2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

We first met the Stelvio in 2018 when it roared onto the scene as an alternative to the German and Japanese sport crossovers. Named after the infamous Stelvio Pass in Italy with its 48 hairpin turns more than 9,000 feet above sea level, the Italian SUV excels when the road turns twisty, but also functions as a comfortable daily driver. It also looks the part of a Milanese fashionista, which it can genuinely claim to be.

For 2022 the Stelvio is available in four trims: Sprint, Ti, Veloce and Quadrifoglio. The Sprint trim is offered in rear-wheel or all-wheel drive (AWD) but the rest get AWD standard. Sprint, Ti and Veloce trims are powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque. The Quadrifoglio goes after AMGs and BMW Ms with a twin-turbo V6 pushing out 505 ponies. We haven’t driven one recently, but it’s bonkers.

Although Alfa Romeo built more off-road oriented SUVs, trucks and even vans in its distant past, the Stelvio is its first modern crossover and aimed at premium buyers. With a wheelbase of nearly 111 inches and an overall length of right around 185 inches, the Stelvio is right around the same size as the Porsche Macan and BMW X3 and X4, but it’s a tad shorter than the Genesis GV70 and Acura RDX. Its size makes it easy to drive in the city and fit into tight parking spots.

But it’s out on twisty canyon roads, just like the Stelvio Pass, where this SUV excels. The chassis here is compliant, communicative and athletic without being too stiff and has just enough body roll to tell you how far you’re pushing it. All-season tires here are standard and they offer a fair amount of grip, but if you really like to drive, snag yourself a set of high-performance summer tires. The four-cylinder models are more powerful than their rivals from BMW, Porsche and Genesis, but there’s nothing between them and the $86,000 Quadrifoglio. 

The cabin is a blend of elegant materials with sporty accents, and all models feature leather-trimmed seating material. A pair of big dials face the driver and look a bit like those on 1970s Alfas, but the rest of the cabin is contemporary and sophisticated. There’s plenty of front seat room in the Stelvio, but the back seat is much smaller than most competitors, with just 31.7 inches of rear leg room, right at the bottom of the class. It does better in real-world use than the measurements suggest, but the Stelvio also falls short on cargo room.

The Stelvio gets a Wi-Fi hotspot, over-the-air updates and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but those are the only good things about the car’s technology. During our week with the Stelvio, we found the infotainment system difficult to use with many user interface glitches and couterintuitive design. At the very least, the 2022 Stelvio offers a wider array of standard safety features than ever, answering a major complaint about previous versions. It’s flawed on cargo and tech, but for performance fans looking to lease a coolly exotic crossover, the Stelvio beckons.

Performance: 14/15

The lower three Stelvio trims are powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque, and all versions use an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Press the ignition button on the Stelvio and the Italian sports SUV roars to life. The company calls its drive modes DNA, which we had to look up to decipher. N is for Natural, which is best used for easy, everyday driving. A stands for Advanced mode, for low-traction situations like snow or rain. D, or Dynamic mode, is where the fun is. 

This mode sharpens the throttle and remaps the shift points for maximum performance. The transmission will hold to the redline and downshift on braking, ensuring the crossover is in the right part of the powerband of quick corner exits. Drivers should also opt for the limited-slip differential that comes in the $1,800 Performance Package. This upgrade keeps the torque going to the wheel that has the most grip and aid in turn-in. If you don’t plan on hooning your Alfa, this might be too much for you, but trust us—it’s worth it.

The Stelvio isn’t offered with a manual transmission but it does have the second best thing: large aluminum paddle shifters. Our only quibble is the light steering. It’s fine when in N or A modes, but we’d prefer a bit more heft when carving corners at speed in D mode.

The Quadrifoglio uses a 2.9-liter V6 that belts out 505 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. A relative of the V8 in the Maserati Levante, this engine puts the Q on par with the BMW X3 M and V6 Porsche Macan, with a zero-to-60 time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 176 mph. The Quadrifoglio also gets performance tires, upgraded brakes and adaptive dampers. 

