2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport Awd Review
The Car Connexion Adept Review
May 30, 2018
Likes
- It's beautiful
- Sublime driving dynamics
- Driver interfaces are spectacular
- Nearly powerful base engine in grade
Dislikes
- Advanced safety equipment costs $1,500
- Tiny rear seat
- Cheap-feeling interior elements
- Alfa Romeo is not a catchword for quality
Buying tip
features & specs
Remarkably fun to drive and beautiful too, the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is great at driving, less facile at crossover-SUVing.
The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio couldn't have arrived soon enough for the fledgling luxury brand. It's the first SUV from the Italian luxury automaker and the one that buyers are nigh probable to see on the streets, alee of the Giulia sedan and 4C sports car.
Alfa Romeo blends old-world amuse with the New Globe's obsession with loftier-riding off-roaders ameliorate than names you might also know: Porsche, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz.
For its gorgeous styling, impressive performance (with a 505-horsepower Quadrifoglio model on the mode), mannerly driving grapheme, and lengthy list of standard equipment, we rate the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio as a 7.iv out of 10 overall. (Read more about how nosotros rate cars.)
Review continues beneath
It's off-white to call the Stelvio a lifted Giulia sedan. The two models share their powertrains, suspensions, brakes, steering setups, most of their interior and exterior design and equipment, and endless other components together.
The Stelvio range mirrors the Giulia sedan range on the powertrain front. That ways viii-speed automatic transmissions across the lath, along with a 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-4, but the Stelvio distinguishes itself with a standard all-wheel-bulldoze system, even on the Quadrifoglio. This organization is relatively lightweight and can send 100 percent of its torque to the rear wheels and up to 60 percentage to the fronts.
Alfa Romeo engineered a real dancer with the Stelvio, offering very fast steering and a tight, agile suspension. Brilliant paddle shifters, meanwhile, proceed drivers engaged (provided they get the Sport Package).
The 2018 Stelvio comes standard with a rearview photographic camera, simply other safety features require 1 of the two Driver Assistance packages. Select both, and yous'll get front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise command, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, and lane departure alert. In terms of standalone options, keep an heart on Alfa's larger viii.viii-inch infotainment system and the Sport Package.
The Stelvio is available in three trim levels, base, Ti, and the high-operation Quadrifoglio (Italian for "four-leaf clover"). On top of those overarching models, there are Sport Packages bachelor for both, while a Lusso ("luxury") is a belatedly availability particular for the Ti. Prices beginning at $42,990 (including a $995 destination accuse) for the least expensive model and will likely extend beyond $75,000 for the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Alfa says it will announce pricing closer to that model'due south on-auction appointment, during the offset quarter of 2018.
With the Stelvio, Alfa Romeo coins a new shape that reminds united states of america how blocky other crossover SUVs can seem.
Alfa Romeo has fatigued some of the prettiest vehicles in homo history. If any company could get the crossover SUV right, it's them. The Stelvio is stunning from nearly every angle, inside and out. (Read more than about how nosotros rate cars.)
The Stelvio basically takes the Giulia's styling and puts it on stilts. Information technology wears a virtually identical face to its low-riding cousin. The taller Stelvio wears it ameliorate—Alfa's iconic "trilobo" grille looks more than natural on the crossover, which can hide the design's visual mass better.
The profile looks better than the Giulia's. The Stelvio's 2-box shape leaves designers room to sculpt a scallop-like cut into the back of the greenhouse. It's a gorgeous, organic shape that's a welcome reprieve from the ambitious, angular designs that brands like Lexus offer.
In back, a small, steeply raked rear window sits above a heavily styled rear hatch while the rear bumper houses cannon-like exhausts, giving following drivers a good idea of the Stelvio's performance potential.
The Stelvio's motel houses some cheaper components than the competition, but the pieces crucial to driving are both beautiful and first-class to utilize. The centerpiece is a standard apartment-bottomed steering wheel with a thinner rim only aplenty grips. The stop-get-go button sits at the vii:30 position of the airbag housing, an inspired bear upon that looks purposeful and feels very natural to utilise. Behind the wheel are a must-take set of column-mounted paddle shifters. Huge and made of metal, they're a focal point of the Sport trim level.
The Stelvio'south seats wearable leather as standard and have the elegant await you'd expect in a vintage car. The Stelvio Ti gets upgraded hides, while the Sport Bundle adds huge side bolsters. Designers incised existent wood and aluminum trim into the nuance, while obvious plastics are kept to a minimum. Overall, this cabin is a lovely identify to spend a long drive.
