Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio (2026) Review

Introduction

Quadrifoglio literally translates to four-leaf clover from Italian, and anyone driving one of the Alfa Romeo cars carrying such badging is guaranteed one thing - extra pace and plenty of it. The tiny emblem gained fame as a good luck charm on racing driver Ugo Sivocci’s car back in 1963 following a run of bad fortunes, but its connection with Alfa dates back much farther to the early 1920s.

Fast forward more than 100 years and that green badge now represents the high-performance arm of Alfa Romeo, shaped by engineers who have honed their skills in top-tier racing teams. It symbolises the flagship model, just as Mercedes has AMG, BMW has M and Audi has RS.

But these days, the focus is on electric vehicles rather than these powerhouse combustion-engined beauties and that’s why Alfa had initially announced the Stelvio’s days were numbers. However, much to the delight of the iconic brand’s faithful fanbase, the bosses announced at January’s Brussels Motor Show that production of the Stelvio and Giulia would continue until next spring.

The all-wheel drive Stelvio is sold in trims called Sprint, Veloce, Intensa and the mighty Quadrifoglio with prices starting from £52,120 and rising to £96,090.

The standard cars are powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine delivering 280hp, but the Quadrifoglio, as promised, brings lots of added firepower to the mix with a V6 2.9-litre 520hp engine. And it was that car that we put to the test for a week on a mixture of roads to see if it really lives up to all the hype.

What are the Pros and Cons of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio?

Pros:

• Engaging handling with blistering pace and acceleration
• The roar of that V6 engine
• Stylish design, lots of ‘proper’ physical controls

Cons:

• The interior is showing its age
• Rear passenger space isn’t class leading
• Small infotainment system that’s a little clunky

What are our first impressions of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio?

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is a dynamic five-door SUV that’s very easy on the eye and boasts a number of styling traits that are a hint to its performance capability.

It has a bold silhouette with sporty, sweeping lines and muscular curves, complemented by rear privacy glass, unique four-leaf clover Quadrifoglio badging, 20-inch dark-finish alloys plus red brake calipers.

The full LED adaptive Matrix headlights provide excellent illumination at night and there is the traditional Scudetto V-shield grille, air vents and the off-set number plate.

Distinctive tail lamps help the car stand out and the test car featured a four-tip Akrapovik sports exhaust system that delivers the deepest Alfa Romeo soundtrack imaginable.

This car is most certainly a looker.

What are the key features of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio?

The full Alfa Romeo Stelvio line-up consists of three more basic trims called Sprint, Veloce and Intensa, but the real firepower, along with some extra kit, comes with the Quadrifoglio performance specification.

The Stelvio Sprint features black fabric seats, a sports leather steering wheel, 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It has a 12.3-inch driver information screen, wireless charging pad, automatic high beam headlamps, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, matte dark exhaust tip and 19-inch alloy wheels.

Step up to Stelvio Veloce and it gains sports leather seats that are six-way electrically-adjustable, can be heated and feature a power bolster function. There is a heated steering wheel, limited-slip differential, 20-inch alloys, dark tinted rear windows, red Brembo brake calipers and Vulcano black body kit.

The Stelvio Intensa gains a leather dashboard, door panels and central armrest with tan contrast stitching. There is a two-tone steering wheel, tan embroidered logos on the front headrests, plus Intensa signature on the armrest. It also adds heated washer nozzles, intelligent speed control, active driving assist, a 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio, upgraded suspension, hill descent control, mini Italian flags on the mirror caps, black Brembo brake calipers with golden Alfa Romeo signature, full LED adaptive Matrix headlights and 20-inch alloy wheels with golden accents and a diamond cut finish.

Finally, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio features lots of carbon fibre inserts and trimmings, carbon fibre side skirts, a hands-free powered tailgate, enhanced suspension, aluminium paddle shifters, the four-leaf clover badging and 20-inch dark alloy wheels.

How does the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio drive and handle?

Powering the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is a six-cylinder 2.9-litre turbocharged petrol engine delivering 520hp and 600Nm of torque. A dynamic design calls for dynamic performance and this car certainly delivers with a 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 177mph.

The acceleration through the eight-speed automatic transmission is smooth and very rapid with larger-than-life steering wheel paddles for added driver engagement. It’s a car that will effortlessly sit at 70mph on motorways offering a comfortable ride and, thanks to the elevated seating, is simple to drive through busier cities and towns with excellent all-round driver visibility.

But that potent performance is crying out to be unleashed on faster country lanes where the car’s handling can really shine. Despite weighing in at 1.85 tonnes, Stelvio Quadrifoglio is ultra-grippy through tight bends, offers a seemingly unlimited amount of power and it has bundles of pace on tap to make light work of overtakes.

Despite being all-wheel drive, there is a rear-wheel bias to add to the fun, and while it’s billed as an SUV, there is next-to-no sign of body sway through tighter curves. Drive modes add to the driving fun and these are called ‘d’, ’n’ and ‘a’ which stands for Dynamic, Natural and Advanced efficiency – we would recommend the Dynamic mode.

Refinement levels are entirely dependent on your mood. It settles nicely into everyday driving tasks with ease, but a firmer throttle action will awaken its potential with the quad-exhaust system delivering the dramatic accompanying note.

What are the day-to-day running costs with an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio?

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio line-up starts from £52,120 for the Sprint model, increasing to £57,120 for the Veloce and £61,520 for the Intensa. But, it’s quite a price hike to the Stelvio Quadrifoglio which costs from £96,090. And that’s before any optional extras are factored into the mix.

