Alfa Romeo Stelvio Diesel First Edition 2019 Review

It’s a little deceptive, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

On first sight – particularly in photographs – the Italian company’s first-ever SUV looks pretty much a medium-sized contender in same vein as the Mazda CX-5 and Honda C-RV.

However, that, it most definitely is not: Dimensionally the new Alfa Romeo softroader sits somewhere between the mid-size and large SUVs, virtually equating to the likes of BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-class.

Maybe the initial perceptions are due to either the nicely-penned, non-assuming style, or simply the proportions, but until you get up close and personal with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio you don’t get a clear idea of where it actually fits size-wise.

Alfa Romeo put many hard yards into the development of its sleek new SUV, focussing on the specific DNA that is supposed to underlie all the company’s products – particularity the finesse of its on-road manners and its onflowing driver appeal.

Here we look at what could be defined as the most workmanlike Stelvio (yet not the cheapest); the diesel-engined version of the limited-build First-Edition model that played a part in the new Alfa’s introduction to Australia in 2018.

At $73,990 before on-roads, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Diesel First Edition sits $8000 above the entry-level turbo-petrol 2.0T version. Dressed up with its own set of 19-inch wheels, Koni Frequency Selective Damping suspension, bright red brake callipers and a panoramic sunroof, it also features a glammed-up interior complete with (heated) sports front seats, sports steering wheel and a thumping 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

This is all on top of the standard Alfa Romeo Stelvio’s low and high-speed autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian avoidance, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and active bi-Xenon headlights – as well as the part-leather-trimmed interior with power front seats and the sat-nav that are universal across all Stelvio models.

The new Alfa Romeo SUV joins a diminishing list of cars sticking with a dated three-year warranty (up to 150,000km and including full-term roadside assist) with regular servicing every 12 months, or 20,000km.

Alfa Romeo rightly prides itself on the dynamic attributes of its Stelvio SUV. In the luxury class it finds a well-earned space as a very sedan-like handler via its sharp steering (very Alfa Romeo), brisk eight-speed auto gearbox (with oversize paddle shifters) and well-sorted ride.

The 154kW/470Nm 2.2-litre diesel is pretty gutsy too (the claimed zero to 100km/h figure is 6.6sec), well-favoured by the Stelvio’s relatively light 1620kg tare weight which places it comfortably below most of its competitors, particularly Audi’s almost 400kg heavier diesel Q5.

As a result (partly), the Stelvio diesel’s claimed 4.8L/100km fuel economy is comfortably ahead of diesel-engined BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC (both 5.7L/100km) and Audi Q5 (5.3L/100km).

With a 64-litre fuel tank, that economy delivers a theoretical range of over 1300km – a claim we put to the test with a day long drive of approaching 900km around Victoria. Even in the city, you can expect around 8.0L/100km.

Although the rear-biased Q4 all-wheel drive system and chunky 235/55R19 tyres help the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Diesel grip nicely, there is a caveat: an unsettling thumping and clunking that bedevilled the front end of our review car when being moved at slow speeds with full-lock applied.

Watch this:
What happens when you compare the energy consumption of a human with that of a Stelvio? Watch the video and find out 

This, according to Alfa Romeo, is to do with the Stelvio’s patented front-end geometry that employs racecar-style settings to optimise handling at speed; rather than smoothness and agility at walking pace.

The sharp, precise steering of our review Alfa Romeo Stelvio was compromised by a sometimes-disturbing racket from the front when backing out of a driveway, or while making a tight, low-speed turn. As a result, the kerb-to-kerb turning circle, though not the laziest in its category, feels more than the quoted 11.8 metres.

After numerous false starts, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio went on sale locally in June 2018, in two basic variants: the base 148kW/330Nm 2.0T four-cylinder petrol and the muscled-up 154kW/470Nm 2.2TDI diesel.

These were were joined shortly afterwards by petrol and diesel First Edition models and the (then) top-spec, 206kW/400Nm petrol Ti.

In March 2019, the astounding Porsche Macan Turbo/ Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S-challenging Quadrifoglio made its Australian debut at a pre on-roads price of $149,900.

Despite its sporting DNA, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio can cut a pretty neat figure unhooking a reasonable-size trailer-sailer at the bayside yacht club. Maximum braked towing capacity is pegged at a pretty impressive 2330kg, which trumps the two-tonne limit imposed on BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz rivals.

And a decent amount of luggage can be hefted, too. The Stelvio (minus a spare wheel in First Edition variants) will swallow up to 525 litres of holiday gear without folding any of the seats, expanding to a maximum 1600 litres will the rear seat laid almost flat.

That makes the boot, in five-passenger mode, a tad smaller than BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz (all 550 litres) but equal, when fully opened up, to the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC – and a bit bigger than the 1550-litre Audi Q5.

Passenger space is nothing extraordinary, yet is quite adequate when looking after four adults, while the seats, particularly the sports-inclined units up front, offer generous support and decent day-long comfort.

Clearly – and it is surely Alfa Romeo’s fervent hope it will be judged accordingly – the Stelvio is an SUV set to attract drivers who want more than just a practical, lifestyle-oriented, high-riding wagon. While there’s no criticism of its credentials in the latter context, the Alfa Romeo’s striving for the former that tends to separate it from its largely-German luxury SUV rivals. Even the compromises accompanying the review car’s low-speed front suspension behaviour attest to that.

There are a couple more caveats we’d place upon the Stelvio – indeed, any Alfa Romeo currently. Production niggles seem to continue with the cars, as was evidenced with our Stelvio Diesel tester.

Three issues surfaced. The centre console lid on our car was jammed on delivery and rattled after we (eventually) opened it. The glovebox lid was poorly fitted and the sunroof operation was intermittent.

None of these are major faults, but nor are they faults most buyers in this price segment would be willing to ignore.

Despite the niggles, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is imbued with many qualities that its rivals can’t really match. Indeed, this Alfa Romeo seems to have fulfilled the sporty SUV brief pretty well – even with the non-performance models such as the Diesel reviewed here.

In setting its guidelines, the Italian company has given the Stelvio a distinct dynamic character that, though it may not be evident from a first glance, becomes resoundingly obvious once it’s driven.

2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio First Edition Diesel pricing and specifications:
Price: $73,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 154kW/470Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 4.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 127g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A