedan but on a nicely sculpted SUV body. The body lines flow elegantly to the back, which has prominent exhaust pipes and a nice light signature. The Stelvio also has some excellent wheel designs that make it further stand out.

The look of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio changes a bit as you work your way up the model range. For example, the Veloce package adds a body-color appearance kit, unique wheels, and dark exterior trim in the grille and window surrounds to give it a darker, sportier look. The Quadrifoglio model takes it further with 21-inch wheels, four tailpipes, and 4-leaf clover badging.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE QUADRIFOGLIO MODEL
The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is a high-performance luxury SUV with a Ferrari-derived twin-turbo V6 engine, plus many luxury and tech features.

VELOCE PACKAGE
The new-for-2022 Veloce package available for the Ti model adds sporty features like a unique appearance package with 20-inch wheels, aluminum interior trim, a limited-slip differential, and more.

The base Sprint trim of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio comes pretty well equipped. Standard features include leather seats, which are power-adjustable in front, a memory driver’s seat, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, remote start, push-button start, the DNA drive mode system, full-speed forward collision warning with active braking, and 18-inch aluminum wheels.

The standard infotainment system in the Stelvio is an 8.8-inch screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The mid-range Ti trim adds some nice features to the Stelvio without the price going too high. Standard features on the Ti model include 19-inch wheels, a bright grille surround, wood interior trim, dual-pane sunroof, hands-free power liftgate, and headlight washers.

The new Veloce package replaces the former Ti Sport trim. The Veloce package adds $1,800 to the price of the Ti model. It adds a limited-slip differential, a sport rear diffuser, gloss black exterior trim, 20-inch wheels, aluminum interior trim, and sport leather seats with power-adjustable bolsters on the driver’s seat.

The Quadrifoglio model is at the top of the model range, with the major upgrade being the twin-turbo V6 engine. Other performance upgrades include a carbon-fiber driveshaft, Race mode, an active suspension system, Brembo brakes, and a dual-mode quad exhaust system. Additional features that come standard on the Stelvio Quadrifoglio include a distinct appearance package, carbon fiber interior trim, Harman Kardon premium audio, and a leather-wrapped shift knob and dashboard.

All-wheel drive comes standard on the Ti and Quadrifoglio trims. It’s a $2,000 option on the base Sprint model.

There’s an Active Assist Plus Package available for the Ti and Quadrifoglio trims. It adds a nice list of driver-assistance features, including blind-spot monitoring, a driver attention alert, a highway assist system, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, traffic jam assist, and traffic sign recognition.

An available Premium Interior and Sound Package for the Ti model adds a leather dash and upper doors plus a Harman Kardon premium audio system.

If you want to upgrade the seats in the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, you can get Sparco leather/Alcantara race seats that use premium materials while making you feel like you’re in a race car.

The 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio has two engine options. Most models are equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, which is a class leader in horsepower, torque, 0-60 mph time, and top speed for a base engine in this class. That quick acceleration translates to an exciting drive every time you’re behind the wheel, and there’s more than enough power for confident passing on the highway.

A Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 engine powers the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It’s extremely powerful with 505 hp, and it rockets the Stelvio from 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds.

It would be nice if there were a middle ground between the 280-hp 4-cylinder and 505-hp V6 engines, but it’s hard to complain about the engines under the hood of the Stelvio.

All-wheel drive (AWD) is standard on all but the base Sprint model, which has standard rear-wheel drive (RWD) and optional AWD. A quick-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission comes standard in every Stelvio. All Stelvio models require premium gasoline.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (Sprint, Ti)
280 horsepower @ 5,200 rpm
306 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000-4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/29 mpg (RWD), 22/28 mpg (AWD)

2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 (Quadrifoglio)
505 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
443 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500-5,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/23 mpg