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By Jonathan Crouch

If funds permit, this is a Stelvio that someone in search of the ultimate performance SUV shouldn't pass on. Jonathan Crouch looks at the latest version of Alfa Romeo's Stelvio Quadrifoglio.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 75

What might the fastest SUV you can buy be like? According to offer Alfa Romeo, this is it, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Rivals make similar claims but this Italian high performance SUV appears to have the firepower to match its bravado, offering the same Ferrari-derived twin turbo V6 that features in the glorious Giulia Quadrifoglio super sports saloon. This top Stelvio model was lightly revised for the 2024 model year. But its essential character hasn't changed.

Backgroundword count: 137

It's rather refreshing in automotive world currently obsessed with electrification to come across a car like this. Proper sports cars might be a dying breed but proper sports car engines are still, for the moment anyway, alive and well. And the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio model we look at here absolutely has one; a turbocharged 520hp V6 bi-turbo shoe-horned in below its carbon fibre bonnet. This powerplant was designed by former Ferrari engineer - Gianluca Pivetti. And another ex-Ferrari engineer, Philippe Krief, handled the team responsible for trying to make this big SUV handle somewhere in the same ballpark as the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio saloon that shares nearly all this fast Stelvio's engineering. Which is quite a task given that this SUV is 200kg heavier. How does it fare in this updated form? Let's find out.

Driving Experienceword count: 314

Alfa hasn't changed much about this car dynamically, though the brand has added a 'Race' configuration screen that brings together all the essential information for sporty driving: a tachometer, speedometer and shift-light for manual driving. The layout can be customised by placing additional information in the sidebars, including snapshots of performance. Otherwise, it's all as you were. This exclusive Stelvio model certainly has the stats to back up its bold performance claims - and these include a Nurburgring Nordschleife SUV lap record of 7 minutes 51.7 seconds. Under the bonnet, as with the Giulia Quadrifoglio, lies a 2.9-litre petrol V6 Biturbo powerplant that's essentially a cut-down version of the 4.0-litre V8 used in Maranello's 488 GTB. It now develops a thundering 520hp, 10bhp more than before and, therefore, 10hph more than a rival BMW X3 M Competition. This Alfa storms to 62mph in a 3.8s time that identically matches that BMW, this figure only slightly slower than that Ferrari we just mentioned. And should you find yourself a track or a stretch of unrestricted autobahn, it'll keep powering on up to 176mph. Alfa's thrown all the performance technology it has at this halo model and on this top Stelvio, you get one feature not fitted to UK versions of the Giulia Quadrifoglio - the Italian maker's innovative Q4 all-wheel-drive system. 'Active Torque Vectoring' helps get the power down through the bends, 'Active Suspension' varies the damping and 'Alfa Chassis Domain Control' connects the different systems to deliver the best set-up as the car is being driven. There's also an 'Alfa Active Aero' system that alters the angle of the front splitter to help this model scythe through the air more cleanly, plus the 'DNA' drive modes system gets an extra 'Race' setting for tyre-smoking starts. An 8-speed paddleshift auto transmission is mandatory. Alfa's also added a mechanical limited-slip differential derived from the Giulia GTA.

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