2023 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce on 2040-cars

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2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Drivers' Notes | Italy's last savior

Alfa Romeo may be beloved by enthusiasts, but the brand has always had a rough go in the United States. Sure, we may look back fondly now at cars like the Spider, Milano and Giulia, but those models never had the impact of their German or British rivals. Slow sales and a reputation for poor reliability killed Alfa in the U.S. more than two decades ago. The automaker is back with cars like the 4C, Giulia and, most important, the 2018 Stelvio crossover. The Stelvio needs to sell well if Alfa has any hope of staying alive in America. Sure, it may not be as sharp or as handsome as the Giulia, but the market demands crossovers, so that's what it'll get. The Stelvio is jumping into a tough and highly contested segment. Rivals like the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class are all strong competitors with handsome styling and sporty driving dynamics. The Stelvio is going to have to really shine to make a dent. Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio feels very much like a bigger, taller Giulia. While this does mean that it feels a bit less nimble and frisky, it also means that it's one of the best drivers in its class. Under the hood is the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower. It feels just right for this crossover. It's happy to sit at low rpm on the highway, but also delivers brisk acceleration when tromping on the gas. It even sounds good, providing a growly snorty sound when accelerating. It's sort of like a grown-up version of the engine in the Fiat 500 Abarth. Ride and handling are well-balanced, too. Steering is very quick, and the whole vehicle feels remarkably light. It leans significantly more than the Giulia in turns. But as crossovers go, the Stelvio is a great handler. The ride is on the stiff side, but far from punishing. I do wish the steering was a little heavier, and that the weight built up more progressively. It feels a little less communicative than I'd prefer. The Giulia connection continues inside, but this time we wish they weren't so similar. Though the dashboard is an attractive shape, there are quite a few low-rent plastics strewn about. A number of the knobs feel chintzy, too. There's not a lot of knee room up front, either, and the seat could use a few more adjustment options. One thing the Stelvio's interior nails, though, are those wonderful shift paddles.

2020 Virtual Geneva Motor Show Editors' Picks

There may not have been an actual Geneva Motor Show this year, but there were still loads of car reveals that happened the week that the show would have happened. So we still wanted to highlight what our favorites of the would-be show. Our list of cars seemed to match the theme of the reveals, too, highlighting over-the-top supercars and forward thinking electric vehicles. Scroll down to see our favorites. Fifth Place: Aston Martin V12 Speedster - 21 points Managing Editor, Greg Rasa: Astons are works of art, and this one's ready for the Louvre. The design nods to Aston history are nifty. It looks like a jet fighter, except those have canopies. Not sure what 186 mph would be like in this, but don't try it in summer when there are bugs. Contributing Editor, Joe Lorio: Admittedly, this one is a little silly. A $950,000 sports car with no roof? A 700-hp two-seater with no windshield? But the offerings at the Geneva auto show have always tilted toward absurdity, and Aston’s V12 Speedster is endearingly outrageous as a fighter plane for the street. Third Place (Tie): Volkswagen ID.4 - 26 points Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: I don't have much to say about this other than I am a huge fan of more EVs coming to the market, which is why two-thirds of my picks are electric, including the ID.4. Producer, Alex Malberg: Any new fully-electric crossover is a vote for me. The fact it doesn't look terrible and VW will be including AWD later are bonuses.  Third Place (Tie): Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio GTA - 26 points Road Test Editor, Zac Palmer: Hard to argue with the logic of this one. The Giulia Quadrifoglio is already the best driver in this class of hot sedans, so why not extend the lead with a special model. That wing is Type R levels of high, and I completely approve. Associate Editor, Byron Hurd: Love this car. Love it, love it, love it. It's beautiful, aggressive and fast. I'd take it over an M3 or C63 any day. As cool as the GTAm is, though, I'd rather stick to the four-seat GTA. Something about a four-door car with two seats just doesn't really work for me. I haven't alienated ALL of my friends quite yet. Second Place: Hyundai Prophecy - 35 points Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder: I get whiffs of the Genesis Coupe from this sleek concept. I like the focus on form, with interesting details to discover if you look for them. West Coast Editor, James Riswick: Does it look like a Porsche? Sure, but Porsches look neat.

Alfa Romeo takes Spider in-house, Mazda-Fiat roadster partnership not dead

It's officially off. Following a report in March of this year that the marriage of Mazda and Alfa Romeo to produce a MX-5-based Spider was in trouble, the Italians have confirmed that it will take development in-house. "As far as the Spider goes, the final version is of course no longer the two-seater FCA co-developed with Mazda but a derivative of Project Giorgio," Maserati and Alfa Romeo brand boss Harald Wester told Car. For those not in the know, Project Giorgio is Alfa's codename for the rear-drive platform that will underpin the next-generation Spider, not to mention the replacement for the 159 sedan and a few other products. All is not lost for the Japanese-Italian partnership, though. "The Far East import will probably find a new home with Fiat-Abarth," Wester told Car. Yes, you read that correctly, Mazda is still working with FCA, and the result will eventually end up with Abarth's scorpion badge. If anything, we're more excited over this news than the idea of an Alfa MX-5. But we want to know what you think – would you rather Alfa build a new Spider on the Miata's bones, or does an MX-5 Abarth sound like more fun? Have your say in Comments.