This week we are taking a spin in the 2025 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce SUV that started its journey in Cassino, Italy. A quick history lesson: Alfa Romeo is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of multinational automotive company Stellantis, most famous here for Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram.
Exterior
For me, the jury is still out on this color, but it is a great looking luxury SUV with the signature Alfa grill, 20” wheels with red brake calipers, distinct lines, and a rear spoiler. 2025 brings new Trilobe LED headlights, LED running lights, and LED taillights.
Performance
Under the hood is a heavily-braced 2-liter, inline 4-cylinder that is turbocharged and connected to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with huge metal shift paddles attached to the steering column. It's putting out 280-horses and 306-pound feet of torque. Top speed is 144 miles per hour, impressive for a 4-cylinder, and it will do 0-to-60 in just 5.5 seconds. My tester is all-wheel drive.
Interior
Entering the cabin, it exudes luxury, yet it is simple and uncluttered. At first glance you see a flat bottom steering wheel which houses the start button, aluminum gas and brake pedals, and heavily-bolstered seats with manually operated slide out thigh supports. The seats are power on both sides and heated, but not cooled. New since I had this car last in 2022 is a 12.3” much more modern and easier to read digital gauge cluster. This was a nice and much needed addition.
Nicely integrated on the center dash is an 8.8” infotainment system screen that can be used as a touchscreen or operated from a round knob on the center console. Although this screen is smaller than most these days, it’s easy to operate and intuitive. From the screen, you operate the 8-speaker sound system, navigation system, wired Apple CarPlay and Android auto, and if you scroll to the left you’ll see performance pages. Aluminum trim and contrast stitching are nicely done throughout the cabin.
The center console houses the gear shifter, wireless phone charger, the round knob to change the main screen, and there is the DNA knob to change drive modes and I will say, every mode is different.
The D is for dynamic, of course my favorite, and it is the one that allows you to really feel the 306 pound-feet of torque. The transmission in Dynamic gives you hard fast shifts under heavy acceleration. I found that letting the ZF do its thing was more enjoyable than using the big shift paddles, but I digress. The N is for neutral which is normal driving, and A is for Advanced Efficiency if you want a less responsive feel but want to maximize fuel economy.
Back seat room is good and you get air conditioning vents, buttons for the heated seats, USBs, and a fold down center armrest. Headroom is quite good as well, which you don’t always find especially with a moon roof over the rear passengers.
Utility
Cargo area is very large. The tailgate is power, there is lighting and power back there, and a cargo cover. There are handles to lower the 40/20/40 back seat for longer cargo. There is some storage under the load floor when you find the tire repair kit.
Standard Features
This is a luxury SUV and comes very well appointed.
It has the new 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, leather sport seats, aluminum interior trim, paddle shifters, dual-zone climate control, 20-inch alloy wheels, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and an 8.8-inch touchscreen with Alfa Connect services.
On the safety front, you get forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control (stop-and-go capable), blind spot monitoring with rear cross path detection, lane departure warning/keeping assist, automatic high beams, and front and rear parking sensors.
My review vehicle has quite a number of options. It starts with a $2,200 charge for the paint. It has the $700 Preferred Package 22M bundles in items like a ParkView rear-mounted camera, Active Blind Spot Assist, full-speed forward collision warning, Lane Departure warning with Lane Keep assist, hands-free Bluetooth, heated front seats, metal-look interior trim, remote keyless entry, front and rear parking sensors, integrated navigation, a power lift gate, and rear fog lights. That is a great package for the money.
Next option is the $1,500 dual pane moon roof, which is great. It has a sliding power cover, and you can stop it to be open just over the front seats or continue to open the view for the rear passengers as well. Then we have the $2,000 Veloce Package which adds many of the performance elements like a limited-slip rear differential, front strut-tower brace, sport rear diffuser, gloss-red brake calipers with white script, sport leather seats with power-adjustable bolsters (including 8-way front passenger seat), a Vulcano gloss-black body kit with gloss-black window surrounds and roof rails, plus a trial of Alfa Connect services. Finally, $1,750 gets you the 5-hole 20” aluminum wheels.
Fuel economy is 22 city and 28 highway and 24 combined, and the MSRP is a reasonable $59,140. Just a note of preference for me personally: Drop the color and get it down under $57,000 and it’s a really good buy there.
Alfa Romeo has earned its place as a contender in the luxury SUV market. It delivers the kind of driving experience you don’t usually expect from a luxury crossover, with sharp steering, quick reflexes, and a suspension that strikes a balance between firm control and everyday comfort. The turbocharged engine and standard all-wheel drive provide plenty of punch off the line in Dynamic mode and it exudes confidence in corners, while the chassis feels planted and responsive, giving the Stelvio more of a sports sedan character than a family hauler. Even with its taller stance, it communicates well with the driver, making it one of the most engaging SUVs in its class.
I will also add that this vehicle had over 13,000 miles on it when I got it, and we’re talking about 13,000 CAR REVIEWER miles, which is the equivalent of at least 3-times that many miles. This car is solid, in great shape, and is showing no signs of wear and tear, which is pretty remarkable.
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