Alfa Romeo Stelvio - Italian's are thinking sitting higher 

Don't spill the marbles to anyone but all your favorite Italian billboards with fast pacing sports coupe's are being replaced by CUV's and SUV's Pronto. I use to look at the Murcielago as the Holy Grail of the Automotive hall of fame, but nowadays to pay the bills you got to play the game. The Stelvio came hot off the trails of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifolio, I have to admit we skipped over the CUV as the sedan was so great. We figured the egged shaped Giulia was just a marketing tactic meant to glean over until the full Italian implosion of Alfa to the use markets. Well Quality oh Qualita for you Roma folk seems to always be the bug that bites harder than super performance. All the bugs we learned of in the Giulia started to water down the heavy storm of praise that we passed out after the first look. Obviously, the owner's experience is why we're here and feedback to the car manufacturers of there faults helps in there future successes. So what happened well, I passed by the egg-shaped Stelvio, than an egg was laid to my face. 

Conceptual moment of blunder, the egg-shaped actually looked great in person the pictures don't do it justice this is definitely an in-person car and Thank God for the human eye, see it is it that makes 4K look weak... Overcome by anxiousness I stepped in to see the low slung, but sporty Stelvio sitting. The 4 quad exhausts did I number for me sometimes different isn't always better and square exhaust coverings just wouldn't tell the story. The car also had large 20-inch wheels to make sure the visual appeal wasn't lost, with vents at the hood to culminate the impression that there was something different about the CUV the rear haunches, showed a little more girth, but couldn't hide the huge 285 rears which varies from the standard 255 all around that you'll find in the standard models. Though we are hearing about the female size of the car, it had presence sitting next to X5's and Jag F-Pace's, this stood out, the Italians certainly know how to make exotics. 

The clearer message was sent through the driver's seat, channeling my inner Andretti the 2.9L TT V6 sang once you went up to the 2500 RPM range, clear was the Ferrari beginnings and also that this was a car that is punching sound that is competing with the AMG's and SVR's of the world. For anyone afraid of the lack of power don't worry, the V6 brings the curb weight to under 4400lb and with 505 HP and 443 LB TQ sixty came and went in under 3.6 seconds ... Yes, you read it 3.6 seconds to the 6-0 for the midlevel CUV from Alfa. Theatrics are omnipresent, the interior was brash yes you could get the subdued looks of the darker colors, but nothing says spaghetti like red with carbor fiber accents throughout. Comfortability was a must if you're in the front's your all set but to the rear...I guess the headroom wasn't a priority but a necessity in the design effort. It is not acceptable though to see some Chrysler appointments in the smaller controls that no one but an Auto Journalist would notice, MSRP is $80k so make sure there are no Dart commonalities. I'll stop there the gift of this car was there were no check engine lights, plus it had 9,000 miles on the odometer. No HP loss and still a strong warranty I was surprised at the depreciation. $20K in one year, the car was offered at $61K  no haggle and daggle it's a hell of a deal for a CUV that is probably ranked 1 + 1 tied with the GLC AMG 63 S. If cornering is your fancy, and getting a CUV that feels like a coupe is your purpose look no further there is nothing like this. Sitting sideways at .94 g's you fully understand the selection of this car in the lightning round at Car and Driver. 

Check out the spec's and give a call to Jaguar of St. Pete it's sitting waiting at $61K an SUV that feels like a Sports Car for real the Italians strike again .... 



Engine: 2.9L TT V6 
Trans: 8 Speed ZF 
HP & TQ: 505 / 443 
0-60: 3.6 seconds 
1/4 Mile: 11.9 - 12.3 
Top Speed: 177 mph 
Cornering G: .94