While this won’t be our last sighting of the four-leaf clover, it will be the last of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio with its Ferrari-derived V6 engine. 2024 marks the end of the line for Alfa Romeo’s current lineup, and while this Italian may have been a left-field choice in a market swimming with more successful rivals like the Mercedes-Benz GLC or BMW X3, it’s arguably the more exciting, thrilling, and rewarding sports SUV.

And in its final iteration, we’ve noticed a handful of improvements since the last 2019 model we drove. Material quality is slightly improved around the cabin with tidier leather stitching and more compact carbon fibre weaves. And it seems they have actually listened to our feedback – the standard sport seats no longer feel like sitting on a concrete slab. They’ve added cushioning, specifically to the now soft and plush headrests, which used to be stuffed with moon rocks. Now it’s an SUV I wouldn’t mind selecting for longer journeys. The driver’s gauges have been replaced by a 12.3-inch TFT digital screen with three theme displays, but we do miss the look of analog gauges – must be our natural yearning for what we can’t have. 

The interior atmosphere is welcoming and there are enough unique and premium parts in the Quadrifoglio to give it an upscale, sporty vibe. There is a Ferrari-like start button budding out of the steering wheel and ice-cold aluminum paddle shifters mounted on the steering column, but it’s the craftsmanship of the wheel and the satisfying metallic clink from the paddles that give off heavy race car vibes. Cabin space is excellent with plenty of room for my six-foot figure in any one of the five available seats. The back row is one of the roomiest in the segment, with ample headroom even with the optional panoramic sunroof. 

We’re glad to see the Stelvio age quite well over the years, keeping modern with minor refreshes to the front and rear light designs. We admire their restraint in keeping the clover badges to a minimum, unlike BMW M and AMG. The only clear giveaways that this is a race-bred SUV are spotting the quad exhaust tips, hood vents, and the obvious clover badging on the side fenders, lower steering wheel spoke, and driver’s gauges. The Stelvio still retains its signature Alfa cues like the triangular front grill and teledial wheel designs. It’s amazing how the Stelvio and related Maserati Grecale might share the same platform but look so different and unique in their tailored Italian suits. 

But the real reason you buy a Quadrifoglio is for the powertrain, and it’s the genuine reason why we think it will sorely be missed in a world slowly shifting towards more efficient and less charming means of propulsion. Quadrifoglio means four-leaf clover in Italian and it has only been emblazoned on Alfa Romeo’s highest performing vehicles. That means an all-aluminum 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 derived from the F154 engine in the Ferrari California T. Essentially, it’s Ferrari’s old V8 engine with two cylinders lobbed off, and it makes quite a ruckus. Unlike the rear-wheel-drive Giulia Quadrifoglio, this powertrain had to be revised to accommodate the all-wheel-drive Q4 system underpinning the Stelvio. The numbers remain unchanged, however, with an impressive 505 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, sent through an 8-speed automatic transmission. The result is one of the most spectacularly athletic and livid performance SUVs to date.

The Stelvio will sprint from 0-100 km/h in a speedy 3.8 seconds. Add to that adaptive dampers, a carbon fibre drive shaft, and a rear-biased AWD system, and you have an SUV that drives like a sports sedan. As cliché and overused as that phrase might be, there really is no better way to describe the Stelvio Quadrifoglio and its point-and-shoot approachability. This Alfa is stupid quick in a straight line, but it’s even more outrageous when carrying that speed through corners thanks to a quick and accurate steering rack. The front nose whisks you in any direction you so choose, eagerly rotating with a quick flick of the wrist, allowing you to ebb and flow with an overachieving sense of balance and vigour. You get a bit of that top-heavy lean intrinsic to all SUVs but it’s less apparent in the Stelvio, demonstrating Shakira levels of hip shaking that had our jaws drop to the floor.

The Alfa is bursting through the leather seams with charm and character, but also with minor annoyances and ergonomic foibles. The throttle delivery can be too abrupt on the initial prod, as even a slight feather of the throttle causes the car to lurch forward unpleasantly. It’s not a smooth progression into speed, but rather something we’re accustomed to seeing on high-performance cars in their sportiest settings – it’s not so welcome in an Alfa SUV that also doubles as a daily driver in comfort mode. The rivalling Grecale Trofeo is much more refined in these areas and feels like a more polished product by comparison. It’s spent more time in the oven, whereas the Alfa is rougher around the edges, not as expensive, and not as gentle as it needs to be. The rear brakes tend to squeal when wet and cold. Otherwise, these minor annoyances still fail to overshadow the Alfa’s magnificent powertrain. 

The Quadrifoglio impresses from the outset with its unflappable chassis, delightful steering, and impressive acceleration, but the main reason it tugs at our heartstrings comes down to its hypnotic exhaust noise, putting the cherry on top of this four-leaf sundae. If Ferrari were to develop a V6 engine, I’d like to think it’d sound something like this. Whereas AMG, M, and SVR focus on the burbles, pops, and bass-filled wardrum beats, the Alfa sings a higher-pitched tune, is more exotic-sounding, and materializes as an Italian ballad crescendoing at 7,400 rpm.

The resulting soundtrack is sublime, not so much Ferrari but more grown-up Abarth with a mix of Maserati V6. At wide open throttle, it’s like someone lit a firecracker and stuffed it into the exhaust pipes. Sadly, there is no way to switch the active exhaust on or off. The exhaust noise varies depending on the amount of throttle you add, growing louder and more intense the harder you push. The full opera only raises its curtains once you get past 5,000 rpm, much like the Ghibli. Below that, it’s all quiet and sophisticated. Furthermore, you must be in Race mode to achieve the loudest noise. The downside to this is that Race mode automatically disables all driver aids, including traction control, with no way to turn them back on.

We bid a sad farewell to the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and we do so with heartfelt sadness. We know there won’t be another Italian SUV as charming, vocal, and engaging as this one. It fires off emotions with ease and is the antithesis to the boring SUV stereotype. There’s something about the way it drives and gels with the road that transforms it from being just a commuter appliance to a sentient soul with rhapsodic vocals and a stallion of an engine. The next performance Alfa has big shoes to fill.

Specifications:

Model: 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
Paint Type: Rosso GTA
Base Price: $103,295
Price as Tested: $108,145
Wheelbase(mm): 2,818
Length/Width/Height (mm): 4,702 / 1,955 / 1,685
Curb weight (kg): 1,978
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Horsepower: 505 hp @ 6,500 rpm
Torque: 443 lb-ft @ 2,500 – 5,500 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Engine & Drive Configuration: Front engine, AWD
Observed Fuel Consumption (L/100km): 16.2
Tires: 255/45R20