Alfa Romeo Stelvio First Edition 2018 review

The first thing you notice about an Alfa Romeo, any Alfa, is that they look far better than most other cars on the road. The typical Italian styling on the Stelvio - bold, passionate, alluring - is hard to beat, but it doesn’t look too ostentatious. They’ve hit the perfect blend of refined chic with an understated style that makes even a mid-sized SUV look good, which is no easy feat. It's fair to say Alfa has mastered this tricky task better than any who've tried before.

The typical Italian styling on the Stelvio - bold, passionate, alluring - is hard to beat.

The Stelvio even has the signature Alfa grille and sleek curves, which make you feel fabulous every time you get into it. 

And once you do get in you are treated to an interior that is certainly not ostentatious, and might fall just below super luxury, but is still extremely well designed. It’s like current season Gucci (if we’re talking Italian designers we might as well go straight to the top). It’s not over-the-top pretentious, but it's luxurious enough and so cool that everyone wants a piece. It's the same feeling with the Stelvio. 

The leather seats are comfortable and hug you just the right amount, the steering wheel is leather too and the flat-bottomed shape feels great in your hands. In this First Edition, both the seats and the steering wheel are heated, which won me over because I was driving it on a particularly cold week in Sydney. 

The centre console looks good and is well set out, but also practical - there’s a shiny silver finish which doesn’t let you leave fingerprints on it like some other high-gloss materials can. The manual buttons for the touchscreen are very simple but that is what makes them fabulous. And a special mention goes to the curves on top of the dash where the speedo is, because they make it feel like you’re in a tiny retro sportscar, driving along the Italian Riviera. (Only you're cold, and it's Sydney.) 

The front seats have a really good amount of space for me and my 185cm husband, he’s got enough legroom for his very relaxed driving position, and there is loads of headroom, even with the enormous panoramic sunroof (part of the extras in the First Edition). The seats are also far enough apart to have your own airspace, and shoulder room, so you don’t feel too cramped or close together. 

My two children, aged four and six, were very comfortable in the back seat, they had loads of room to climb in and move around. At 161cm, I also had a comfortable trip in the back and there was around 20cm between my knees and the seat in front of me. You can also fit a third carseat in the back. It’s tight, but they all are in this category, and this one is roomier than most. I fit two boosters and a child seat in there. 

The boot is quite spacious, at 525 litres it’s about on par with the BMW X3 and the Mercedes GLA, while the Jaguar E-Pace is larger. There’s enough room to fit everything that even the most equipment-addicted family will need, from a pram to sporting stuff. 

The Stelvio is a good height off the ground for the kids to climb into by themselves, which is also a bonus, and if you need to do seatbelts up, it’s comfortable to lean in and click clack. There are two large cupholders in the front and two in the centre armrest in the back. You’ll find bottle holders in each door  and a small-ish centre storage bin, but no extras like a Qi phone charger, which you may find in other cars in this category. 

The auto blinkers turn off slightly early but if you press down, they will stay on until you turn, which is fine. And they’ve placed the start/stop button on the steering wheel - just like a Ferrari - which is actually super handy and different to what everyone else is doing. 

They’ve placed the start/stop button on the steering wheel which is actually super handy.

Jumping in different cars each week I sometimes find myself searching all over for the start/stop, but this was very clear and made sense. There’s also a power tailgate that you can close by touching a button, but I couldn’t open it with the key no matter how many times I tried.

I was in the First Edition, which for some reason doesn’t come with Apple Carplay or Android Auto, but the other models do. I’m not sure it’s worth missing out on these to get the extras that come with the First Edition. The tech still worked fine, though, including sat nav, plus you can connect your phone via Bluetooth to play music through an app like Spotify. But Carplay has voice control and you can dictate text messages through it, which you kind of miss when it’s not there. 

Base models come with eight speakers.

The First Edition does come with a 14-speaker sound system, though, so that might make up for it, because, gosh I had fun turning up the sound this week. Base models come with eight speakers, which is still a good option. All models get a digital radio. 

The base model Alfa Romeo Stelvio is $65,990 and the First Edition I was driving comes in at $71,900. Fuel consumption comes in at 7.0 litres per 100km, which is pretty good for this category. 

Alfa offers a three year/150,000km warranty and services are needed every 12 months, at $485 each for the first three years.

The base model Alfa Romeo Stelvio is $65,990 and the First Edition comes in at $71,900.