Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2024 review: Q - family test

Alfa Romeo Australia is yet to confirm any final price or specification details for the Stelvio Q, which makes judging its value difficult.

We were given time in the 100th Anniversary models, which are strictly limited and therefore may not be available in Australia although it’s possible some could make it.

But given the minor upgrades to the ‘standard’ Stelvio Q, it’s probably a safe bet that there won’t be sweeping changes to the specifications of this final model.

Alfa Romeo Australia is yet to confirm any final price or specification details for the Stelvio Q.

That means a leather and Alcantara-trimmed interior, a unique Quadrifoglio steering wheel (complete with big red start/stop button and large paddle-shifters), and eight-way electrically-adjustable front sports seats with heating function. 

Other standard equipment should include 20-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone climate control and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, plus the previously mentioned new Matrix LED headlights and 12.3-inch digital instrument panel.

Hopefully Australian customers do get the option to choose the 100th Anniversary Edition, as its extra equipment adds to the more celebratory feel of the landmark occasion.

As for pricing, it’s likely the Stelvio Q will get a slight increase from its current $153,500 (plus on-road costs) to accommodate the slight bump in equipment and mechanical tweaks (as well as inflation).

If the 100th Anniversary is available locally, it will attract a price premium thanks to its more significant upgrades.

Aside from the new instrument display, there are no other interior changes, so the Stelvio Q remains what it is - a practical, mid-size SUV with the heart of a sports sedan. 

The front seats are comfortable and supportive, making it easy to spend an entire day behind the wheel while still offering good support at speed on the racetrack. 

Small item storage is adequate, with a pair of cupholders, a spot for the key to sit (if you need to take it out of your pocket or bag), bottle holders in the door pockets and a lidded console box with a wireless smartphone charging space.

Aside from the new instrument display, there are no other changes to the Stelvio Q's interior.

The console box also includes a pair of USB ports and an auxiliary jack.

The rear space is on par with what you can expect from an SUV of this size, not offering any obvious advantage over the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC.

It’s an SUV best suited to small families with slightly older kids, as you’d struggle to comfortably fit a rearwards-facing child seat or three teenagers in the back.

Naturally, it’s also a tight squeeze to get three adults in the back, but with limited rear legroom if you’ve got tall front seat occupants and slightly compromised headroom because of the swooping roofline.

The boot is respectable size for this class of SUV, too, measuring 525-litre (VDA) with a puncture repair kit instead of a spare wheel and tyre.

While it lacks some depth and won’t fit boxy items because of the shape of the tailgate, the boot floor is nice and wide and will take multiple suitcases (based on our previous testing).

The Stelvio Q has a boot capacity of 525-litre (VDA).

Nothing has changed here - at least for Australian-bound examples of the updated Stelvio. In selected markets (Europe, the Middle East and China) Alfa Romeo has bumped the power to 382kW, but everywhere else will have to make do with the same 375kW/600Nm as before.

Which is fine, because it’s still a cracking engine, a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 unit with Ferrari heritage in its design DNA. Few other SUVs can claim such an illustrious origin for an engine.

The engine is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system, which gets a new mechanical limited slip differential.

It’s worth noting that even though Australia will miss out on the more powerful version of the engine it doesn’t make any difference - on paper at least - with the 0-100km/h time the same 3.8 seconds regardless of final kW output.

Under the Stelvio Q's bonnet is a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 unit.

There hasn’t been any official confirmation of fuel economy changes for this updated model, but given its unchanged engine and transmission it’s likely to remain at 10.2 litres per 100km.

That’s obviously pretty thirsty, even for a family-sized SUV, but is to be expected given the performance focus of the Quadrifoglio. For those worried about fuel efficiency, there are other - more frugal and less powerful - models in the range to consider.

With its 64L fuel tank the Stelvio Q has a theoretical driving range of approximately 625km. On our test drive across France the Stelvio was relatively efficient on the motorways, but getting an accurate trip computer reading was tricky as fuel consumption was obviously dramatically increased during our time on the racetrack.

Given its unchanged engine and transmission, the Stelvio Q is likely to have a fuel economy figure of 10.2 litres per 100km.

Officially, final specifications for this updated model aren’t revealed yet but there’s no reason to believe there will be any major changes.

Beyond the six airbags, the Stelvio Q gets a lengthy list of standard safety equipment, including most of the modern active acronyms.

The Stelvio received a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, tested in 2017.

That means ESC (electronic stability control), ABS (anti-lock brakes), EBD (electronic brake-force distribution) and AEB (autonomous emergency braking).

There’s also lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, active cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

The Stelvio received a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, but it must be noted that was back in 2017 and testing criteria has changed since then.