Launched in 2017, the Stelvio was a radical departure for Alfa Romeo, although the firm waited longer than many rivals before launching an SUV. But as then CEO Reid Bigland said at the unveiling: “The Stelvio is an Alfa Romeo first and an SUV second.”
True to his word, Alfa gave us a head-turning high-rider that was as desirable as its talented German contemporaries and delivered no small dynamic edge.
Today, just £10,000 will get you into an early high-miler, but playing it safer at £15,000 will net a cleaner example with a more reasonable mileage. The Stelvio was on sale between 2017 and 2025 and was only minimally updated during its eight-year history, so if you choose an older one, it won’t look outdated.
Several trims were available at launch: Stelvio, Super, Speciale and Milano Edizione. Stelvio and Super have a 6.5in infotainment screen, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a powered tailgate, but we would aim for mid-rung Speciale. It gets 19in wheels, bi-xenon headlights and aluminium interior brightwork, and it was popular so you will have no issue finding a well-maintained example.
Used Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2017-2025 review
7
One of the few SUVs that is genuinely likeable
Published:
2 October 2025
- Introduction
- Design & styling
- Interior
- Engines & performance
- Ride & handling
- MPG & running costs
- Verdict
- Reliability
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- Introduction
- Design & styling
- Interior
- Engines & performance
- Ride & handling
- MPG & running costs
- Verdict
- Reliability
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Launched in 2017, the Stelvio was a radical departure for Alfa Romeo, although the firm waited longer than many rivals before launching an SUV. But as then CEO Reid Bigland said at the unveiling: “The Stelvio is an Alfa Romeo first and an SUV second.”
True to his word, Alfa gave us a head-turning high-rider that was as desirable as its talented German contemporaries and delivered no small dynamic edge.
Today, just £10,000 will get you into an early high-miler, but playing it safer at £15,000 will net a cleaner example with a more reasonable mileage. The Stelvio was on sale between 2017 and 2025 and was only minimally updated during its eight-year history, so if you choose an older one, it won’t look outdated.
Several trims were available at launch: Stelvio, Super, Speciale and Milano Edizione. Stelvio and Super have a 6.5in infotainment screen, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a powered tailgate, but we would aim for mid-rung Speciale. It gets 19in wheels, bi-xenon headlights and aluminium interior brightwork, and it was popular so you will have no issue finding a well-maintained example.
In any trim the Stelvio will appeal to those who want a family car that doubles as a thrill-seeker. Using the Giulia’s lightweight aluminium platform, the Stelvio weighs just 1659kg, so it’s far leaner than rivals like the Jaguar F-Pace and Porsche Macan, and on a twisty road it lives up to its alpine namesake. Its rear-biased four-wheel drive set-up brings balance and poise in corners, and the quick steering carried over from the Giulia means it’s almost as good to drive as its saloon sibling. That handling prowess comes at the cost of ride comfort, however, with the Stelvio’s firm set-up becoming detrimental over rougher surfaces, albeit not unbearably so.
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Move inside and some chinks in the Stelvio’s armour appear. Overall it’s nicely appointed and a pleasant thing in which to cover miles, but it lacks the material richness and refinement of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. The sloping roofline reduces headroom in the rear, too, so there’s less space for adults in the back.
That being said, the Stelvio is still a practical cruiser, and with 525 litres of boot space you will have no trouble loading it up with luggage, bikes or the family dog.
Verdict
Model tested:
Rating: 7
Used Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2017-2025 review
Spry-handling SUV is likeable, if short of the class’s usual refinements
Good
Engaging handling
Punchy diesel engines
Charismatic styling
Bad
Quality of materials
Shortfall of refinement on UK roads
DESIGN & STYLING
8
Pros
Looks unlike anything else in this class
Sporty details, but not overdone
Cons
Big wheels look good but spoil the ride
The pictures might not convey this but, dimensionally, the Stelvio is more super-sized hatchback than traditional SUV. It’s marginally taller than a Macan and quite a bit shorter than a BMW X5, which illustrates that Alfa is attempting to purvey athleticism over any utilitarian ideals.
The front end is all but a straight transplant from the Giulia saloon – a little chubbier, certainly, and less handsome for it – and it is linked to the steeply raked rear by a relatively high belt line. There’s the hint of a shooting brake here and that’s no bad thing.
