The Alfa Romeo Stelvio receives a subtle mid-life facelift. But can the Junior Executive SUV with the “Cuore Sportivo” win hearts?

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Photos: Clifford Chow

SINGAPORE

It’s about time that Alfa Romeo did a mid-life refresh to the Stelvio. Their first SUV took to our streets in the fourth quarter of 2018, which was actually very late, since production commenced two years prior. The Stelvio, and its sedan sibling, the Giulia are significantly important cars for Alfa Romeo, as they marked the “proper return” of the brand. But what do I mean by “proper return”? Well, prior to this, if we take the case of the current Giulia, and its predecessors, the last time Alfa Romeo committed to a rear-drive chassis was when they produced the 75, way back in the mid-eighties. Thereafter, the D-Segment Executive 155, 156 and 159 (the last two mentioned, being equipped with that infamous robotised manual), had their engines mounted in east-west fashion, with drive primarily to the front wheels.

The return of the Giulia marked a turn in the brand’s product direction, and quite literally a turn in direction the engine faced… which wheels were driven, and more importantly signalling to the world that the Giulia was not to compete against something like a Volkswagen Arteon or more accurately a Passat, but rather, it had the BMW 3 Series zeroed in its sights.

So after my digressing, you’d probably know that the Stelvio sister car is aimed right at the Junior Executive SUVs like the BMW X3, the Mercedes-Benz GLC, Mazda CX-60 the Audi Q5, Volvo XC60 and the Lexus NX – it is quite a crowded place if you were to ask me.

With the middle-of-life facelift, Stelvio has a renewed face, featuring redesigned full-LED Matrix headlights, sporting three modules on each side, a nod to the Sprint Zagato from the late 80s. The new headlamps come complete with glare-free segmented high beams, which have become commonplace on luxury cars. The signature Trilobo grille, and side intakes have also been re-worked, doing away with the honeycomb theme, in favour of a glossy three-dimensional abstract interpretation. At the rear, the tail lights feature smoked lens segments, finished in gloss black… and that is about all the changes for the exterior.

On the inside, changes are minor too, with just that one upgrade being the new fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster. This can be customised into Evolved, Relax and Heritage themes. In a time where infotainment screens are growing, the one in the Stelvio still  measures a paltry 8.8-inches diagonally. However, I feel that you do not really need such a large screen in a car. The interface, with its drag-droppable widgets works decently… in-fact, it is not bad at all, though it still pales in terms of functionality and features, if compared to BMW’s OS 8, or Mercedes-Benz’s MBUX. But perhaps, at a stretch, with its last updates, it might be moderately better than the one found in the Audi Q5.

With the facelift, I hoped that Alfa Romeo would take the opportunity to give the dashboard, especially the bulk of its touchpoints a sprucing-up as-well. The dash leaves much to be desired in this day and age, as some of the materials, and even switchgear still feel cheap. As for the rest of the cabin, it is still rather decent. The front seats are supportive, which are great for holding you in-place. But as, the seat bases cannot be tilted, it means that I do not get enough thigh support. At the rear, the Stelvio does lose out slightly in leg space to some of the competition. The 525-litre boot (almost identical to the Audi Q5) benefits users with its flat base, squared sides, and wide aperture.

The Veloce is the only variant brought in by new dealership, Capella Auto at this juncture. Under the bonnet, 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine dishes out 280hp and 400Nm, and gets all wheels driven via an “industry favourite” 8-speed ZF 8HP automatic. Punch in the throttle, and the powertrain indulges you with characteristic turbo wheeze, interspaced with gear changes. All this, while the SUV makes haste, rapidly cover ground.

The steering does take a while getting used to, as it is too light for my liking; and that is even with more weight dialled-in, in ‘Sport’ mode. But once used to it, you can appreciate that it is progressive in nature.

The Stelvio definitely lives up to the mountain pass it is named after. Straight up, it feels nimble, accurate and absolutely delicate around corners. When you need to, you can easily nose it into the other direction almost in an instant, since inertia in the front-end is low, as the four-cylinder is seated as far back in the engine bay as possible.

Perhaps the best analogy to describe the difference between the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the other fun Junior Executive SUV to drive, which is the BMW X3, would be – the former has an eagerness to dance with a certain lightness to its feet. The BMW X3 on the other hand, hunkers down, taking a serious chomp into asphalt cake, biting in with a firmness seemingly harder to come undone than a committed Bavarian Handshake. Two very different approaches, both satisfying to drive if you were to ask me.

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But as a daily driver, you must know that the Stelvio Veloce’s ride leans on the firm side. But while the stiff suspension, coupled with those large 20-inch rims send almost every bump into the cabin, I am glad that the interior is still well-insulated, and the driving experience still feels acceptably refined.

With today’s overly high-trending COEs, the Stelvio Veloce retails for $344,888*; which while I would refrain from calling it a bang-for-buck Junior Executive SUV, it does have more bang than than the (apple to apple) BMW X3 xDrive30i, which retails for $409,888*. By price point, this is a win. But can you get past that ageing interior?

_{*Correct at time of publication}

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce

Drivetrain type	Petrol engine
Engine	1,995cc, inline 4, turbocharged
Power	280hp at 5200rpm
Torque	400Nm at 2000-4800rpm
Gearbox	8-speed automatic
0-100km/h	5.7 seconds
Top Speed	230km/h
Fuel Efficiency	9L/100km
VES Band	C2 / +S$25,000
Agent	Capella Auto
Price	S$344,888 with COE and VES
Availability	Now
Verdict	Engaging to drive, and a win by price point.