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2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is like a taller, more practical Giulia

With the Giulia on its way to dealers in the coming months, Alfa Romeo's third current model for the US market is close behind. The 2018 Stelvio will give the company an offering in the ever-popular crossover SUV segment, and should bring Alfa's signature style and driving dynamics to the party. On paper, the Stelvio seems capable of delivering on classic Alfa fun. For starters it shares engines with the Giulia sedan, starting with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the standard Stelvio and Stelvio Ti models making 280 horsepower and 306 lb-ft of torque. Alfa will offer a Quadrifoglio model as well, which has the same twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 as the Giulia Quadrifoglio that pumps out 505 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. The company claims that the Stelvio Quadrifoglio will get to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, just a tenth behind the Giulia. View 11 Photos Regardless of trim level, every Stelvio sends power through an 8-speed automatic transmission connected to Alfa's Q4 all-wheel-drive system. A mechanical limited-slip rear differential is available, and the Quadrifoglio adds a torque-vectoring rear differential. The drivetrain propels an aluminum-intensive chassis. The doors, fenders, front and rear frame assemblies, and various suspension components are all made of the lightweight metal, contributing to a near 50/50 weight distribution front and rear. Suspension is independent all the way around, and the Quadrifoglio gets a sportier, adaptive version. Styling-wise, the Stelvio also lives up to the Giulia. In fact, it looks more or less like a tall Giulia wagon. The front fascia is roughly the same, just with a taller center grille and slightly more swept back lower sides. The slope of the nose is much less raked, too. The character lines along the flanks and even the rear bumper are all very similar to the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The one part that isn't as successful, though, is the tail end. It appears Alfa tried to give the Stelvio a gently sloping hatch, but the result is a bulbous backside with lot of sheet metal. Inside, the Stelvio again echoes its sedan sibling, though in this case the top of the dash peaks above the center screen and slopes down to the right vent. In the Giulia, the top of the dash drops down immediately from the gauge cluster, and only rises again at the right vent. Speaking of gauges, the Stelvio features a 7-inch screen nestled between the tach and speedometer, the latter reading up to 200 mph in the Quadrifoglio.

2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia add special trims, small updates

The 2024 Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia aren't much different from 2023 models, but there are some notable and welcome updates to each line. They include some small styling and feature updates for every trim, a new range-topper for the standard engine, and a super special edition and a performance upgrade for the Quadrifoglio. Every new Stelvio and Giulia gets updated exterior features to match their European siblings, such as LED headlights with smoked housings and a new grille insert. Inside, the analog dials are replaced with a 12.3-inch digital display that can show a variety of information in different layouts, including one that mimics the classic double dial design. The new Alfas also are able to accept updates over the air. 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Competizione View 25 Photos One of the more exciting updates to these Alfas is the 100th Anniversary Edition Quadrifoglio. It's available on both the Stelvio and Giulia, and only 100 of each will be offered globally. It's not very different to a regular Quadrifoglio, though except for gold-painted brake calipers, special badging, carbon fiber mirrors and grille, Alcantara seats and gold stitching. But it does benefit from a new feature added to all Quadrifoglio models: an actual mechanical limited-slip differential. That brings us to the Competizione trim. For the normal, four-cylinder Stelvio and Giulia, this is the new top of the line. It takes the former range-topper, the Veloce, and it adds some performance and luxury upgrades. It comes with electronically adjustable suspension and a limited-slip differential, along with sport seats. The interior also gets a leather-wrapped dashboard, red contrast stitching, darker window tint and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Buyers can get it with an exclusive matte gray paint and red brake calipers. The Giulia can be optioned with staggered wheels, and the Stelvio gets unique 21-inch wheels. The Giulia Competizione starts at $53,115 for rear-wheel drive and $55,115 for all-wheel drive. The Stelvio is all-wheel-drive only, and it starts at $57,420. They go on sale in the second quarter of this year. Related video:

Best sport sedans for 2022 and 2023

SUVs dominate the car industry at every size and price level, but some people still prefer the looks, and more importantly, the performance and comfort, of the traditional sedan. With a lower ride height, lighter weight and generally smaller size, they often are much more fun to drive, and can even be more comfortable. Sport sedans of course lean harder on the performance side of things, and are among the best options for sheer speed and fun, thanks to those inherent characteristics. We've rounded up the ones in the segment that do the sporty dance better than any others in 2024 to give you a handy guide when you're shopping for one of your own. You'll find a wide array of cars here including gas, electric and hybrid powertrains. They'll have manual and automatic transmissions and drive the front, rear or all four wheels. Technically a few hatchbacks have slipped in, but they're close enough in look and feel that we wanted to include them. And excluding them means you might miss out on some of the best-driving options available. You wouldn't want that, would you? Alfa Romeo Giulia Why it stands out: Punchy four-cylinder; astounding power from Quadrifoglio; light and nimble character; awesome shift paddlesCould be better: Clunky infotainment; sub-par switchgear Read our Alfa Romeo Giulia review We start this list with one of the most predictable inclusions: the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Yes, it's a stereotype that the Italian sport sedan is fun to drive, but the fact is, well, it is. The Giulia comes standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful four-cylinders in the segment. It's paired with a snappy and smooth eight-speed transmission and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.  The engine is lively and torquey, if a little short of revs, and the chassis feels super-light. The steering is eager and the car jumps into corners. We also highly recommend getting a version with the enormous and superb aluminum paddle shifters that make clicking through gears much more entertaining. And on the topic of the interior, it's attractive, but the various switches and knobs feels a little cheap, and the infotainment system is clunky. Of course there's also the incredible Giulia Quadrifoglio at the high end. It gets a Ferrari-derived twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 making 505 hp, and it's rear-wheel drive only.