DRIVEN: 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport AWD

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DRIVEN: 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Ti Sport AWD; (around 50k)

HIGHS:

-Sexy, sporty, attractive as a crossover these days can be.  Love how you can get different colored brake calipers on this thing.

-Very comfortable front row seating; lots of room and girth, bolstered seats hug you just right.......disclaimer: I would not get the bolstered seats, I am wider than the bolsters! and I hate climbing over them.  The non-bolstered seats are just as comfortable and supportive.  I will go so far to say that the seats are VERY GOOD, regardless if you choose bolstered or not.

-Love the interior dash layout, and the gauges.  The steering wheel is a rockstar, great size and feels nice.  Paddled shifters in the right spot for fun, and the media display has a scroll wheel which I would eventually figure out.

-I felt there was good visibility out front and back and not too much blind spot on the side compared to other crossovers.  Big side mirrors help a lot.

-The shapes of the dash plastic and doors give a nice cockpit feel and I was totally good with all the interior plastics, even if they may be slightly below some other luxury marques.

-Comfortable thrones in the back.  I will note below the leg room is short a bit IMO, but they it is still nice sitting back there.

-Perfect height for entry and egress for those aging folks like me.

-Well trimmed, large enough trunk, although some may say its a bit narrow.  I think that is a perception because of how tall the rear seatbacks are.  With seats folded, a very nice cargo area.

-Performance, the engine is tractor like.....power builds in a linear fashion and the turbo makes for a nice torquey feel.  The throttle is not programmed for an aggressive feel so sometimes you have to let it build to get into the meat of the torque band; it's not lag.  When you ask for lots more, it kicks in well and has more than enough power...but the power delivery is not neck snapping. The transmission waits just a bit to kick down.  Altogether its well matched and not jumpy like they could have tuned it.

-AMAZING steering.  Quick rack, great feel, particularly for an SUV.  I want to see how this feels in a Guilia now.  The steering is definitely the calling card of an Alfa Romeo.  I might even suggest most folks (even those who think they are enthusiasts) would like the steering a SLIGHT bit less quick and with SLIGHTLY less weight and heft.  But, no complaints.  BMW tried making lighter steering and they got criticized for it.  If you feel like you are searching for ANY kind of vehicle that has great steering these days, then be sure to check out the Alfas.

-The ride was just about spot on.  The one I drove had an adaptive suspension, but i am not smart enough to know if it was working or changing.  All I know is this sporty car did not drive like a hard riding dump track, which is how older sporty cars were tuned.....firm up the suspension till it wasn't compliant just so you could say it was sporty.  Nope, this a nice riding vehicle....I wouldn't even call it firm at all.  Just about right to match the steering. 

-Nice to have a toggle wheel control for entertainment and screens.  Just didn't get to figure it out.

-You can get one with Red leather!

LOWS:

-I am going to have to research this, but there is something weird about the brake feel in this vehicle.  Almost like a delay between when you press the brake and when it brakes.  IS this brake by wire?  Possibly.....The braking is fine but ability to feel what is going on, I need to find out more.  Once you own this vehicle it may become a nothingburger, but it is a bit strange the first few times you use the brakes.

-Maybe not fair to call a "no" since i didn't really use the media controls.  Or Carplay.  It seems like maybe the controls and menus would take some time to figure out to a high level and are not as glitzy as others' screens.

-Although sit up high, and this drives similar to a sedan, this is still not a sedan.  This may be the closest to feeling like a sedan a crossover will feel, but there was still that bobbing on the chassis and lightly tippy sensation you get from moving the mass up higher in a vehicle.  I recommend if you like the Stelvio, drive the Guilia also (i did not....yet).

-Vehicle feels heavy.  Not heavy for a crossover (its among the lighter crossovers), but compared to my light sedan its heavy.  Since the ride and handling is so good on this thing, it just makes the extra weight compared to a sedan seem that much more heavier on this thing.  I feel like if it lost 200 or more pounds it would be that much more amazing.

-Rear seat leg room and footspace could be more.  This is one of the things they would make me hedge on this vehicle.  It's plenty large in front, plenty wide overall.  But the back seat would greatly benefit from 3-6 more inches of knee / legroom.  For me, for example, as a family ride for the times I am in the backseat I need that room.  Alfa buyers typically may not.  I do think its close to deal breaker status.

-It is your decision if you are confident in the Alfa brand and their reliability or not.  I would probably not buy an Alfa (unless with a lifetime warranty).  Lease one?  4 year 50k BTB warranty, you would be covered.

-I do not know how this compares to the direct competition.  Jaguar E or F pace, etc.  I just know on it's own it is an attractive option but I surmise compared to BMW, JAguar, Mercedes, etc. you would need to think hard about the status and value equation of Alfa vs. the others.

SUMMARY:

So this was a fun test drive, and I really like this vehicle.  I still prefer sedans and lower cars, I don't like crossovers generally.  But this is a nice option to get something that can bridge your transition to a crossover and still have fun driving in comfort that goes with an SUV.  I believe most will find the interior just fine and it is very comfortable for the driver and front passenger.  It's not so bleeding edge biased toward performance that it isn't an everyday car.  It totally is an everyday car.  I'll give it an A-, with no egregious vices (except to determine if you like the brakes).  And I just caution you that if you go to test one, try a Guilia too and determine if you really want a sedan or a crossover.  Also I would say do your homework and test the competition (Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes etc).  I'd have no trouble with one of these in my garage....IF I wanted a lux brand or sporting SUV.

Edited March 31, 2019 by regfootball

[regfootball]

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a22126727/brake-by-wire/