The Alfa Romeo Stellantis: A Vehicle that Combines Practicality with Exhilarating Driving Experience

As I put the Alfa Romeo Stellantis through its paces, I was struck by how well it handled on the road. Despite having all-season tires, which might be considered a compromise for an SUV of this size and capability, the Stellantis felt planted around the corners with ease. The sport-tuned suspension, available in the Ti trim, limited body roll without introducing any harshness over bumps. This allowed me to push the vehicle harder, enjoying its dynamic and engaging nature.

One of the standout features of the Stellantis is its unique view from behind the wheel. The high hood line provides excellent visibility, making it easy to spot obstacles on the road ahead. Additionally, the two "hunches" or crosshairs pointing towards the left and right tires serve as a guide, helping to center the vehicle on the road. This combination of features makes driving the Stellantis feel more like navigating a sedan than an SUV.

The sound system in the Stellantis is another area where Alfa Romeo excels. The exhaust note, while not as menacing and melodic as that of the Quadrifoglio version, still has a pleasing quality to it. It penetrates into the cabin, enhancing the overall driving experience without being too loud or overpowering. This attention to detail in the design of the Stellantis is evident throughout, from the exterior styling to the interior amenities.

Inside, the Ti trim offers a decent amount of features for its price. The standard 8.8-inch display is a good starting point, and with optional Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, seamless integration with your phone and music playback becomes effortless. For $900 more, an upgraded Harman Kardon sound system can be installed, providing tremendous bass and clarity. However, the only complaint I have is that the sound system feels a bit thin at times, lacking a large presence.

The interior of the Stellantis is also worth noting. While some might find it too plain in black leather trim, the black and red split leather option is truly premium-looking. The design elements are tasteful and modern, with a focus on simplicity that belies the vehicle's complexity. Some features, such as the stop-start button located on the steering wheel, add to the overall sense of luxury.

Alfa Romeo prioritizes safety in the Stellantis, offering a driver-assist dynamic plus package for $1,500. This includes forward collision avoidance, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality. Additionally, automatic high beams can turn themselves on and off depending on traffic conditions. Storage-wise, the rear seats provide 18.5 cubic feet of space, which can be expanded to 56.5 cubic feet by folding them down.

The seats in the Stellantis are extremely comfortable, providing support during intense driving sessions while still prioritizing comfort over sportiness. The design of the seats themselves is also noteworthy, with embossed logos and a well-crafted feel that enhances the overall driving experience. However, one drawback is the reduced visibility from the rear due to the sloping deck lid.

For me, the standout feature of the Stellantis is its ability to balance practicality with exhilarating driving dynamics. It's an SUV that can haul your kids around or transport 45 coconuts in the back, yet still begs you to push it harder and enjoy yourself behind the wheel. This unique blend of capabilities makes the Stellantis a compelling choice for those seeking a fun and engaging vehicle without sacrificing practicality.

In conclusion, the Alfa Romeo Stellantis is a truly exceptional vehicle that has left me impressed. Its combination of features, design elements, and driving dynamics make it stand out in its class. Whether you're commuting to work or taking your family on a road trip, this SUV is sure to deliver an exciting and enjoyable experience. With the Stellantis, you can have it all – style, substance, and a whole lot of fun behind the wheel.

