The Beauty and The Beast – Alfa Romeo Stelvio

When I heard that Alfa Romeo is building an SUV I thought to myself that it would be interesting and it seems like every manufacturer is building an SUV. It got more interesting as they claimed the world’s fastest SUV at the NÜRBURGRING track –  they definitely got my attention. I remembered driving the Guilia at the Johan Rupert  Farms and realized how fast that car was so this made sense. Actually this was the first time I got nauseous because of speed and driving and it didn’t help that Phuti was driving as well.

The people of Alfa Romeo gave me a call and asked if I would like to give the new Stelvio a test drive and I said yes because I really enjoyed the Guilia that I had recently driven.  When they dropped off the new Stelvio, you could tell that Alfa Romeo is designed for different people who want different things in life, people who don’t like following the rules but rather build their own lanes. I cannot stress how much I love the design of the Stelvio, actually I just love the design language the Italians have with regards to Alfa Romeo. Sometimes they miss the mark, but lately they have been getting it right hey, you don’t have to understand design and the principals that come with it but you know when something looks good or interesting – thats good design. I love the minimal design that they have going and this one seems like they have the similar structure as the Guilia with this one being a bit friendlier. There is something easier about the SUV that has taken women into consideration when you compare it to the Guilia which is very male inspired. I got the Stelvio in red which I believe is a perfect colour for this model, I had also seen it in white and I liked it.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with outputs of 206 kW and 400 Nm of torque. With an 8-speed automatic transmission which is fitted as standard and power is directed to all four wheels with Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel drive system. The Stelvio is capable of sprinting from zero to 100 kph in 5.7 seconds with a top speed of 230 kph. A total of three driving modes are offered including Dynamic, Natural (Normal) and Advanced Efficiency. A lot of people asked me about the gearbox and it was so smooth with absolutely no struggle between gears and modes. I got many compliments when I was driving the Stelvio – because of the design the car stands out and people notice you quicker compared to other models…which could be a good thing or a bad thing.

All round the Stelvio is a great car that has all the features that one needs from ABS, 18 inch wheels that come standard, a good sound system provided by Harmon Kardon as well as the 8.8 inch entertainment system that also gives you the option of dual screens. I was impressed with the forward collision warning, it really came in handy when I was driving in the hood. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio will cost you R810 000 while the Super will set you back R946 000. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is sold with a 3-year/100 000km warranty and a 6-year/100 000km maintenance plan as standard.

Writer: George Gladwin Matsheke