Review continues below
Dollar-for-dollar, the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is ane of the well-nigh capable, dynamic, and fun-to-bulldoze crossover SUVs on the market place.
The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio shoots and scoots on a level like the mid-grade Jaguar F-Stride and Porsche Macan. It rates 8 points out of 10 on our performance scale. (Read more than about how we charge per unit cars.)
The Stelvio'south two-engine lineup mirrors the Giulia. A ii.0-liter turbo-4 builds 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque in base and Ti models. This engine should go on Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, BMW X3, and Audi Q5 owners upwards at nighttime.
At that place's only a little hyperbole at work there. The turbo-4 outguns the base engines in the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC300, and Audi Q5, while it has plenty grunt to concur its own confronting the X3 and Q5's optional V-6 powertrains. Performance is stiff from a standstill and upwards through redline, with the broad, flat torque bend kicking the nearly 4,000-pound crossover in the pants whenever information technology's necessary. The Stelvio can hit 60 faster than any other base model in the segment, arriving in that location in five.4 seconds before hitting a 144-mph top speed.
The 2.0-liter's partner in crime is ZF'south fantastic 8-speed automatic transmission. It's an unobtrusive transmission when the Dna bulldoze mode selector is in Natural, kicking down as needed and holding gears where appropriate. It's good in Advanced Efficiency, curt-shifting along to save fuel. The transmission's potential comes to full life in Dynamic manner. Shifts are fast and almost brutally hard. It'south different any other SUV we've driven, with high-rpm gear changes delivering a swift kick in the back. The changes are smoothen and quick on downshifts, then don't be surprised if, like usa, you start using manual style only for giggles.
The Stelvio isn't some automotive fullback, capable of only running in a direct line. It's a four-wheeled ballerina. This is one of the most agile, enjoyable vehicles in its segment, hands matching up with the sublime treatment of the Jaguar F-Pace. A perfect 50-l weight distribution ensures a wonderful residue and a neutral handling character that's willing to rotate if you drive it properly. The Stelvio is good in Ti Sport form, but the upcoming adaptive suspension and mechanical limited-skid differential in the Ti Performance Packet should evangelize fifty-fifty sharper treatment when they arrive later this twelvemonth.
Divine steering intervenes on the Stelvio's behalf. Lightning-fast with an 12.0:i steering ratio and exceptionally precise, the steering feels natural and builds weight well. It'south very talkative, giving drivers a clear idea of what the forepart beam is doing. Feedback in full general is first-class through the seats. Information technology doesn't track all that well at highway speeds and can get tiring, but the trade-off in the bends is worth it.
We'll level some criticism at the Stelvio's brakes. Alfa Romeo uses an all-electrical brake pedal that records input and transmits it to a reckoner, which directs the action of the brake calipers. Information technology'due south a fantastic system in high- or medium-speed, dynamic weather condition. It'due south as well nearly impossible to terminate the Stelvio smoothly at the sort of speeds you'll encounter in high-traffic areas.
Review continues below
A tiny backseat is the 2018 Alfa Stelvio's biggest demerit, and will make it difficult for Alfa Romeo to appeal to families with older children.
The Alfa Stelvio commits a couple of sins on its way to SUV divinity. We'd yet rather hang with the sinners.
In the Stelvio, excellent optional front end seats offer plenty of back up and some leather, existent wood and aluminum trim hitting grace notes. None of those brand up for a cramped second row, a smallish cargo hold, and an overarching sense of cheapness throughout the interior.
Nosotros requite the Stelvio a half-dozen out of ten. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
Alfa Romeo offers 3 unlike seating options on the Stelvio—while leather is standard, Ti Sports get more than heavily bolstered chairs and the Ti Lusso scores more luxurious hides. Those with broader frames might not care for the super supportive Sport seats, but if you program on tackling twisty roads regularly, they're the only fashion to fly.
The rest of the Stelvio's cabin is a mixed pocketbook. Existent forest trim—Nighttime Greyness Oak—is standard on Ti models, while the Lusso gets an optional Light Walnut. The Ti Sport is bachelor with real aluminum. Forth with the leather dash, there's a lot to similar here. But none of it feels very solid, and while the plastics are technically soft affect, they're weirdly firm, besides. The hard black plastic surrounding the shift lever and controls for the infotainment organization likewise feels out of place. Nosotros question how well this cabin will concord up to more than a few years of use.
Second-row leg room should exist fine for children, simply with merely 31.9 inches—over 4.five inches less than the next closest European crossover, the BMW X3—adults will want to avoid the back seats on all but the shortest of journeys. Caput room is tight too, although at 38.9 inches in back, the Stelvio sits neatly between the Mercedes GLC on the depression stop and the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 on the high terminate.