Special thanks are extended to Alfa Romeo for loaning me the Stellantis test vehicle. I look forward to seeing you in the next video.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ennext to me is the all-new Alfa Romeo dalvio their latest model introduced into the United States and an appealing alternative to what's currently available on the SUV market after spending a week with the stell vo I have experienced and tested out its practicality driving dynamics and spirit after falling in love with the Giulia Quadrifoglio I was super excited to get the opportunity to test out the new stell vo is it better than its competition and what does it actually like to drive well that's what today is all about there's no denying the stell vo is a gorgeous SUV with its three clover like shaped grilles as well as its sharp headlights it looks ready to dominate the road and well the lines are very similar to the Giulia in many ways it looks like it's grown-up but not in an awkward way and something that looks just right underneath the hood of the stell vo is a 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder that pumps out 280 horsepower and 306 pounds eat of torque now on the surface that doesn't seem like a ton of power for an SUV but the Stelvio is very light four thousand and forty four pounds is much more like sedans of today's times than it is an SUVs curb weight for reference the comparable bmw x3 X Drive flirty which just by listening to the name is a lot less appealing than the Alfa Romeo stell vo makes 260 horsepower and 240 pound feet of torque so less in both measures and also weighs 120 pounds more than the stell vo from Mercedes we've got the GLC 300 which weighs the same but makes only 241 horsepower the stell vo is offered in five different trim levels we have the base car the stell vo sport the stell vo Ti the TI sport and the Quadrifoglio this is the TI sport that I'm testing today that gives the car upgraded 19-inch wheels as well as black exterior trim and a leather wrap steering wheel red brake callipers and steering wheel column mounted paddles the wheels on this dalvio have actually been further upgraded to the 20-inch offering which honestly looked very much like a Chari performance wheels more akin to a sports car than an SUV but they fit this very well now this dalvio is finished in alpha Rosso or red but sounds much nicer that way one of eleven colors offered on the stell vo come around to the back and you'll notice this gorgeous swooping deck lid and split dual exhaust you've also got a q4 badge to symbolize that it is in fact all-wheel-drive and I can't help but fall in love with the Alfa Romeo badge now in 1910 in Milan when Alfa was created they came out with this badge it features several traditional symbols of Milan including the cross of the municipality as well as the Visconti serpent now over the years it's obviously evolved slightly but it still retains that Milan heritage and quite simply it looks really cool Alfa has done a tremendous job with the interior of the stell vo making it feel engaging and driver focus we've got this gorgeous leather rack steering wheel that has the perfect diameter for sporty driving and we also have a stop start button located in the bottom left corner of the steering wheel there is nothing more Italian than a start/stop button located on the steering wheel we also have these gorgeous aluminum paddles on the steering column behind it let's take this thing for a spin shall we according to Alfa Romeo the stell vo is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 in 5 point 4 seconds which is impressively quick for an SUV at this power level now how is this possible well part of it is due to the fact that we have an all-wheel drive system the other component is the weight as well as the brilliant 8-speed automatic transmission now instead of just taking off full Romeo's word for it although I'm sure they're not lying about their 0 to 60 time TV box datalogger to determine the zero to 60 time for ourselves go ahead and put this back up we are in dynamic drive floor the brake for the gas oh that was a good start and 60 let's see what we got look at that zero to 60 in 5.2 seconds for the stell VOT i Sport that is impressive now while 0 to 60 in 5 point 2 seconds is clearly quick enough for most for those who want more performance well Alfa has more than delivered for you the top of the line trim of the stell vo is thus tell vo Quadrifoglio and it's got the same motor as the Giulia Quadrifoglio that means 2.9 litre twin-turbocharged v6 that makes a monstrous 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque now because this car is all-wheel drive it's actually able to sprint from 0 to 60 faster than the Giulia Quadrifoglio sedan that's right instead of 3.8 seconds for the Giulia this is able to do 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and the best part is the performance is not just limited to straight-line speed that's right on the stell vo Quadrifoglio we have Brembo carbon ceramic brakes as well as torque vectoring that aided the vehicle in achieving the fastest SUV to ever lap the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 51 seconds for reference that's faster than a BMW m4 and even faster than a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560 and this is an SUV back to the TI sport variant the 8-speed automatic is absolutely one of the highlights of the stell vo especially when mated to these aluminum paddles there's three factors to me that make driving an automatic car in manual mode fun the first of which is the feel of the paddles themselves many skimp out on this even in the Audi r8 v10 plus we have these plasticky tiny paddles that don't feel nice when you touch them and a car that expensive it's really not acceptable then on the opposite end of the spectrum we've got these lovely aluminum panels in the stell vo that feel nice to the touch