Fuel Economy: 13/15

For all its sprightly performance the Stelvio doesn’t do too badly at the pump, matching or besting most of the class. The 2.0-liter engine returns an EPA fuel rating of 22 miles per gallon in the city, 28 mpg on the highway and 24 mpg combined. During our week we saw 22.7 mpg combined, despite our heavy right foot.

The Audi Q5 does one mpg better all around but those numbers are right in line with the Mercedes-Benz GLC, Acura RDX, BMW X3, Genesis GV70 and Jaguar F-Pace. The Stelvio does, however, beat the pants off the terribly inefficient Porsche Macan with its 19 mpg city, 25 highway and 21 combined EPA numbers. 

The Quadrifoglio does predictably worse, but by the standards of other ultra-hot sport crossovers, the story is similar to the regular Stelvios. The Q earns 17 mpg city, 23 highway and 19 combined, but that exactly the same as the Macan S and Mercedes-AMG GLC43 and better than the X3 M.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 11/15

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have not yet tested the Stelvio, which costs it some points in our evaluation. This year does mark the arrival of some nice standard active-safety features, however. Blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, lane departure warning and rear parking sensors are all now included. 

All perform their duties as expected, but you’ll need to spend another $1,500 or so to get the good stuff. The Active Assist Plus package turns the blind-spot monitoring and lane departure warning into active assist features. The highway assist feature is a hands-on driver’s aid that takes care of throttle, braking and steering at higher speeds. At low speeds, those tasks are taken care of by traffic jam assist. Both inspire confidence but you’ll find more advanced technology from BMW, Genesis and Mercedes-Benz.

Comfort & Room: 11/15

If you’re looking for a refined cabin, the Stelvio is middling at best. Rivals like the Genesis GV70 and the Mercedes-Benz GLC both offer more luxury features. Then again, the Alfa hasn’t gotten a major update since its debut in 2018. 

Standard across the board are heated front and rear seats and our Veloce tester came with the nicely bolstered Sport leather seats with lumbar and thigh support. The adjustable bolsters let you dial in the amount of side support you desire, but even at their tightest they are pretty comfortable. The backseat’s on-paper measurements look terrible and trail the entire class, but in reality it offers plenty of head and leg room and will seat three across comfortably—though probably not if they play for the Golden State Warriors.

Our week-long test took place in the desert of California, which really challenged the air conditioning system. Even with the temperature set at low and the system on full-blast, the system was no match for the 105-degree outside heat. Granted, we don’t expect the car to reach 72 degrees in 60 seconds, but a new car should cool the cabin before we’re done with our quick jaunt to the grocery store.

Infotainment: 8/15

Every Stelvio has a Wi-Fi hotspot, a stolen vehicle locator, five USB ports, a wireless charger, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the ability to take over-the-air updates, but its systems can be an exercise in frustration. The 8.8-inch screen is controlled either by touch or a dial on the center console. You’re better off using the dial as our tester had laggy response times to our touch inputs. The screen itself is only 3 inches or so tall, so you’ll constantly be swiping through the tiles to find what you want. 

Further, the media feature doesn’t play well with Apple CarPlay—we didn’t get a chance to test out Android Auto. If you want to change a preset you have to exit the smartphone application and go back to the media page. The dial on the center console and the buttons are the steering wheel just dial in the next numerical station. Not helpful when you want to go from Sirius XM channel 311 Yacht Rock to channel 33 1st Wave.

Between the analog gauges is a small screen that can function as a digital speedometer and display various bits of information. It took us a few days to figure out how to change said display—there is a button on the end of the windshield wiper stalk—and with our preferred seating position the steering wheel blocks the bottom of the screen. Moving the seat or steering wheel is possible of course, but then driving comfort is sacrificed. Drivers with longer torsos may not have this problem.

