2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

The profile looks better than the Giulia’s. The Stelvio's two-box shape leaves designers room to sculpt a scallop-like cut into the back of the greenhouse. It's a gorgeous, organic shape that's a welcome reprieve from the aggressive, angular designs that brands like Lexus offer.

In back, a small, steeply raked rear window sits above a heavily styled rear hatch while the rear bumper houses cannon-like exhausts, giving following drivers a good idea of the Stelvio's performance potential.

The Stelvio's cabin houses some cheaper components than the competition, but the pieces crucial to driving are both beautiful and excellent to use. The centerpiece is a standard flat-bottomed steering wheel with a thinner rim but ample grips. The stop-start button sits at the 7:30 position of the airbag housing, an inspired touch that looks purposeful and feels very natural to use. Behind the wheel are a must-have set of column-mounted paddle shifters. Huge and made of metal, they're a focal point of the Sport trim level.

The Stelvio's seats wear leather as standard and have the elegant look you'd expect in a vintage car. The Stelvio Ti gets upgraded hides, while the Sport Package adds huge side bolsters. Designers incised real wood and aluminum trim into the dash, while obvious plastics are kept to a minimum. Overall, this cabin is a lovely place to spend a long drive.

There's only a little hyperbole at work there. The turbo-4 outguns the base engines in the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC300, and Audi Q5, while it has enough grunt to hold its own against the X3 and Q5's optional V-6 powertrains. Performance is strong from a standstill and up through redline, with the broad, flat torque curve kicking the nearly 4,000-pound crossover in the pants whenever it's necessary. The Stelvio can hit 60 faster than any other base model in the segment, arriving there in 5.4 seconds before hitting a 144-mph top speed.  

The 2.0-liter's partner in crime is ZF's fantastic 8-speed automatic transmission. It's an unobtrusive transmission when the DNA drive mode selector is in Natural, kicking down as needed and holding gears where appropriate. It's good in Advanced Efficiency, short-shifting along to save fuel. The transmission's potential comes to full life in Dynamic mode. Shifts are fast and almost brutally hard. It's unlike any other SUV we've driven, with high-rpm gear changes delivering a swift kick in the back. The changes are smooth and quick on downshifts, so don't be surprised if, like us, you start using manual mode just for giggles.

The Stelvio isn't some automotive fullback, capable of only running in a straight line. It's a four-wheeled ballerina. This is one of the most agile, enjoyable vehicles in its segment, easily matching up with the sublime handling of the Jaguar F-Pace. A perfect 50-50 weight distribution ensures a wonderful balance and a neutral handling character that's willing to rotate if you drive it properly. The Stelvio is good in Ti Sport form, but the upcoming adaptive suspension and mechanical limited-slip differential in the Ti Performance Package should deliver even sharper handling when they arrive later this year.

Divine steering intervenes on the Stelvio's behalf. Lightning-fast with an 12.0:1 steering ratio and exceptionally precise, the steering feels natural and builds weight well. It's very talkative, giving drivers a clear idea of what the front axle is doing. Feedback in general is excellent through the seats. It doesn’t track all that well at highway speeds and can get tiring, but the trade-off in the bends is worth it.

We’ll level some criticism at the Stelvio's brakes. Alfa Romeo uses an all-electric brake pedal that records input and transmits it to a computer, which directs the action of the brake calipers. It's a fantastic system in high- or medium-speed, dynamic conditions. It's also virtually impossible to stop the Stelvio smoothly at the sort of speeds you'll encounter in high-traffic areas.

We give the Stelvio a 6 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Alfa Romeo offers three different seating options on the Stelvio—while leather is standard, Ti Sports get more heavily bolstered chairs and the Ti Lusso scores more luxurious hides. Those with broader frames might not care for the super supportive Sport seats, but if you plan on tackling twisty roads regularly, they're the only way to fly.

The rest of the Stelvio's cabin is a mixed bag. Real wood trim—Dark Gray Oak—is standard on Ti models, while the Lusso gets an optional Light Walnut. The Ti Sport is available with real aluminum. Along with the leather dash, there's a lot to like here. But none of it feels very solid, and while the plastics are technically soft touch, they're weirdly firm, too. The hard black plastic surrounding the shift lever and controls for the infotainment system also feels out of place. We question how well this cabin will hold up to more than a few years of use.

Second-row leg room should be fine for children, but with just 31.9 inches—over 4.5 inches less than the next closest European crossover, the BMW X3—adults will want to avoid the back seats on all but the shortest of journeys. Head room is tight too, although at 38.9 inches in back, the Stelvio sits neatly between the Mercedes GLC on the low end and the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 on the high end.

The Stelvio has merely average cargo space, with 18.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and up to 56.5 cubic feet in total. That trails behind the new Audi Q5 (26.8 cubic feet with 60.4 in total) and the BMW X3 (27.6 cubic feet and 63.3 in total), although the Stelvio's maximum ties the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class.

Option packages are relatively simple. Base Stelvio owners can add the $1,800 Sport Package and get 19-inch alloys, a sport-tuned suspension, gloss-black window surrounds, a sportier steering wheel, and those gorgeous paddle shifters. A Driver Assistance Static Package costs $800 and adds blind-spot monitors, front and rear parking sensors, and auto-dimming mirrors. Advanced safety equipment is available in the Driver Assistance Dynamic Plus Package that adds adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, forward-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warnings. Finally, a $795 Cold Weather Package adds heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated washer nozzles.

Stand-alone equipment on the base Stelvio includes navigation for the 6.5-inch infotainment system and the upgraded 8.8-inch display.

The Stelvio Ti ups the ante with plenty of extra options, including the mutually exclusive Sport and Lusso packages. The Sport Package costs $2,500 and adds all the same equipment as the base Stelvio plus sport seats and 20-inch wheels. The Lusso Package adds upgraded leather on the seats and steering wheel, a leather-wrapped dash, and wood trim.

The Ti Performance Package is available on non-Sport models and adds an active suspension, mechanical limited-slip differential, and column-mounted paddle shifters. The same package is available for the Ti Sport, sans the already included paddle shifters. Alfa Romeo will announce pricing for these packages later this year.

This all sounds good. It does not, however, address Alfa Romeo's reputation for reliability (or lack thereof). Alfa offers a 4-year, 50,000-mile warranty on the Stelvio. A 5-year, 100,000-mile warranty covers the powertrain, while the first service is free. It’s better than most mainstream cars, but far behind the free-maintenance offers you’ll get on an F-Pace or an XT5.