now the second factor is how it feels upon actuation the actual clicking and use of the paddles has a satisfying feel in the stell vo instead of a crunchy plastic e in the Hellcat they Bend a little bit but this it just feels good and the third is responsiveness if you've got paddles that look great they feel nice when you pull them but it takes a second of delay to actually shift the vehicle what's the point you're never gonna use it that's not fun another car that does that a performance car is a Corvette zo6 yet in this an SUV a practical car you could take the family around in that's not really designed to be a sports car in any way shape or form has instantaneous paddle response when you flick up shifts or down shifts and that actually makes it so that I would want to use the paddles anytime I'm driving this in an aggressive fashion and it actually responds better than a lot of sports cars I've driven what did that that's awesome brakes are good too honestly my favorite part of this tell vo is its driving dynamics it wants you to push it harder and harder in two corners and with all-wheel drive it's got plenty of grip I even have all season tires on this yet it still feels planted around the corners with the sport TI trim we have that sport tuned suspension which limits body roll but isn't harsh over bumps in any way shape or form the Sophia feels like it glides over the road yet when you chuck it through a turn it's really stable we've got a unique view out over the hood very good visibility and then we have these two hunches kind of like a crosshairs pointing you down the line from the left tire and the right tire up in the front really easy to place the stell vo on the road it feels more like driving a sedan albeit a large sedan than it does an SUV now there's no denying Alfa really is the king of sound all their cars that they make produce some of the most pleasing exhaust notes now this does not sound nearly as menacing and melodic as the Quadrifoglio version does but it still has this nice grumble to it penetrates into the cabin to make the experience feel more lively they didn't totally try to mask the fact that it is a four cylinder insulate the car and have no sort of engine noise whatsoever it's not a brilliant beautiful exhaust note but it sounds pretty good now interior wise we've got a decent amount of amenities in the Ti trim we've got a standard eight point eight inch display in the front you can hook that up with optional apple carplay and android auto for seamless integration of your phone and music playback you can also get for $900 an upgraded Harman Kardon sound system the Harman Kardon system which is equipped on the test vehicle I have right now has tremendous bass and clarity the only complaint I have is it feels a little bit thin like it doesn't have a large presence to it although I'm not an audiophile or an audio sound system expert so Who am I to judge but maybe perhaps tweaking with the settings a little bit you can make the sound feel more full the bass however is really nice the all black leather interior is a bit too plain for me however the black and red split leather option is to die for we've got red leather and then black accents all around really makes it feel more premium some of the features are lost in the fact that everything around you is black that being said it's still a luxurious interior it's quite simplistic however but you've got everything right where you need it to be I just can't get over how cool it is that they've got a stop start button located on the steering wheel we've also got adaptive cruise control settings as well as volume knobs channel selection so on and so forth Alfa Romeo also prioritizes safety for $1,500 you can get the driver assist dynamic plus package that gives you forward collision avoidance so if you're not paying attention the car stopped in front of you this is able to give you an audible warning and brake the vehicle we've also got lane departure warning you actually exit your lane without signalling it gives you this audible buzzing vibration to let you know that you're drifting out of your lane and you should probably get back into it it also has adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality as well as automatic high beams that can turn themselves on and off depending on if there is traffic coming the opposite direction from a storage perspective thus tell vo is extremely practical with the rear seats in the position they are currently in we've got eighteen point five cubic feet of storage but if you fold them down you get fifty six point five cubic feet of storage which is enough to transport 45 coconuts if you happen to be in the coconut transportation business the seats in this dalvio are very comfortable they hold you in place to a degree when you're driving intensely around turns but there are definitely more focus on comfort I do like the design of them as well including the embossed logo the Alfa Romeo logo on the headrests the only real complaint I have is that the visibility in the rear isn't as good because we do have that sloping deck lid but honestly apart from all the technological features and the stunning exterior and well designed interior my favorite part of this tell vo is the way that it drives its engaging its dynamic it begs you to push it harder and actually enjoy yourself proving that you can have a practical all-wheel drive SUV that can haul your kids around store 45 coconuts in the back but also be a pleasure and something that you want to take out of the driveway - just go drive to a random place not necessarily just to commute to work or run errands this dalvio is gorgeous unique and exciting and definitely the best vehicle in its class so with that I hope you guys enjoyed this review like always please browse the channel and subscribe special thanks to Alfa Romeo for loaning me this vehicle I look forward to seeing you next video you\n"