Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2020 Review – International

The MY20 changes to the Alfa Romeo Stelvio are good news for buyers looking to take a Latin plunge. In a similar fashion to the changes wrought on the MY20 Alfa Romeo Giulia, at first experience at least, the brand has retained what was good about Alfa’s first ever SUV (its driving manners) and significantly improved the cabin and infotainment system.

Inside, like the Giulia, one or two rough edges (metaphorically and quite literally, in the case of the shoddy old gear lever) let the first-generation Alfa Romeo Stelvio down. But the 2020 versions of the Italian SUV gain all the updates Alfa has enacted on its four-door saloon.

For a start, the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio gets a far nicer, leather-wrapped shifter for the eight-speed auto standard across the range.

The steering wheel is now better to hold and, importantly, the infotainment has been upgraded in every possible way.

The graphics are sharper, it now has touch-sensitive capabilities, there are additional apps and there’s a larger 8.8-inch display screen.

Alfa Romeo has also worked over the materials used and the amount of sound-deadening included around the cabin. It’s also had a little tinker with the steering to reduce what it calls ‘crow hop’; the feeling of wheel-slip when on full lock at low (manoeuvring) speeds.

All very worthwhile changes and, as on the Giulia, they do enough to move the Stelvio’s cabin from the very back of the premium SUV segment to somewhere among the main pack.

It’s not class-leading inside now but it’s good enough that it no longer should have potential customers wondering whether they should take the plunge on the Stelvio… As if the cabin quality is indicative of the engineering that has gone into the overall package.

The upgraded 7.0-inch TFT instrument cluster display screen is also a lovely touch and the whole fascia looks nice, too, which is always a bonus.

While the fire-breathing 375kW Quadrifoglio range-topper has not yet benefited from these intelligent interior tweaks (it will go through ‘the change’ in 2020 itself), fans of the Stelvio’s lively chassis might be pleased to know that there’s a new, interim performance flagship for the 2020 model year dubbed the Veloce.

At least there is in Europe. The MY20 line-up for Australia is yet to be announced, but currently here the Stelvio opens at $67,900 drive-away for the 148kW/330Nm 2.0-litre entry-level variant with a complimentary ‘Veloce Pack’ valued at $5000.

For $78,900 plus on-road costs, the Stelvio Ti gets the same petrol engine (again matched to an eight-speed auto and all-wheel drive as standard), while the 154kW/470Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel slots in between at $67,900 plus ORCs and the Quadrifoglio and QV NRING top the range at a respective $150K and $190K.

Europe’s new Stelvio Veloce mirrors the same model in the Giulia line and is available with either the 154kW diesel or the 206kW petrol four.

Where the Veloce impresses is in the visuals. It sits on 20-inch alloys with larger tyres, while the bodywork is beefier and body-coloured. This one touch alone makes its exterior design look even more cohesive than ever.

Inside, sports seats are leather-trimmed and six-way electrically adjustable and there’s lashings of aluminium trim to lift the ambience.

While the pricing of the Stelvio Veloce will be key, it’s the one you’ll want to drive – perhaps even over and above almost any of its premium rivals in this class, including the circa-$100K Audi SQ5, BMW X3 and X4 M40i and the Mercedes-Benz GLC 43 SUV and Coupe.

This Alfa Romeo is still a high-riding wagon but it feels terrifically light on its feet -- a direct corollary of its 1660kg kerb weight (slender for this type of vehicle).

Direct, accurate and, whisper it, communicative steering helps enormously, while the balance of the chassis is superb.

There’s a bit of understeer to work through on slimier surfaces and, if you back off to try and correct that then you’ll soon find out just how aggressively rear-biased Alfa has made the Stelvio’s Q4 system.

It’s a lively handler, in a good way -- not ragged, it’s just that it doesn’t quite respond the way you’d expect a four-wheel drive SUV to.

Indeed, buyers should be aware that the Stelvio is more of a driver’s SUV than the somewhat staid direct competition, with the possible exception of the Porsche Macan S.

As per the outgoing model, the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a fine long-distance companion, with a good, taut ride on 20-inch wheels courtesy of two-stage adjustable dampers (also yet to be confirmed for Australia). And the noise suppression levels in the passenger compartment are deeply impressive.

The traction advantages of the Q4 system (something that differentiates the 206kW Stelvio from the Giulia Veloce with the same drivetrain) ensure the SUV emphatically makes the most of its power, bursting out of corners with a real alacrity and making quite a decent sound while it’s at it.

Neither the interior updates wrought as part of the model-year overhaul, nor the addition of Veloce spec to the roster, are ground-breaking decisions by Alfa Romeo.

Yet they team up with the Stelvio’s cracking chassis to result in an SUV that could well be the most rewarding thing to drive and live with in this class.

So the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a case of a limited number of changes making a big difference. Now, we just need some clarity on exactly when the updated Italian SUV will arrive Down Under.

Maybe, just maybe, this improved Stelvio can now push Alfa Romeo forward to stronger sales numbers, as we head into the next decade of motoring.

How much does the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce Q4?
Price: TBC; more than the existing $78,900 Ti
Available: TBC
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 206kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.0L/100km (estimated)
CO2: 160g/km (estimated)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)