The Stelvio has but average cargo space, with 18.5 cubic feet of cargo infinite behind the second row and up to 56.v cubic feet in total. That trails backside the new Audi Q5 (26.viii cubic feet with sixty.4 in total) and the BMW X3 (27.half-dozen cubic feet and 63.3 in total), although the Stelvio's maximum ties the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class.
Review continues below
Crash test ratings aren't bachelor for the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio yet.
Neither NHTSA nor the IIHS has gotten effectually to crashing the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio yet, then nosotros aren't rating it yet. (Read more well-nigh how we rate cars.)
All Stelvios are available with active safe systems similar frontwards-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warnings, and blind-spot monitors. Nigh of these features are in ane of ii packages—a $650 Driver Assistance Static package adds blind-spot monitors, while the $1,500 Commuter Aid Dynamic Plus adds the rest. A rearview camera with rear parking sensors is standard on all models.
A solid roster of standard equipment and a range of luxury and performance options keeps the Alfa Romeo Stelvio competitive, while a solid warranty should give owners some peace of listen.
All 2018 Stelvios come standard with power features, 18-inch wheels, LED taillights, dual-zone climate control, leather seats, a 7.0-inch display in the musical instrument cluster, a 6.5-inch infotainment system that will add Apple tree CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility later this yr, an eight-speaker stereo, and a power liftgate for $42,990, including a $995 destination accuse. (Read more than about how we rate cars.)
The Ti trim adds $2,000 to the toll tag and brings with information technology wood trim, heated leather seats, an 8.eight-inch infotainment organisation, SiriusXM satellite radio, 19-inch wheels, and forepart parking sensors.
Option packages are relatively uncomplicated. Base Stelvio owners can add the $one,800 Sport Bundle and get nineteen-inch alloys, a sport-tuned suspension, gloss-black window surrounds, a sportier steering wheel, and those gorgeous paddle shifters. A Commuter Aid Static Package costs $800 and adds bullheaded-spot monitors, front and rear parking sensors, and auto-dimming mirrors. Advanced safety equipment is available in the Driver Help Dynamic Plus Package that adds adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, forward-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warnings. Finally, a $795 Common cold Weather Bundle adds heated forepart seats, a heated steering bicycle, and heated washer nozzles.
Stand-solitary equipment on the base Stelvio includes navigation for the 6.five-inch infotainment system and the upgraded eight.8-inch display.
The Stelvio Ti ups the ante with plenty of extra options, including the mutually sectional Sport and Lusso packages. The Sport Parcel costs $two,500 and adds however equipment as the base Stelvio plus sport seats and 20-inch wheels. The Lusso Parcel adds upgraded leather on the seats and steering wheel, a leather-wrapped dash, and forest trim.
The Ti Performance Packet is available on non-Sport models and adds an active suspension, mechanical express-sideslip differential, and column-mounted paddle shifters. The same bundle is available for the Ti Sport, sans the already included paddle shifters. Alfa Romeo will denote pricing for these packages subsequently this year.
This all sounds good. It does not, even so, address Alfa Romeo's reputation for reliability (or lack thereof). Alfa offers a 4-year, 50,000-mile warranty on the Stelvio. A 5-year, 100,000-mile warranty covers the powertrain, while the first service is free. Information technology's better than most mainstream cars, but far behind the free-maintenance offers you lot'll become on an F-Pace or an XT5.
Review continues beneath
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio'due south 28-mpg highway rating is perfectly average for the class, keeping footstep with its European rivals.
The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio returns an EPA-estimated 22 mpg city, 28 highway, 24 combined. Those figures are good enough for a half dozen out of 10 on our fuel-efficiency scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
In terms of fuel-sipping technology, the Advanced Efficiency driving mode, a recalcitrant cease-beginning system, and the eight-speed automatic transmission are about every bit skilful as the Stelvio gets.
Review continues beneath
Continue Reading
The Automobile Connection Consumer Review
June 29, 2018
2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport AWD
All-time Luxury High Performance SUV For The Money Hands Down
people found this helpful.
March 15, 2018
2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Lusso AWD
Wow! Looks better than a Macan, drives just as well
people constitute this helpful.
March half dozen, 2018
2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Sport AWD
Non A Boring SUV
people establish this helpful.
Nov 20, 2017
2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio AWD
Actually great auto!!
people establish this helpful.
Source: https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/alfa-romeo_stelvio_2018
0 Response to "2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport Awd Review"
Post a Comment