Times are changing, and brands must adapt or die. I like the Stelvio, will need to see it in person though. Performance figures are impressive, will probably smack around the competition like the Giulia did, in terms of lap times of course not soft touch plastics
i'm still one of the old school that just hates SUVs. the only solid argument for a SUV is the POV from the driver's seat and that's only necessary due to the OTHER SUVs on the road. i'm a wagon guy and prefer the euro mindset of tourings, estates, avants... you get the car ride quality with similar cargo. i might catch some **** for saying this, but there are way too many soccer moms out there driving escalades and suburbans and whatever else with 1 or 2 kids. so not necessary!! take that same powertrain and plop it into a wagon - that would be awesome!
I'm really liking this from Alfa, especially if it allows more and more enthusiast car investment a la Porsche and the Cayenne. May be a tough choice between this and the new Jaguar F Pace for our next family SUV in a few years. Great commercial here: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpUP4Epnp4I[/ame]
I dislike them too, but if I have to look at so many of them, better than they look (and sound) like this. I still think the F-Pace is the one to beat in the looks department.
Nice ad. Not that crazy about the SUV in general. I agree that the jaguar f-pace looks great. Not really one way or the other on the Stelvio to me. Ive seen the Maserati and it is ok. Interior on the maser feels very cobbled together... Robb Image Unavailable, Please Login
So if you look at this and a BMW and end up buying the BMW, it would be known as a Stelvio Pass?? 8^) SV
First prototype drive review by Georg Kacher. "The Stelvio would drive circles round the soon-to-be-replaced X3, is a more emotional piece of kit than the nicely balanced Q5, and feels a bit more refined than Jaguars F-Pace. But the Macan is a tough nut to crack. Dynamically, the Alfa comes close; in terms of ride comfort, even the Stelvios optional bigfoot 19-inch wheel/tire package is more spine-friendly than the corresponding Macan footwear. Value for money is another strong point: the Veloce is expected to undercut the X3 by 20 percent and the all-in QV is said to cost 15 percent less than the Macan Turbo. In the high-tech department, however, the Italian contender falls short of its German rivals. Missing from the options list are several assistance systems, LED headlights, head-up display, and an air suspension. But who else offers rosso competizione in an executive car park dominated by depressing black, snore white, and yawn gray?" 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Prototype Drive | Automobile Magazine
Saw one this morning. I didn't know they were out yet. V. nice looking... no pic it was driving 180 degrees from me. It was RED, as it should be.
Having had a subaru forester Turbo, various Acura MDX then a Chev equinox(current) and my wife Merc GLC, I have no issue with an SUV a crossover one in particular, provided they are porperly designed for what they do best. I do have major issue with ones pretending to be sportscars, particularily the porche ones, which are hard riding and seem to miss the point. A crossover suv can afford you a degree of suspension movement and compliance not probable in a car. If you live in snowy climes with particularily crappy roads as in the NE they are an ideal all around vehicle. Yes an awd wagon may do the job too, However when pressing on in our winding and undulating backyard CT country lanes the higher suv seat height means you can see over undulating road humps. Meaning you can maintain a much faster average pace than in a car if you care not to drive blind, while depressions and lumpy surfaces are far better absorbed at speed too. So good are modern cars that what you give up in crossover handling for sitting taller is these days for most roads pretty ,minimal to not measuable unless at the limit, where pretty much no one goes in their daily. Horse's for courses. Seems like modern suspensions and tech can give us a small or medium sized crossover suv that has more handling and speed than can readily be deployed on road anyway. The Giulia with its reportedly compliant suspension leads me to believe that Alfa will produce a superior riding and driving product to the German. But yes If I lived in LV or LA a SUV might just a big piece of metal blocking my windsheild being driven by the clueless.. There is also a vast difference between a crossover suv and a solid axle escalade, its like comparing a miata to a minivan. There is also a vast difference between the way a crossover on apropriate suspension and wheels drives to one with hard springs, shocks and big wheels drives. One is useable, the other pretends to be a sportscar and may show decent laptimes, but is a ruined experince in every other way. Point is there are some really great driving and riding crossover suv's and they do a particular job better than any other vehicle. But yes far too many are just marketing crap for those who cant tell. The masser I thought looked ugly overdone and somehow cheap, couldnt figure why anyone would buy one. the Jag is let down by its motor and uninspired inetrior. The Alfa seems to me, just right.
