Alfa Romeo Stelvio review - Interior, design and technology

Alfa Romeo treated the Stelvio to a facelift in late 2022, as well as boost in technology and a revised trim structure. The already very handsome Stelvio now features the 3x3 headlight signature first seen on the smaller Tonale SUV, which also pays homage to the iconic SZ Zagato from the early 90s. The distinctive triangular ‘Trilobo’ grille has also been given a new paint finish and there's some extra gloss black trim on the exterior, but that's about it for the styling changes.

One of the more noticeably changes can be found inside. The Stelvio is now equipped as standard with a 12.3-inch digital driver's display with three distinct layouts: 'Evolved’ is the more conventional readout, ‘Relax’ provides minimal information, and ‘Heritage’ adds a bit of retro style. We have no doubt some will miss the analogue dials you got in the Stelvio until now, but we found the new digital dash to be a welcome improvement.

The Stelvio does still feature an array of physical buttons, which is reassuring in a time of enormous, complicated touchscreens and touch-sensitive panels. However, despite other improvements to the Stelvio's cabin and on-board technology over the years, it still can't quite stand up to its established German competition in terms of tech and perceived quality.

Entry-level Sprint models come with faux leather and cloth upholstery as standard, while Veloce and Competizione spec  cars get sports leather seats in either black or red. Alloy wheel sizes also vary between trim levels, with base models riding on 19-inch rims and top-spec models getting 21-inch versions of Alfa's iconic five-hole wheels.

24

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Alfa’s 8.8-inch infotainment has been gently improved over time, and in isolation is a decent-enough system. But against its rivals, its shortcomings are highlighted. The display itself is neatly integrated into the dash, but the screen is quite small. The graphics are also a little on the dull side and the screen just doesn’t have the clarity or level of detail you get in rival systems.

While the touchscreen reacts well enough to inputs, a huge bonus is that this system can also be operated
via a swivel wheel on the centre console; it makes using the set-up while driving a lot easier and safer. 

We did find Alfa’s infotainment pretty straightforward to use, but we expect most people will just use the standard-fit Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone connectivity. A wireless phone charging pad also features on Veloce versions.