Our test car had striking Etan Red paintwork, red brake calipers, and an advanced exhaust system – all of which added a further £6,450 to the final price-tag.

One glance in the car’s direction and it will instantly become clear that this isn’t going to be an economical vehicle to run and that’s backed up by the official WLTP-tested fuel efficiency figure of a combined 23.9mpg. The carbon emission figure of 267g/km will result in a hefty first-year road tax bill of £5,690, but that will drop down to the standard charge of £200 after 12 months.

But the expenses don’t stop there. As the Stelvio Quadrifoglio costs in excess of the government’s £40k Expensive Car Supplement threshold (£50k for EVs), owners will need to find an extra £440 from years two to six.

Anyone weighing up the costs of running the Stelvio Quadrifoglio as a company car would see a Benefit in Kind tax rating of 37 per cent.

What’s the interior of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio like?

It would be hard to describe the interior of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio as particularly high-end as it actually looks a little jaded round the edges. While it’s a marked step up from the standard car and features some eye-catching styling cues such as a special 3D textured carbon fibre design on the dashboard, centre console and door panels, the interior is actually a little dreary.

The 8.8-inch multi-touch display screen is small compared to most similarly priced rivals, but it works fine despite being a tad fiddly. However, we do applaud its simplicity – something those so-called rivals can’t exactly shout about with their over-complicated drop-down menus.

Behind the steering wheel is a 12.3-inch driver display that alters as you flick through the drive modes and also features plenty of track-focused data if required.

The seats are powered and, along with the steering wheel, can be heated and there is a separate climate control panel, which again, is user-friendly.

Creature comforts include a superb 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, 3D navigation, full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, and lots more besides.

How practical is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and how big is the boot?

Impressive performance is only part of the package because the five-door Stelvio Quadrifoglio must also meet the practical requirements that define the sports utility vehicle segment. And it does that rather well.

It stretches 4,701mm in length, is 1,955mm wide (excluding mirrors), 1,689mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,820mm. Those numbers translate into a fairly spacious cabin with ample room up front for two six-footers to sit comfortably.

Back seat occupants fare well too with a generous amount of legroom, although the tapering roofline means taller passengers will notice their hair brushing against the headlining. Additionally, anyone relegated to the middle seat will need to straddle quite a large transmission hump.

The elevated seating does make entering and exiting the car easier, and accessing a child seat will be a simple process too with ISOFIX anchors to the outer rear seats.

The boot is accessed via a powered tailgate and can swallow 525 litres of kit. Drop the 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats using levers located inside the boot, and that capacity increases to 1,600 litres. Additionally, there are plenty of handy storage areas scattered throughout the cabin, including a locking glovebox, central cubby, door bins with a section to store bottles, front and rear cup holders with grips to keep drinks secure, seat back nets, a secret compartment next to the driver’s door, some trays and a wireless charging pad.

How safe is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio?

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio was awarded a maximum five stars when tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating back in 2017. However, these ratings are only valid for six years, so it has now expired.

That said; the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is comprehensively equipped with safety features, along with driver assistance aids, to help protect all occupants as well as other road users.

On-board features include traffic sign recognition, autonomous emergency braking, active lane management with lane keeping assist and blind spot assist, a rear view camera with dynamic grid lines, automatic high beam, driver attention alert, hill descent control, active cruise control, electronic stability control, a tyre pressure monitor and a full suite of airbags.

While it is no longer valid, back in 2107 the Stelvio received an impressive 97 per cent rating for adult occupants by Euro NCAP experts.

Can I choose optional extras with an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio?

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio already has styling qualities that help it stand out from the crowd, but owners can add their own personal touch via a number of optional extras.

For example, our car featured stunning Etna Red premium paint, costing £2,500 and that is also available in a Montreal Green shade.

Red brake calipers costing £450 were also fitted to the test model, as was the Akrapovic Sports Exhaust (£3,500), but customers can also look at introducing carbon ceramic brake discs (£7,200), an electrically-operated sunroof (£1,250), Sparco carbon shell sports seats (£3,250) and a range of metallic paint shades costing £700.

Additionally, a Driver Assistance Pack that includes intelligent speed control and active driving assist, is priced at £1,100.

What are the main rivals to the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio?

There are some pretty engaging and lively SUVs on the market right now, including the Mercedes-AMG GLC, Porsche Macan, Audi SQ5 and the Jaguar F Pace, all of which are premium cars with premium price-tags. That means the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio will have to shine in a highly competitive field.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio - our final verdict

There are definitely faster and more established performance SUVs for sale right now, but there is something rather charming and undeniably alluring about the Alfa Romeo. And that’s its uniqueness – you won’t be spotting too many on the roads and that gives it a special appeal. After all, when you’re spending close to £100,000 on a car, a sense of exclusivity has to be part of the deal.

And the performance is perfect for any thrill seeker with its blistering pace and engaging handling. The steering is direct and offers excellent feedback, while the generously-sized cabin covers practicality needs well.

Of course, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio isn’t without its flaws. The cabin for starters lacks the wow factor of main rivals, while the infotainment set-up seems to be lagging behind the slick tech offered by German competitors.

But these criticisms sort of miss the point.

This car isn’t meant to be the sensible choice – instead it has bucketloads of charm, charisma and entertainment value – and sometimes that’s worth far more than good old logic and common sense.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio.

**Correct as of 05/06/2026. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12 monthly payments, or £14,230.92 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.

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