Debuting in the States in 2018, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio follows the Giulia with which it shares a platform, the newest models which the Italian company has unveiled until the arrival of the smaller Tonale.

The Stelvio is also the brand’s first SUV, and over its short tenure it has managed to impress with its style, performance and, dare we say it – reliability.

Alfa Romeo gave us a normal version of the Stelvio and a more powerful ‘Quadrifoglio’ version which follows the familiar tradition of its faster and more sporty models.

There is plenty to like about the Stelvio, although it is not perfect, but no car is.

The hardest part of its mission is to convince luxury crossover buyers that it is a viable alternative to more proven vehicles like the Porsche Macan, BMW X3 or the Mercedes GLC range, among others: we take a brief look at the highs and lows of the jacked-up luxury car.

Engines Choice For The 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

You can have anything under the hood of the 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio, as long as it’s a 2-liter, 4-cylinder turbocharged, 280 hp / 306 lb-ft engine.

The Quadrifoglio version at the top of the range that costs a whopping $41,300 on top of the base Stelvio has a 2.9-liter V6 bi-turbo engine with a peak power output of 504 hp and a fat 443 lb-ft of torque from only 2500 rpm.

Every engine gets connected to the ever-more ubiquitous 8-speed automatic transmission and AWD is standard on all models except the base model which is RWD with optional AWD for $2,000.

Talking of costs, the EPA reckons that the Stelvio is capable of an official 24/25 MPG, the higher figure is for the base-model with RWD.

Alfa’s Stelvio Quadrifoglio has an advertised MPG of just 19 MPG, making it a little more costly at the pumps.

Either way, the standard car's economy rating isn't bad for the performance on offer: Alfa Romeo quotes a 5.5-second 0-60 mph time which is competitive and impressive for a vehicle of this size, weight and engine capacity, while the Quadrifoglio is 2 seconds faster.

RELATED: 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio: Costs, Facts, And Figures

The 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio’s Platform And Drive

Current reviews often cite the engaging drive that is surprisingly nimble and dynamic, with the steering being reasonably quick and the Stelvio being more agile than the mass would have you believe.

Edmunds.com said of the handling in a review, “Alfa Romeo got all the driving characteristics spot on with its crossover, and that's why the Stelvio might be the right choice if you don't want a BMW X4 or Mercedes-Benz GLC but still desire an SUV that offers sporty driving and distinct styling” and Car And Driver said “While its maximum cornering grip was similar to rivals, the Alfa is the alpha dog when it comes to driving engagement”.

Thanks to ‘race inspired handling’ and adaptive dampers, the chassis - which gets shared with the Giulia sedan - offers all the fun you might require along with comfort for when you don’t.

Alfa Romeo points out on the corporate website about the near-50/50 weight distribution and weight-saving carbon fiber driveshaft too, revealing that the Stelvio’s excellence is more than skin-deep.

New for 2023 is a limited-run Estrema model which has the limited-slip-differential from the top-of-the-line Quadrifoglio and adaptive suspension.

RELATED: Alfa Romeo Introduces Limited-Edition Estrema Series For Giulia And Stelvio

Italian Design On The Inside And The Outside

Changes on the outside are subtle, and frankly hardly noticeable but that’s no bad thing: the Stelvio is a triumph of design and combines elegant lines with hints of aggression and plenty of archetypal Alfa Romeo hallmarks, like the grille and the optional Teledial-style rims.

There is a palette of colors to choose from with the Estrema and Quadrifoglio featuring different options to the first three trim levels, and the Veloce trim is available in a striking yellow color called Ocra.

Inside, the interior is as you might expect - luxurious and stylish to use two well-worn clichés – there is the option of red and chocolate leather seats instead of the standard black on some models and the Quadrifoglio features the option of Sparco leather and Alcántara upholstery.

In the well-crafted cabin there sits upfront a standard 8.8” infotainment screen, conspicuous by its

relatively-modest size in a world of portrait-oriented iPads and ultra-wide multi-screens.

For the digital driver’s cluster it’s a set of analog gauges with a smaller center screen that puts the car’s speed and engine revolutions at the forefront of the experience, like a true Alfa you could say – but for some the lack of a full-size digital cluster and larger main infotainment screen could be an unfortunate omission.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Is Awesome

The 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Starts From $46,575

It isn’t cheap, but then again you didn’t think it would be as this really is a capable, well-put-together premium crossover with real Alfa Romeo heritage and style baked in, from the ‘V Scudetto’ grille to the driving dynamics.

Maybe the badge and reliability concerns may still put some off, but those assumptions seem outdated today, and the infotainment’s smaller screen size could be a deal-breaker to certain kinds of customers.

On Alfa Romeo’s website the 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio starts at $46,575 – around $1,000 more than last year.

The rest of the models also carry a $1,000 premium over last year’s counterparts, apart from the 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio 'Veloce' which inexplicably carries a $3,000 premium over the 2022 version.

This is presumably to reduce the price difference between the Veloce and the new Estrema model, which sits above the rest of the range and below the much more expensive Quadrifoglio.

Getting a top-of-the-range Quadrifoglio will also cost you with a starting price of $87,875 – a massive $28,000 more than the Estrema: in fact, we would just go for the Ti or Veloce trims which are much cheaper and offer most of the extra features you would want like AWD and larger wheels.

Either way, you are likely to find the latest Stelvio impressively capable in most areas and exceptional in others, while the experience of owning an Alfa is in its own class altogether.