The Stelvio Quadrifoglio’s dark but purposeful cockpit sets the tone rather effectively for the exciting driving experience to come. The car’s fittings aren’t universally or even very widely of high enough perceived quality to match what you’ll find in an equivalent Audi, Mercedes-AMG or Porsche Macan but, just as with the Giulia, Turin is gambling that won’t be a turn-off for Stelvio owners.
It’s quite a lot more likely to be a turn-off for a Stelvio owner spending nearly £90,000 on a car than someone spending rather less, we’d point out; especially since the efforts made to enrich this car’s cabin (leather on top of the dashboard and on the doors and lacquered carbonfibre deployed liberally) don’t distract you for long from the places where the interior looks and feels cheap (ventilation controls, gearlever, steering column plastics, steering wheel button consoles).
But there are certainly some notable material highlights to cherish. The large aluminium column-mounted shift paddles look and feel great. The seats are large and comfortable, too.
Alfa’s small-diameter flat-bottomed steering wheel, featuring leather, Alcantara and carbonfibre, feels superb although it could do with more reach adjustment. But between one thing and the next, your appetite is whetted rather skilfully.
Alfa’s hot Stelvio arrived just as the Italian firm got around to making its 8.8in Alfa Connect infotainment system compliant with smartphone mirroring. It will connect with both Apple and Android handsets and delivers quite a lot more connected services, through your phone’s data connection, as a result.
An infotainment system in an £87,000 car probably shouldn’t rely on your smartphone’s data connection as squarely as that, mind you. But as time goes on, we’re coming around to the idea that Alfa’s system does just enough, without bombarding its screen with dozens of apps for systems its driver will have no interest in. It’s controlled through an iDrive-style wheel of the sort we generally prefer to a touchscreen system.
Those drawn to this car at least partly for its space and usability ought to be reasonably pleased that it offers a good deal more on both scores than the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The altitude at which the cabin seats you isn’t quite as high as SUVs of this size typically do, so the driving position is pretty recumbent, and you’ll find enough room in the back seats for full-sized adult passengers, although you sit in a lower and more bent-legged pose than some might expect to.
The boot is a good size, although not huge (just above 500 litres assuming you avoid a spacesaver spare wheel) and has load-lashing points as standard, with both a cargo net and a more flexible load area rail system on the options list.