► Facelifted Stelvio QF
► Smart new lights and limited slip-diff
► Read month 1
Our Stelvio’s standard 20-inch wheels look almost as good as the optional 21s, have a very similar five-hole design and saved us £750. But the Pirellis they’re wrapped in have a surprising amount of headroom considering no one will ever drive one off road.
Upgrading to the 21s would help plug the gap, but probably not by as much as you’d think. The bigger wheels run a low- er-profile tyre (35 vs 40) so the overall height is only 11.4mm greater, and half of that is below the axle line.
The unnecessary ride-height inches don’t seem to hurt the handling, and given that the ride is already firm, sticking with the smaller wheels was definitely the right choice.
Logbook: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio (Month 2)
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 1130
Total miles 6210