► Facelifted Stelvio QF
► Smart new lights and limited slip-diff
► But a hard ride and poor economy
For a car with such an outrageous turn of pace, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio doesn’t like to be rushed. I originally drove one in the Middle East in December 2017, and almost seven years on, at a point when most car makers would be introducing a whole new model, it’s just been facelifted… a tiny bit.
There’s a smart new set of darkened LED lights up front that look a bit like the SZ-inspired ones on the Alfa Romeo Tonale, and another set of LEDs out back, these the same shape as before but this time with a clear centre. And there’s some textured carbon console trim and full digital instrumentation.
But it still delivers the same blend of thuggish and showy, and its capacity to turn heads is barely blunted by our decision to stick with standard 20-inch wheels rather than upgrade to the optional 21s, thus saving £750. The marginally taller tyre profile and lower unsprung mass should help the ride.
We skipped the £3250 Sparco carbonshell buckets and £3500 carbon-tipped Akrapovic exhaust, but did go for the gorgeous Montreal Green metallic, a pricey £2000 option that really makes the QV pop. We also ticked the £1100 Driver Assistance option, packaging various semi-autonomous goodies.
But you don’t spend £90k on a car like this to let a computer do the steering. The refusal to even acknowledge the concept of understeer makes the Stelvio feel as on-point today on a twisty road as it did in 2018 when I ranked it above a Porsche Macan Turbo.
You’re never going to feel the extra 10bhp Alfa has squeezed from the twin-turbo V6, particularly when it’s nixed by 20kg of middle-aged spread; the identical 3.8sec 0-62mph time bears that out. That power is now channelled through a revised four-wheel-drive system with a mechanical limited-slip differential.
Early days, but I’ve already realised that its harsh low- speed ride smooths out on B-roads, where the Stelvio begs you to thrash it like a hot hatch, and that you might as well oblige, because even a gentle cruise only returns around 20mpg. You need to really love a car to put up with that kind of economy in 2024, and we’ve got six months to decide if the whole QV package can justify the expense.
Logbook: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio (Month 1)
Price £87,195 (£90,745 as tested)
Performance 2891cc V6, 513bhp, 3.8sec 0-62mph, 177mph
Efficiency 23.9mpg (official), 20.2mpg (tested), 267g/km CO2
Energy cost 34.0p per mile
Miles this month 1695
Total miles 5080