Cargo Space & Storage: 11/15

Small storage is hard to come by in the Stelvio. The center console is deep but narrow and the space in front of the gear selector is taken up by two cup holders. There is space in the arm rest for a wallet as well as a door pocket and a designated spot for the key fob, but it’s tough to find a place for your phone or house keys.

Farther back, the Stelvio is very low on cargo space behind the rear seats. The Genesis GV70 has 28.9 cubic-feet of cargo space back there and the BMW X3 and Acura RDX have similar figures. With the Stelvio you’ll have to make do with just 18.5 cubic-feet of space. Only Porsche’s Macan trails, with 17.2. Of course, that increases when you put the rear seats down and they fold flat for easy loading of gear and groceries. Put them down and there’s a healthier 56.5 cubic-feet, even with the GV70 but shy of the X3’s 62.7.

If you need to tow with your Stelvio you’ll do alright with 3,000 pounds of towing capacity on tap. That’s way more than the 1,500 pounds you can tow with the Acura RDX, but if you really need to drag a trailer, look at the BMW X3 which can trailer over 4,000 pounds.

Style & Design: 9/10

The Stelvio is certainly one of the most eye-catching sport crossovers on the market today, with only the Genesis GV70 giving it a run for its money. The V Scudetto grill makes the car instantly recognizable as an Alfa Romeo, as does the unique five-hole wheel design. We’re not a fan of this Ocra GT golden-yellow color and would prefer the brilliant Alfa Rosso red color or the Quadrifoglio’s Verde Montreal green, but it certainly does stand out. 

The interior color is limited to black, but you can option up red—yes please—or brown leather seats for an extra $600. Add the flat-bottom steering wheel and you know you’re in for some fun. Our tester gets textured aluminum trim on the dash and center console for a bit of sparkle, but other trims get a wood inlay that looks good, albeit much darker. As much as we dislike the infotainment system, it is nicely integrated into the dash and not just plopped on top like an afterthought a la Mazda CX-5.

Is the 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Worth it? Which Stelvio is the Best Value?

The 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio in the base Sprint trim with rear-wheel drive starts at $48,095 including $1,595 for destination. The Veloce trim we spent time with had a starting price of $52,300, but after adding the extra active-safety features, fancy paint job and upgraded audio system this car is close to $60,000.

Looking at the competition, the Stelvio is priced a bit on the high side. The Acura RDX, Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3 and Genesis GV70 all start under $46,000 and the last of them comes with the best warranty in the class, an added value. The only outlier here is the crazy-expensive Porsche Macan, which for some reason starts at nearly $59,000.

We’d likely stick with the mid-trim Stelvio Ti with the additional safety features. Sure, we miss the aluminum interior trim and we can’t option the cool red seats, but will save over $5,000 and still have the same great driving dynamics.

Those who live in warmer climates may want to look at the rear-wheel drive base model. Again, no aluminum interior but you can option the red seats. The real bummer here is that there is no limited-slip differential, but with its cheaper starting price, shoppers who want to save some cash might be willing to give that up. 

The Quadrifoglio starts at an eye-watering $86,575, which is $5,000 more than a Porsche Macan GTS and $6,000 more than a BMW X3 M Competition. Ferrari-related engines and gobs of power are nice, but the value proposition here seems more a matter of the heart than the head.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Alfa Romeo Stelvio?

The Stelvio costs a little more than its rivals to insure. According to our data, the average 30-year-old female driver with a good record can expect an average annual premium of $2,837 for the Stelvio Sprint, but curiously only $2,596 for the Ti, our pick for value. Quadrifoglio owners can expect to pay lots more, to the tune of $3,881. A similar Genesis GV70 Sport Prestige would run to $2,467, an Audi Q5 $2,192, a Volvo XC60 $2,120 and the Acura RDX $1,725. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, see our car insurance calculator.