Alfa Romeo Australia is a brand I have loved and chosen for my personal vehicle for many years now, so I thoroughly enjoyed being able to partner with the Alfa Romeo team recently. I was invited to experience their Stelvio Quadrifoglio model whilst I travelled from Sydney to Canberra.
I now know what they mean when they say that the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is, ‘Engineered to thrill.’ This classy model understandably brags about being the world’s fastest production SUV. Just let that fact sink in for a minute.
The Italian word Quadrifoglio translates to ‘four leaf clover’, which is a notable symbol of luck for the exquisite brand. Since the early 20’s, Alfa Romeo has bestowed this symbol only onto its most powerful race and road vehicles. Trust the Italians to hold such a beautiful tradition. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is the very first Quadrifoglio that is also an SUV.
INSIDE & OUT
The model features the iconic front ‘Trilobe’ and sculpted lateral bodywork that the brand is known for. I love how Alfa Romeo designs their cars as if they are a couture collection, with each one being recognizable to the brand, and every other model, without even having to look at the logo.
I personally own an Alfa Romeo Spider convertible, so I am blissfully aware of the beautiful interior features and driver comfort that Alfa is known for. The SUV model features a high, sporty driving position, with a classic yet stylish cockpit space.
You’ll have fun choosing your exterior colour from a selection of six sensual shades. These are, ‘Alfa Red’, ‘Vulcano Black’, ‘Vesuvio Grey’, ‘Montecarlo Blue’, ‘Competizione Red’ and ‘Trofeo White’.
The key feature of this ride that allows me to do my job as efficiently as possible, is the generously sized boot compartment. It allowed me to easily fit all of the clothing and accessories I required for my styling jobs. Being a Personal Men’s Stylist usually entails carting around collections of shopping bags as well as a steamer and various accessories. This immaculate, beautiful ride epitomises Italian style from inside to outside and provided me with a cleverly designed storage space that is second to none.
This model also boats an enviable race-style steering wheel and a hot red ignition button; just couple of many details to excite the senses.
The advanced integrated brake system and Forward Collision Warning features will keep you and your loved ones more than just safe.
If you’re like me and love your music and tech access whilst driving, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio has a large 8.8” high def display, a 3D nav system and advanced voice recognition. Whether you have an iPhone or are the Android type, you’ll be compatible and the way they’ve designed the rotary pad and tech system means it’s safer for you to access your music, maps, apps and other phone features whilst driving. I put on some Afro beats on the Harman Kardon® Sound Theatre system, music being essential especially when you drive quite a bit for work or play.
MY DRIVE
‘Smooth’ comes to mind, as does Italian design excellence. There’s something about Alfa Romeo that makes me so excited to go for a drive, and not even mind if I get stuck in Sydney traffic. I thought I loved my Spider model, I do, but this beauty just knocks everything out of the water in my opinion.
It somehow feels like a luxury hotel experience but on four wheels.
The Quadrifoglio has a 375kW, 2.9-litre 6 cylinder Bi-Turbo, aluminium monobloc engine and features the New Q4 All-Wheel Drive traction system. Its also really fuel efficient due to the design being created to be as light as possible.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
This Italian beauty is beyond a pleasure to drive. In fact, it definitely invoked a newfound passion for driving I never knew I had. It’s spacious, timeless and elegant, with all of the elaborate tech and spec features you’d ever dream of having, and then some. It’s a great option for my styling work and lifestyle. I would even recommend this model for the busy parent or the adventurous types, and for basically everyone who needs a high class vehicle that will look impressive whilst also being able to accommodate your needs for explorations, your passions, business endeavors and / or pleasure.
Thank you to the wonderful team at Alfa Romeo for having me experience their latest addition, and for seriously tempting me into an upgrade.