Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2d Sprint Q4

 

 This is what will soon be the older and bigger of two SUVs from Alfa Romeo, the Stelvio - and it has just had a mid-life facelift. 

There are tweaks and upgrades for the interior, whose relative shortage of genuinely impressive perceived quality and up-to-date on-board technology came in for criticism when it was launched three years ago. The car’s equipment levels have now been improved across the range, while new active safety and level two semi-autonomous driving technologies have been added to the options list.

UK-based Stelvio buyers can choose a car in Super, Sprint, Lusso Ti or Veloce trim and powered by a 197bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol or 188bhp 2.1-litre diesel four-cylinder engine across most of the range, with only Veloce models increasing the power outputs of those engines to either 276bhp or 207bhp respectively. And then there's the madcap 503bhp Quadrifoglio performance version, a car that, in just the right circumstances, may even be a faster and more dependable way to make your children return their breakfast than any emetic drug.

The Stelvio uses standard coil spring suspension, with lowered and firmed-up springs and ‘frequency-selective’ dampers coming on Veloce versions. A Performance Pack that adds fully adaptive dampers and a mechanical limited-slip differential for the rear axle is optional on all bar the entry-level Super version.

All Stelvios get an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and all get Q4 clutch-based four-wheel drive except the rear-driven, entry-level diesel. Prices now start at a whisker under £40,000, which is a hike of between 6% and 10% on 2019-model-year brochure prices - although that comparison doesn’t allow for the new car’s enriched specification.

Alfa’s Stelvio engines were made Euro-6D WLTP-compliant in 2018, and no revisions have been made to the car’s suspension or steering systems, or to any of its powertrains.