Alfa Romeo Stelvio

At last, Alfa’s BMW X3-rivalling SUV is here. We head to the test track to find out if the Stelvio has the heart of a true Alfa

- Richard Bremner

There are several surprising things about the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. One is that it’s here at all, given the (well-intended but often ineffectual) torturing of Alfa’s plans over the past few years, and how long it has been since we saw the decidedly shapely Alfa Kamal crossover concept. That show car appeared fully 14 years ago, and it’s a little painful to think where Alfa might be today had it launched this appealing SUV shortly afterwards.

But this is no moment to get morose about Alfa’s troubled history. The marque is now enjoying the launch of not one but two mainstream models based on the rear-wheel drive, premium quality platform long required: the Giulia saloon and Stelvio crossover are triggering what should, finally, amount to a substantial rejuvenation of the brand.

Another surprising Stelvio fact? That its chassis has been engineered to provide almost exactly the same dynamic experience as you’d enjoy in the equivalent Giulia, but while you’re sitting 190mm higher. So claims ex-Ferrari engineering chief Roberto Fedeli. Given that the Stelvio is a taller vehicle than the Giulia, as you’d expect of a crossover, that’s quite an achievement, because its centre of gravity should be higher, and its propensity to roll greater, unless it’s kitted with Isambard Kingdom Brunel-specification springs and dampers. But more on this later.

One very good reason why the Stelvio’s road behaviour should at least part-mirror the Giulia’s is that it shares the same structural roots. Both cars are built on the so-called Georgio platform architecture, and much of their basic design and engineering was carried out at the same time to optimise the platform not just for these two but a cluster of models, says Fedeli.