- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
206kW, 400Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 150000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2017)
2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce review
Sporty Italian flair with enough room to fit in the family and groceries. Does Alfa's medium SUV make a compelling option in the land of premium SUVs?
- Fun to punt through the corners
- Torquey and thrummy 2.0-litre engine
- Nice feel and look of the interior
- Short warranty offering
- Brittle low-speed ride quality around town
- Second row is a little tight for legroom
If you've been yearning for something automotive that's interesting and different, but your circumstances demand you can't have that low and swooping sports car, then you might have to compromise. Something like this 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce could be the thing to scratch that itch, without forsaking the everyday practicality we all want these days.
Or perhaps you've already got your sports car in the garage and you've got room for something next to it? It needs a decent-sized boot and room for five on board, but you also want something interesting to look at and drive. In that case, the Stelvio might be on your list of considerations.
Putting the more expensive, positively barnstorming 2.9-litre Stelvio Quadrifoglio aside for a moment, this is the fastest and most expensive 'normal' variant of the Stelvio range. That range starts at $64,950 before on-road costs for the eponymous Stelvio, which carries a less powerful variant of the same 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine we have got here. There's also less going on inside, so you'd be well-served to consider going up the ladder to Veloce specification.
In this specification – which starts at $78,950 plus on-roads – there's a good dose of standard equipment on offer for the Stelvio Veloce. Some things shared with the Stelvio Sport – which sits in between Stelvio and Veloce – are sports leather seats with front heating and power bolstering, wireless phone charging and active cruise control.
Additionally, Veloce gets 20-inch aluminium alloy wheels, a limited-slip rear differential, upgraded brakes, Veloce bodykit with twin exhausts, adjustable dampers, electric seat adjustment, 10-speaker sound system and electric tailgate. Smaller details include a heated second row, interior ambient lighting and leather-stitched trimming inside.
It's safe to say – especially when combined with the increased output from the engine – this would be the specification to look at for the driving enthusiast. Unless you can afford the Quadrifoglio, of course.
Key details | 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce |
Price (MSRP) | $78,950 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Vesuvio Grey / black sports leather |
Options | Dual-pane panoramic sunroof – $2545 Metallic paint – $1645 |
Price as tested | $83,140 plus on-road costs |
Rivals | Mercedes-Benz GLC | BMW X3 | Jaguar F-Pace |
Driving
The 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine in the Stelvio Veloce – which is shared with the Giulia Veloce – is impressive on paper with 206kW made at a relatively low 5250rpm and 400Nm available just above 2000rpm via an eight-speed torque convertor automatic.
The engine loses a smidge of its performance edge in this application, with the Stelvio being heavier and taller than the Giulia, and four driven wheels procuring a little extra driveline loss. It's all about the mid-range punch, makes the right noises, and feels really responsive anywhere above two grand on the tacho. Importantly, it feels sporty and is quite enjoyable to deploy more angrily.
The Stelvio isn't the smoothest operator around town - adding sporting flair and experience does bring a little bit of compromise. Ride quality can be a little on the brittle side, especially when negotiating driveways, kerbs and potholes at lower speeds.
That’s the compromise here. In order to live up to the storied brand, Alfa Romeo has tightened up the ride and steering of the Stelvio to make it drive and feel like something of a sports car.
As you progressively put more and more speed on, the Stelvio feels better in terms of composition and compliance. Rougher, sweeping country roads are well-dispatched and you can certainly have plenty of fun while you are at it.
An SUV will never be as inherently enjoyable or capable as a sedan, with its greater mass and higher centre of gravity. But in saying that, the Stelvo does a great job of battening down the hatches and tucking into faster corners enthusiastically.
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Its steering is particularly sharp, with almost instant off-centre response and a fast overall steering ratio. The car feels like it tracks through corners nicely as well, with plenty of grip and not too much body roll. It’s there, and you’ll find it if you go searching, sure. But maybe the kids in the back would prefer you slowed down a fraction. SUV, remember?
