► Month 4 with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio
► We compare it to an electric rival
► Read month 3 here
I wasn’t meant to be comparing the Ioniq 5 N with the Stelvio – the Hyundai was with me for an entirely different reason. But they make a fascinating match- up, and the findings don’t look good for the Alfa.
The Ioniq costs £23k less, makes 128bhp more, and feels even more brutally explosive when you sink the right pedal. It also rides better and has a fantastic interior. There’s even a fake gearbox (that’s far smooth- er than the Alfa’s real one).
But I prefer the Stelvio’s real engine sounds, its deeper boot and the agility that comes with being 400kg lighter. And the range: the Alfa struggles to do 300 miles on a tank, but that’s still 100 miles up on the N.
Logbook – Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio (month 4)
Price: £87,195 (£90,745 as tested)
Performance: 2891cc V6, 513bhp, 3.8 sec 0-62mph, 177mph top speed
Efficiency: 23.9mpg (official), 20.3mpg (tested), 267g/km CO₂
Energy cost: 34.0p per mile
Miles this month: 659
Total miles: 8408