Most people think of Alfa Romeos as great driver’s cars that are notoriously finicky. So, when the Italian brand launched an SUV, it was hard to see how it was going to marry the bulk of a family-sized 4x4 with the driving prowess expected of the brand.

Walking up to the Stelvio, you can see the designers have managed to make an SUV that looks like it will drive well. It is one of those cars that looks like it is going quickly even when it is sitting still.

With the massive pair of exhaust pipes sticking not very subtly out through the rear bumper, you know that this vehicle means business. This feeling continues when you open the door and see the full red leather interior and beautiful polished steel fixtures and fittings.

Climbing into the driver’s seat, you know this is not your normal family SUV. The crimson seat is electrically controlled and, with some precise button pushing, it fits snuggly around you. The rest of the interior is covered in the same red cowhide or with some very nicely textured, quality-feeling plastics.

Alfa’s infotainment system is decent, but not exactly ground breaking. You can see where they have taken hints from a certain German brand with the wheel to scroll through the menus.

On the road

Firing up the Alfa is a lovely experience, with a rumble from the aforementioned big pipes sticking out the back. The driving position is perfect and the steering wheel is wrapped in more lovely Italian leather.

On the move, the Stelvio is a pleasure to drive in traffic – there is a lot of torque from the 280bhp four-cylinder engine and the eight-speed auto is very well behaved in stop-start traffic. There is a roller switch beside the gear lever that allows you to switch between D, N, and A. D is the sport setting, N is the normal setting and A is the ludicrous ECO setting. Not something you need on a car like this.

Once out of the traffic and on to a motorway, this Alfa becomes an enjoyable cruiser, with easily set cruise control. It cruises along at the national limit effortlessly with no fuss. The big issue is keeping it at a speed where the law’s interest won’t be piqued.

It is once you turn off the main routes that you really see what the Stelvio is good at. Even with its raised stance, it still manages to feel like a seriously capable car in the twisty stuff and that is before the dial is switched to D (sport).

Once sport is engaged, you can feel the car tighten up and the gearbox starts to work more aggressively. Once in this mode, there is nothing else in this class that handles or inspires confidence like this car does. The steering tightens up and the feel is superb for any car, let alone a big lump of a comfortable Italian SUV.

When driving briskly, there are a set of paddles behind the steering wheel that can be used to shift through the box. These beautifully crafted pieces of aluminium give the feeling of this being a special car, but they did make reaching the indicator stalk difficult. Classic Alfa sort of thing to do, to put driving pleasure before the practicalities of driving.

Verdict

As cars go, this one is special – it manages to make 1.66t of metal a driver’s car. With this engine and box, it is a lot of fun to drive and spacious enough to do the everyday tasks when required. It looks good and the interior is very well finished. The red leather adds some drama to it. The engine is gutsy and makes a lovely noise once sport mode has been engaged and is being pushed on. In truth, probably no one really needs this car, but lots of people will want one if they get a chance to drive it.