Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce 2021 Review

The 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce enters with a price tag of $78,950 plus on-road costs.

It stands as the new flagship model of the ‘regular’ Stelvio range but must still bow to the star attraction – the twin-turbocharged V6 Stelvio Quadrifoglio, which starts much, much higher at $146,950 plus ORCs.

For 2021, updates to the Italian brand’s only SUV (at least until the Tonale turns up) consist of minor exterior styling tweaks and a refreshed cabin with more tech.

The revised line-up now opens with a base-spec Stelvio (from $64,950 plus ORCs) available only by special order, and a Stelvio Sport that starts at $69,950.

For the additional $9000 you’ll need to get into the higher-performing Stelvio Veloce we’re testing here, the equipment list brings extras such as 20-inch alloy wheels, adaptive dampers, limited-slip rear differential, upgraded brakes, an exclusive body kit, dual exhaust tips and a hands-free tailgate.

Inside, a leather-stitched dashboard and door trims feature on the Veloce, along with eight-way power-adjustable front seats, heated rear outboard seats, ambient lighting and a 10-speaker premium sound system.

Alfa has added a new 8.8-inch digital touch-screen with navigation and digital radio to every MY21 Stelvio.

Our test car was also fitted with a dual-pane sunroof ($2545) and metallic paint ($1645), bringing its as-tested price up to $83,140 plus ORCs.

As with the Giulia line-up, the Veloce model is considered to be the ‘sweet spot’ in the SUV range, according to the brand’s local head of product and marketing, Andre Scott, who expects it to be the biggest-selling variant in the range.

Alfa covers its SUV with a three-year/150,000km warranty, while trips to the workshop will cost $1475 over three years and $2885 over five, and are due every 12 months or 15,000km.

Standard safety features on the 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane assist, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, front and rear parking sensors and a driver attention warning function.

All the systems work pretty well, and on the convenience front we appreciated the inclusion of a wireless phone charging pad integrated into the lidded centre console, along with voice recognition, dual-zone climate control and keyless entry with push-button start.

Despite the latest updates, however, the Stelvio Veloce still doesn’t come close to its major rivals in the tech department, particularly in terms of execution.

On our test, we found the rain-sensing windscreen wipers only operated occasionally, while the reversing camera displays the kind of image quality you’d expect from a cheap aftermarket unit.

And the headlights… where to start?

Standard fitment of bi-Xenon headlights bodes well enough on paper, but night driving soon showed them up to be lacking in projection and illumination compared to LED headlights found in more affordable rivals.

The automatic high beam function was also found to be a hit-and-miss affair, often reflecting its own light off a street sign and switching themselves off.

The new 8.8-inch central touch-screen is not only finnicky to navigate, it’s slow to respond to inputs and the aforementioned graphics aren’t good.

Small things annoy too, such as the high-pitched beep with every lock or unlock of the Stelvio – with seemingly no option to switch off – and the lack of auto-hold for the electric handbrake.

We can’t simply forgive and forget some of the tech shortcomings in the 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce, but we can emphasise its excellent performance that will engage buyers who are looking for a truly sporty SUV.

The Veloce shares the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder as lesser Stelvio grades, however Alfa Romeo has managed to squeeze an extra 59kW/70Nm out of the engine for Veloce to deliver an impressive 206kW of power and 400Nm of torque.

Paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission shared across the range, it offers seamless shifts at speed but has the tendency to feel jerky at lower speeds and manually-selected down shifts.

Large shift paddles behind the steering wheel feel sturdy under hand and are mostly responsive in manual mode.

Elsewhere, the Stelvio is fitted with the brand’s Q2 limited-slip rear differential, Active Suspension and Q4 all-wheel drive system. It’s a rear-biased set-up for the most part, until max grip is required and more torque is transferred to the front-end.

There’s no doubting Alfa’s 5.7-second 0-100km/h sprint claim, and even though performance isn’t quite as outstanding as the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the Veloce provides plenty of exhilaration.

And we’re not simply talking about straight-line speed.

Fling it into a corner and the circa-1600kg SUV tips in with ease and provides great steering feedback.

Point it where you want to, and it’ll seemingly do the rest with confidence. That’s just how composed, balanced and sharp this thing is.

The brakes aren’t super-touchy and provide plenty of stopping power, and while the taut ride makes the Stelvio Veloce a little more rigid as a daily driver, it’ll take a pretty large pothole to stir the cabin, even in the sportiest Dynamic drive mode.

As you could imagine, fuel consumption figures are representative of how enjoyable the Stelvio Veloce is to fang around.

Our tester averaged 11.4L/100km, well above the official combined-cycle average of 7.0L/100km, which we reckon would be a challenge even for the most frugal driver.

As much as we enjoyed driving the 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce – from its engine performance through to its accomplished handling, comfortable ride and good refinement (even on harsh surfaces) – the shortfalls start creeping back into the equation.

In terms of cabin quality, the Stelvio can’t match its main rivals and is let down by some distracting details, such as noise from the steering wheel on our test car when you almost reach full lock.

It’s still a nice place to spend time, with comfy leather seating for five and a neat interior layout that admittedly takes some getting used to.

The all-black interior is a little claustrophobic, and tends to hold a lot of heat – even before the Aussie summer has arrived – so the red or chocolate leather upholstery might be a better choice.

Trying to cool the cabin took far longer than we expected, too, with the sub-par air-con no match for our sweltering sun.

In cooler weather, a plush heated leather steering wheel is soft under hand, and heated front (and rear outboard) seats add a bit more comfort.

It’ll be easy enough for people of most sizes to find a good driving position, thanks to a tilt/reach-adjust steering wheel and eight-way powered front seats.

But no matter how perfect your driving position may be, there’s still no getting around the lack of rearward vision stemming from the narrow rear glass and chunky C-pillars.

The view out of the large front windscreen is much better, and the side mirrors are nice and large, but those too can hinder the vision of shorter drivers.

Storage isn’t the Stelvio’s strongest point, but it does okay and there’s enough space for the important things.

Strangely, the front pair of cup holders are uniquely deep, which is great for a large milkshake, but not so much a small latte…

The rear seat offers decent legroom and amenities – including a pair of USB-A ports, a centre arm rest and cup holders in the doors – but tight headroom might prove a challenge for taller people, a result of the swooping roofline and optional panoramic sunroof.

A 525-litre boot holds enough gear, with a space-saver spare tyre located under the floor.

It’s easy to say that the circa-$150K Stelvio Q is our favourite model in Alfa Romeo’s SUV range. But if we were laying down our hard-earned, $80,000 is so much more appealing in what is still a sporting and engaging model to drive.

That’s why the 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio V – the new Veloce – is our pick of the bunch when you consider the return on investment.

It’s luxurious and comfortable, yet also quick and endowed with sports car-like dynamics that see it handle better than an SUV should have any right to.

Yes, it does have its shortcomings, from last-gen tech to mediocre headlight performance.

But those who fall victim to its Italian charm and buy the Stelvio Veloce for all the good bits won’t be disappointed.

How much does the 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce cost?
Price: $78,950 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 206kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 161g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2017)