The all-wheel-drive system has a healthy rear bias in play and lets that limited-slip differential do the heavy lifting the majority of the time. This also helps nullify that more common wash of understeer that can happen in other all-wheel-drive SUVs.
Four driven wheels also helps with putting down the power, both off the mark and while rolling through the bends. In that regard, the Stelvio feels quite secure on the road.
On the highway that sharp steering does feel a little fidgety, and you'll notice it requires a bit of attention correction in comparison to something more docile. And that grippy Michelin rubber also hums noticeably on coarse-chip highways. Once again, these are common compromises that one might have in a typical sports car. It's a little unique to encounter them in an SUV.
Key details | 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol |
Power | 206kW @ 5250rpm |
Torque | 400Nm @ 2250rpm |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Eight-speed torque convertor automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 127.2kW/t |
Weight (tare) | 1619kg |
Tow rating | 2000kg braked, 750kg unbraked |
Inside
The interior design of Alfa Romeo's Stelvio SUV feels classic, classy and sporting. There are nice materials and touches around the place, without feeling like it’s trying too hard to be impressive. Aluminium inserts are a welcome reprieve from the all-too-common piano black and plastic chrome you find nowadays.
Seating, something of a classic Italian sports seat in this case, is deep and well-bolstered. Not so much to reduce their suitability for everyday usage, however, but they look and feel great. There is loads of electric adjustment on offer, and I found myself easily positioned comfortably behind the wheel.
Two cupholders are hidden under a slide-out cover below the single 12V outlet on the dash, along with slots to shove your phone and key. It's a small detail, but stops both from sliding around and banging about the place. Nice touch.
A wireless charging pad is smartly designed into the centre console, along with USB-A, USB-C, 12V, and auxiliary audio in the decent-sized central storage compartment. If you've got bigger bottles, they will fit in the door cards.
Before jumping into the second row, one can see that perhaps there isn't as much space as there is up front. There's more room here than a Giulia – which is important for the brand – but I have been in mainstream medium-sized SUVs that have more space than the Stelvio.
It's not too bad, but you might find yourself running out of legroom with big adults sitting fore and aft of each other. In my case, the kids were well within range of recreating Bootmen every time we had them in the back. The seats get dirty quite quickly, and it's also bloody annoying.
Headroom is in good supply, however, even with the optional sunroof fitted. That sunroof – costing $2454 – offers glass all the way to the heads of those in the back. The glass retracts back only halfway of that, however.
The 499L boot is a solid pass mark for the segment. There's more than enough room in there for everyday usage, and even for all of the bags you'll pack for a big family holiday somewhere. There's a 12V power outlet, luggage net and adjustable tie-down rails. Underneath is an optional space-saver spare mounted onto a modern-looking lightweight temporary wheel, stick with the standard tyre repair kit and boot space grows to 525L.
2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 525L |
Length | 4687mm |
Width | 1903mm |
Height | 1648mm |
Wheelbase | 2818mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
The 8.8-inch infotainment display is touchscreen-compatible, which renders the rotary control down by your thigh a little redundant. It still works, and one can persevere with it if they wish, but the touchscreen is much easier to use overall.
The size and impact of the infotainment display do seem a little on the small side when comparing the offering to other premium SUVs in this price point. It's quite a wide letterbox style and integrated into the dash rather than protruding outwards.
Infotainment is an area where growth and development seem to be rampant, with bigger, faster and more impressive systems constantly coming through new vehicles. And while there is nothing inherently wrong with the Stelvio in this regard, it doesn't pack the same big-acreage punch as other systems. It does fit into the dashboard with a streamlined look, which sets the Stelvio apart from other cars that can easily have a dashboard dominated by a big, prominent display. So perhaps the smaller size isn't all bad.
Important things like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, digital radio and native navigation are all accounted for, and the operating system proved to be fast to respond and easy to navigate during our test.
