I’ve Never Wanted To Drive An SUV As Badly As The Alfa Romeo Stelvio

If my job didn’t heavily revolve around talking about new cars, I probably wouldn’t pay any attention to SUVs. Yes, they’re hugely important for the car industry, but on a personal level? I could never see myself owning one, maybe with the exception of the Jaguar F-Pace in its almost entirely nonsensical V6 form.

However, there’s now an SUV which moves me as a car guy far more than the Jag could ever hope to: the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The car was revealed online ahead of its LA Auto Show debut, and it looked jolly dashing in the heavily processed photos. But when I finally fought through the scrum of journalists to take a look (the press conference actually had to close its doors to new arrivals to prevent overcrowding), I liked I what I saw.

Granted, the wide angles I had to use when snapping over the glass enclosure it was later moved to maybe aren’t the most flattering, but trust me, in the metal, it’s a looker. But unlike pretty much all Alfa Romeos from the last few years, it’ll be more that just a pretty face over lazily borrowed front-wheel drive underpinnings. It’s sitting on the same platform as the Giulia, and like its saloon cousin, the range-topping Quadrifoglio packs a 503bhp part-Ferrari-derived 2.9-litre V6.

Having finally had a go in a Giulia QV last week (more on that soon), I can tell you the chassis is a peach, and the engine probably the most charismatic six-banger on the market right now. This bodes well for the Stelvio, which will put its power down a little less rampantly thanks to standard-fit all-wheel drive.

I caught up with Alfa Romeo’s North American Marketing & Communications big cheese Pieter Hogeveen at the show, and he seems confident that the Quadrifoglio’s vigour should trickle down to the rest of the range, too:

“This vehicle was designed as a Quadrifoglio and then ‘designed down’ to the volume models. The steering system, the suspension system, it all came down to the Stelvio and the Stelio TI. A lot of the components will be carried over, and it’ll still be focused on the driver.”

When asked if this SUV was more important in terms of sales for the company than the Giulia saloon, Hogeveen remained coy, but make no mistake, it’s vital this car is a hit for Alfa Romeo, particularly in the United States where the brand’s relaunch is slowly taking shape.

We’ll have to wait and see how this all pans out, but one thing’s for sure: I’m itching to take one for a drive.