Underneath its unusually rigid body, the Stelvio is built on the same modular Giorgio platform as the Giulia and, scanning the spec sheet of our four-wheel-drive diesel test car, one figure in particular demands a second glance: a kerb weight of 1659kg. That’s remarkably light, and hints at the use of aluminium for the suspension and much of the body.
The Stelvio also employs a carbonfibre driveshaft, with the decision to use a brake-by-wire system chasing yet more weight out. Filling out the Stelvio range beneath the flagship, vent-laden Quadrifoglio model – whose Ferrari-derived 503bhp twin-turbo V6 once propelled it to a new Nürburgring lap record for an SUV – is a choice of either a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a 2.2-litre diesel.
Each is available in two states of tune, so you can have your non-QV Stelvio with as little as 177bhp or as much as 276bhp, with Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel-drive system mandatory across the range except in the base diesel model, which gets the option of a solely rear-driven chassis.
As with the Giulia, power is sent through an eight-speed automatic gearbox developed by German firm ZF and used widely among luxury car makers.
The suspension, meanwhile, features a passive set-up, with Alfa’s ‘DNA’ mode selector altering only the response of the gearbox, engine map, stability control (which cannot be entirely deactivated) and Q4 driveline. There’s also an absence of control gear alluding to any variable-terrain programmes, this car being pitched as a road-going SUV.
INTERIOR
6
Pros
Nice balance of buttons and screens
Quality improved over the years
Cons
Build quality never matched that of an Audi
The Stelvio adopts the tone set by the Giulia, which means its interior is stylish enough to impress at a glance but a disappointment in terms of materials quality and, in some instances, fit.
The hard plastic of the door cards and some play in the switchgear are particularly conspicuous, and although there’s plenty of space in the front, the ambience is a bit rudimentary for a car purporting to be a ‘ luxury’ offering.
It is refreshingly uncluttered, though, with a transmission tunnel that’s home to just three dials (DNA mode selector, infotainment volume and BMW-iDrive-style rotary controller) and two buttons, along with the gear selector.
You also get a thin-rimmed steering wheel with enormous, Ferrari-style paddle shifters mounted on the column and a lovely starter button that sits within the spokes.
It affords a good view of the tachometer and speedometer, which are separated by a 3.5in digital readout.
Continuing the driver-centric theme are seats that are decently bolstered, low-set (a feeling augmented by the Stelvio’s high belt line) and comfortable.
Good seat adjustability means drivers of nearly all shapes and sizes should manage to find a position that affords a good view of the road ahead, although the range of telescopic steering column adjustment should be greater.
However, close your eyes and you’d swear you were sitting in a moderately focused performance saloon, which is a neat trick by Alfa.
You pay the price for the Stelvio’s undeniably elegant, sweeping roof line, though. The rear seats will feel a little cramped for taller passengers, despite positioning occupants strangely low, something that in turn limits forward visibility.
ENGINES & PERFORMANCE
8
Pros
All engines feel powerful enough
Cons
No lower-powered V6
You can choose between a 197bhp or 276bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, or a 2.2-litre turbo diesel with either 188bhp or 207bhp. The petrols are smooth and generally refined, but the more potent 276bhp lump encourages you to drive the Stelvio with a verve and enthusiasm that’s uncommon in this segment.
The lesser-spotted diesels are responsive and torquey, the 207bhp, 354lb ft option particularly so. It sings a more clattery tune, but it’s refined at a cruise and will do close to 50mpg. Some might say choosing a diesel Alfa is like ordering a ham and pineapple pizza in a family-run Italian restaurant: borderline sacrilegious. But if you’re regularly carrying the family or towing, it’s actually a sensible all-rounder.
The polar opposite of an allrounder is the fire-breathing Stelvio Quadrifoglio, with its twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 making 503bhp and 443lb ft for 0-62mph in 4.0sec. It has a fairly firm ride and a shortfall of SUV versatility, and you will do well to get 25mpg out of it. They are scandalously cheap to buy now, though, with prices starting from £30,000 for earlier cars. But cast a careful eye over the service history. From 2023 the Stelvio was boosted to 518bhp, although it’s difficult to feel the difference.
