2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
Test drive.
You can be sure of one thing when it comes to Alfa Romeo owners. They love cars, and they love driving. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t own an Alfa Romeo. Even though the make has been around in one form or another since 1910 and is well established with enthusiasts in Europe, it’s still a niche brand in the U.S. and must be sought out by car shoppers who seek flair on the road.
A gearhead can spot the iconic Alfa Romeo inverted-triangle grille from space, and it was an exciting time when the brand returned to the U.S. in 2006 under Fiat’s ownership. The brand worked its way through the 21st-century market’s transition away from coupes and sedans toward crossovers and small SUVs. To date, the top-of-the-line Alfa Romeo SUV remains the 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio.
For those still getting to know this legendary Italian automotive nameplate, any Alfa Romeo wearing the Quadrifoglio badge is packed for extra performance. BMW has its M models. Mercedes-Benz has AMG. Land Rover Defender and Range Rover feature SV. In all cases, tuning shops take an already well made, midrange luxury car and add extra power, better acceleration, and tighter handling. When you see a four-leaf clover on an Alfa, get ready for your head to jerk back toward the back seat a tick when you put your toe down.
The Stelvio Quadrifoglio is Alfa Romeo’s best-equipped and fastest SUV. Featuring a 2.9 litre V6 direct injection engine with double overhead cams, this Stelvio produces 505 horsepower. It’ll do 0-100 kilometres per hour in 3.6 seconds with a maximum speed of 286. As a result, Alfa Romeo describes the 2024 Stelvio Quadrifoglio as its fastest SUV.
An eight-speed automatic transmission with sports paddle shifters puts the power through to all-wheel drive and four-wheel independent suspension.
The styling is compact and sleek for anything calling itself an SUV. Like many vehicles of this era, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio feels like a large hatchback as the line between that style and a crossover continues to blur. Regardless, the lines here are tightly muscled and aggressive.
The driving experience lives up to the passion that can become a cliché when discussing Alfa Romeo builds of the past and present. The acceleration is immediate and ample. The steering is accurate. The engine note is angry and barking like an aspiring rally car. It’s fun to drive as an Alfa simply must be.
For now, for drivers who want more than mere transportation while seeking an automotive aesthetic that’ll turn curious heads, the 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio stands ready to carry the famous Italian badge into the future.
