USED: 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Luxury SUV – All You Love, Plus a Little More 

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is modern, elegant and luxurious. Oh, and it's fun to drive. This is what we love about this classic beauty.
2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
The 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Thankfully, many of the things we love have not changed, and the additions are good ones.

When Alfa Romeo announced they were making changes to the Stelvio for 2020, I was surprised. Why? Because this car was already beautiful, modern and elegant. It’s delightful to look at, and even more beautiful to drive. 

But everyone can get better, right? Same with the Stelvio. 

Here’s what we love about this fun-to-drive Italian and what new features will make you happy if you’re in the market for a premium SUV.

 

2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
A view of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio’s front seat. Photo: Scotty Reiss

What We Already Love – and Hasn’t Changed

The 2020 Stelvio is still perfectly balanced and easy to drive. You’d never know you’re driving an SUV. It’s quick, agile and hugs the road, even though it has a higher center of gravity and higher ground clearance than a sedan.

The Stelvio offers a 280 horsepower turbocharged engine in the Q4 model and a truly thrilling 505 horsepower V6 in the Quadrifoglio model. Either model is fine for daily driving, road trips or filling the car with family. Pop the Q4 into Dynamic (sport) mode and it has no problem merging onto the highway and getting up to speed in seconds, even going up a hill. If you really need the extra 225 HP (and have an extra $20K or so to spend), you’ll be glad you moved up to Quadrifoglio-land. 

The 2020 Stelvio is distinct, beautiful, and bad-ass looking. As premium SUVs go, Stelvio zigs when everyone else zags. Its rounded shoulders, low roof and smooth lines counter the trend toward sculpted lines, prominent air vents and lots of angles. Stelvio’s design is elegant and flowy. Its distinct front “face” (I see eyes, a nose, and mouth) integrates the bumper seamlessly into the hood and side panels. The wide-set wheels sit nearly underneath the front and rear bumpers making it feel very muscular. No matter where you are on the road, you know this car can handle it.

Related: 9 Reasons You Should Consider the Alfa Romeo Stelvio for Your Next SUV

2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Before and after: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio steering wheel. Photo: Scotty Reiss

What’s New – and What We Think About It

But the big changes in the 2020 Stelvio are on the inside, found in four key areas: The steering wheel, center console, multimedia system and active driver assistance features.

We test-drove the Sport edition with red seats, paddle shifters and active damping for when sport mode is too sporty (rear seat passengers will be thankful for this). 

1. The Steering Wheel.

I’ll start with the steering wheel because I love and hate this at the same time. I was a HUGE fan of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio steering wheel from the last design generation because it was thin. My hands could easily wrap around it. Therefore, it was lovely to hold and didn’t dominate the space. Clearly, some ham-handed drivers weighed in, because the steering wheel on the 2020 Stelvio is heftier.

And, I agree. It feels more substantial. Alfa Romeo beefed up the thumb rests and covered them in perforated leather at the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions. My hands easily fell to the right place on the steering wheel. My thumbs felt comfortably at home resting there. Plus, with thicker leather and a flat-bottomed D shape, it looks every bit the Alfa-tool that a steering wheel is. 

Related: 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Review: Only For Those Who Want to Live This Life

2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Before and after: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio center console. Photo: Scotty Reiss

2. The Center Console

The center console is the most obvious and what you’ll see first. While it’s still minimalist-influenced, there are more features to toy with and more design elements that make the center console pop with color and excitement. The multimedia controller has more function, giving you more options at your fingertips. Also, there’s a space to hold your key, so you don’t have to stick it in a cup holder. The new design kept the retracting cup holder cover, open USB port and 12-V charge port, both in plain view and easy to reach (for those ham-handed drivers whose fingers won’t fit into a deep cubby to plug in a device).

Inside the center armrest are two new things. A wireless phone charger (this is a $300 option) is neatly tucked into the gap between the console and the armrest. Inside, there are two USB ports: One standard USB-A that we are accustomed to and a USB-C port, which is becoming the new standard.

One caveat: If you like to travel with your dog, you may need to keep him in a crate or somehow restrict motion when leaving him in the car. Every time we left our pup in the car (safely, parked in the shade, windows down, only for a couple of minutes) he hopped into the front seat to watch for us, setting off the car alarm. I tried to find a way to shut it off, but to no avail. Alfa Romeo engineer Steven Richards told us that “The alarm system has an interior protection monitor that utilizes radar/a volumetric sensor to detect movement inside the car,” setting off the alarm. 

Related: Looking for a Wild Ride? Netflix’s 6 Underground Has It, and the Alfa Romeos Will Take Your Breath Away

A Girls Guide To Cars | Used: 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Luxury Suv - All You Love, Plus A Little More  - Beforeafter Infotainment
Before and after: The Alfa Romeo infotainment screen. Photo: Scotty Reiss

3. The Multimedia System

The multimedia system has been rethought in a good way. One of the things I LOVED about the first generation of Alfa Romeo design was the multimedia screen they integrated into the dashboard. This made it demure, and if you shut it off it virtually disappears. This is a lovely feature. Now, there are more features, more screens, and more options. You can even drag and drop to reorder things the way you want to see them. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still available, too, which I was very happy about.

4. Driver Assist Features

The 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio has more active driver-assist features. You know, those lovely things that tell you it’s time to stop for a craft coffee (because you may be sleepy), that you’re drifting out of your lane (and it nudges you back in), or that you’re about to bump the front of the garage wall. Add to this adaptive cruise with traffic jam assist (it comes to a full stop when traffic does), traffic sign recognition that lets you know when the speed limit changes, and active blindspot monitoring, all wrapped up in a neat little $3,200 package including navigation. 

2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
I love the privacy screens in the cargo area. A panel in the window is stationary. The screen over the cargo area is retractable. Photo: Scotty Reiss

What the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Sport Costs

Used models have a price range from about $28,000 to $35,000. However, the model we test-drove, the 2020 Alfa Romeo Stelvio TI Sport, had a base price of $45,800. This is roughly the same as the 2019 model. From there, it’s all about what you add to it.

  • All-wheel drive is $2,000 more than the rear-wheel drive model.
  • The sport package with sport details, paddle shifters, red brake calipers and power seats adds $2,500.
  • Active suspension adds $1,350.
  • Premium Harman Kardon audio (worth it!) added $900.
  • The panoramic sun roof ads $1,350.

With delivery of $1,295, the MSRP on this model was $59,745.

Overall, the changes are a nice complement to the Stelvio. Subtle in style, highly functional and maintaining the Alfa Romeo DNA of minimalist Italian design.

What We Listened to in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio

 

Disclosure: Alfa Romeo provided the Stelvio for this test drive. All opinions are my own.

Scotty Reiss
Scotty Reiss

Journalist, entrepreneur and mom. Expertise includes new cars, family cars, 3-row SUVs, child passenger car seats and automotive careers and culture. A World Car Awards juror and member of the steering committee, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, rather than her finding it. But recognizing the opportunity to give voice to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending power, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long journalist, she has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.

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