2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio "Handling Is Fantastic," Says Consumer Reports

Naturally, road tester Mike Quincy is not Chris Harris, so you're not going to get shots of the Stelvio going sideways on a frozen lake. But this isn't the Quadrifoglio performance model; it's the normal one with the 2-liter turbo engine.

Still, Alfa Romeo packed a lot of character into its off-roader, not to mention the most powerful engine in the class with 280 horsepower. It's all about delivering a tactile feel and letting the family man enjoy his grocery shopping trip.

According to CR, the turbo engine feels strong and has a characterful sound to it. The 8-speed automatic also does the job, but it seems the much smaller company couldn't do the tuning for the smoothness you see on some other cars that have it.

The ride feels stiff but less so than the Porsche Macan and Jaguar F-Pace, so Alfa Romeo has found a happy medium. It was a wise decision on the Italian automaker's part not to focus on cornering to the cost of comfort.

The interior isn't such a happy story, as the editor points out numerous flaws. The infotainment system is flawed in almost every way, while a lack of adjustability in the seats is also criticized. Interestingly, the editors preferred the more aggressively bolstered seats of the Stelvio Ti.

Reliability and the relatively unknown brand (among SUV buyers) could also hurt the Stelvio. Thankfully, Consumer Reports actually bought a $51,000 example, so we should soon see if it's as bad as other Fiat-Chrysler cars.

Something else we want to point out is that the crossover segment doesn't actually value fun, and this prompted companies like MINI and Volkswagen to focus primarily on features and space. So while it stays true to the Alfa Romeo core values, the Stelvio might not be what people are after.