Few automotive brands are more emotive than Alfa Romeo, and we had the pleasure of driving a few mountain passes in Cape Town with the Stelvio Veloce SUV. Named after a famous Italian mountain pass is the Stelvio as well. When the Stelvio was launched originally two characteristics were present, namely sporty styling and performance.

These attributes have been ramped up on the 2023 model, available currently in the Veloce, the Stelvio pulls all the top features from it’s sibling, the Tonale. The evolution of the Stelvio can be compared to ‘Performance Art’, a new form of art in which the artist’s performance is carried out live in front of spectators. In a similar way, Alfa Romeo’s ‘mechanical creations’ manifest themselves in real life, generating strong emotions and ensuring the best driving experience in the automotive world.

The New Styling.

Standing out on the front of the Stelvio, is the famous ‘’Trilobo’’ grille, which features the distinctive headlamp cluster from the Tonale. In fact, the headlights are the main new feature on the front: the “3+3” lights are new Full-LED Adaptive Matrix headlights. This creates both a strong family connection with the Tonale and, at the same time, recalls one of the brand’s famous features which was introduced by the iconic Alfa Romeo SZ Zagato of the 1990s and the Alfa Romeo Pro-teo concept car.

These ensure the best lighting conditions thanks to the introduction of two sophisticated technologies: the “Adaptive Driving Beam”, which constantly adjusts the dipped beam headlights based on the speed and driving conditions; the “Glare-Free High Beam Segmented Technology”, which automatically detects both directions of traffic to avoid blinding the other cars; and finally, the third module automatically turns on when turning in curves to guarantee the best lateral lighting.

The layout of the group of rear LED taillights provides the perfect combination of style and sophisticated technologies, accentuating the Stelvio’s sporty soul. The Stelvio has new taillights in glass with a transparent finish.

The Cabin.

The Stelvio interior is extremely up to date, with a premium feel and ergonomically is very comfortable with lots of seat room etc. It includes the new, completely digital 12.3” TFT screen, where one can access all the vehicle’s information. Moreover, the cluster can be reconfigured into three layouts: Evolved, Relax, and Heritage. We played with this on the less challenging parts of the route.

The most significant update can be seen in the instrument panel with its historic “telescopic” design. Evolved represents the future of Alfa Romeo design and uses the central area of the screen, despite keeping its two lateral quadrants in place.

The Heart of the Matter.

The Stelvio has a 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder petrol engine, pushing out a creditable 206kw & 400 Nm of torque. Mated to a sublime 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with aluminum shift paddles, it handled extremely well over the various mountain passes twisty curves. Acceleration is brisk, and it hugs a corner like a lover.

Designed to manage the vehicle’s traction in a reactive and predictive way to ensure the highest levels in terms of performance, efficiency and safety, the Q4 technology guarantees all the benefits of all-wheel drive and, simultaneously, guarantees reduced fuel usage, reactivity and the pleasure of driving a rear-wheel drive vehicle. At the heart of the Q4 system is the Active Transfer Case (ATC) that monitors grip conditions and driver inputs in real time to ensure the best performance. 

Alfa Romeo’s Q4 system allows the vehicle to travel completely in rear-wheel drive and, if tyre grip is approaching its traction limit or according to a specific driver request, instantly delivers up to 50% of the engine torque to the front in less than 150ms. This virtually eliminates any wheel slip in most conditions and ensures maximum vehicle performance and driving effectiveness.

The use of the brake-by-wire system allows for a notable reduction of the components inside the engine compartment with a single hardware unit made up of a pump, power brakes and ESP.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce offers peace of mind motoring for five years or 100,000km thank to its warranty and maintenance plan. To be joined later in the year by the Stelvio Q, the Veloce model – available immediately – retails at R1,205,500 with the option of a sunroof at R20 000.

Summation.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is an evocative SUV, one that you really want to jump into for a challenging mountain pass drive, or just around the highways. It looks great feels great and performs the same.