The multifunction display in front of the driver is of a fair size and offers a good degree of controls and functionality. It’s surrounded by good old-fashioned analogue instruments, which still have their place among the increasingly popular fully digital dashboards of today.
Safety and Technology
Safety equipment for the Stelvio includes autonomous emergency braking and forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and tyre pressure monitoring.
New technology for 2021 includes traffic sign recognition with intelligent speed control, active blind-spot assistance and driver-attention assistance.
Combine that with a five-star ANCAP safety rating, albeit it one from 2017 – scoring particularly well for adult occupant protection – and the Stelvio is a solid option in terms of safety equipment and performance.
2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce | |
ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2017) |
Safety report | Link to ANCAP |
Value for Money
While the claimed 7.0 litres per hundred kilometres seems impressive for the Stelvio, we weren't able to match that on our own real-world combined cycle of highway and town driving. We saw 11.1L/100km, but it's also worth pointing out that we did spend some time watching the tachometer bounce up and down happily as we let the turbocharged engine do its thing. So you could certainly do a lot better than us if you aim for it.
The warranty offering of only three years and 150,000km is behind the pace. Five years and up to unlimited kilometres is the standard these days in the less expensive mainstream, and it defies logic that the more expensive end of town hasn't gone down the path of equalling (or bettering) that. Some of the more premium brands are bucking that trend, however, with Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranties.
While the Stelvio Quadrifoglio will be the undoubted aspirational performance hero of the litter, this Veloce specification does shape up to be the more pragmatic pick of the range. Its performance is good – in terms of both powertrain and chassis dynamics – and there is a fairly substantial amount of standard equipment included in this specification. Some things like privacy glass, larger wheels and a bodykit are included as standard. Many other brands would be charging you extra for such things.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for the Stelvio is to compete for attention in a market that is simply saturated with well-honed offerings. All of the premium brands these days – BMW, Audi, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Jaguar and Land Rover - all have multiple SUVs to choose from in a variety of configurations and specifications.
Top-spec mainstream offerings in a larger seven-seat format, like the Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Palisade and Kia Sorento, might also be considered in the buyer's cross-shop, even though these cars and the Stelvio come from different points of view. At the end of the day, they fit slightly different use cases, but at similar price points.
This might be why the Stelvio sells in such modest numbers: only just getting into triple digits for the year in August. Many competitors have done over 2000 in the same time.
Maybe that's an advantage here, though. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to buy something at this price, only to see a carbon copy at every other set of traffic lights. At least with this Stelvio you'll have a degree of uniqueness on the road.
Where the Alfa does manage to stand apart in this Veloce specification is the upgraded driving hardware. Bigger brakes, a limited-slip differential, high-output engine and adaptive dampers do more than pay lip service to performance. Many buyers will no doubt appreciate the attention here, rather than just appearances and aesthetics.
At a glance | 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce |
Warranty | Three years / 150,000km |
Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1455 (3 years) | $2865 (5 years) |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.0L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 11.1L/100km |
Fuel type | 95-octane petrol |
Fuel tank size | 64L |
Conclusion
Every Tom, Dick and Harry is driving an SUV these days, and every manufacturer has something on its own showroom floor designed to sate – and profit from – that desire.
The good news here is that Alfa Romeo has done something with the Stelvio to help it feel different and sit apart from a mostly same-same pack of competitors. It's done this mostly through driving feel with a willingness and capability to have fun. No, it's not going to appeal to hardcore sports car buyers. But it's good enough to put a grin on your face when you find that patch of road and suitable timing to let things rip a little bit.
It’s forgiving enough, but you can definitely feel what’s going on underneath. And that's the trade-off here. It can feel a little harsh and jittery at times when you're not on a quiet back road, and instead plodding through town on your weekly duties for work and family. In this instance, you can choose something that's better.
Yet I can't help but like this Stelvio. It plays a big part in helping the SUV segment feel more alive and interesting, and I thank it for that.