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Verde Montreal is new Alfa Stelvio green, which challenges North shore sky for stunning color. Photo by John Gilbert.

If someone asked you to pick which of your senses was most important to you, what would you say? It is impossible to choose from among those senses — sight, sound, smell, touch — to declare one more important than the others.

But if you were asked to select one motor vehicle that captured the most satisfying feelings of appearance, feel, sound, and the most comprehensive combination of all of those into an exhilarating overall thrill, the answer might be a lot easier.
Just say: “Alfa Romeo.”

Now a vital part of Stellantis, along with Ferrari, Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Aston Martin, Maserati, Peugeot and maybe a couple of others not sold in the U.S., Alfa’s stature rose in prominence when the company brought out the very tight and slick Giulia, a compact sports-luxury sedan, and it rose even higher when it followed the Giulia with the Stelvio, a midsize SUV based on the Giulia platform and drivetrains. And it has risen to touch all the bases this year by adding the Tonale, an economy SUV slightly smaller than the Stelvio.

You could pick any of the three and get a thrill of varying degrees from driving it hard around challenging curves and twisty roads.

The Giulia and Stelvio both come with your choice of engines — a very efficient and fun 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, or an extremely potent 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6. The price might make them and easy choice, because the 2.0, built by Chrysler engineers before Stellantis became an entity, makes either vehicle an economic choice without compromising the fun quotient.

But let’s not kid ourselves. If you choose the 2.9, you get an engine immaculately designed by Ferrari Formula 1 race engineers, who were enlisted to take time out from Grand Prix endeavors to design an all-out race-engine-for-the-street that would live up to the romantic Italian notion of exhilarating performance, and also fitting for such a beautifullly designed selection of sedans and SUVs.

I recently had the opportunity to review for a week a Stelvio with the 2.0 that puts out 280 horsepower, a more than satisfying amount. It was a fantastic vehicle to drive, and, presumably, to own.
But more recently I got another Stelvio — this one a fully-loaded Quadrifoglio with the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6. It leaves the more basic Stelvio, and nearly everything else this side of a Porsche or Ferrari, in the dust. This engine sends 505 horsepower and apportions 443 foot-pounds of torque to allow four wheels.

The 8-speed automatic transmission includes large, fixed alloy shift paddles on either side of the steering column, making them easy to find and grip to downshift (left) or upshift (right). The steering is tight, and the suspension is firm but not harsh, and the entire package is as well-coordinated as any sports car or sports sedan you might select — making it very easy to overlook the fact that this is an SUV!

It has reinforcing plates underneath so you actually could go off-road, although if you did, I might suggest a few therapy sessions to get your head straightened out. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio has a sticker price of $93,360, off a base sticker price of $87,370, and if I could afford a sensationally handling vehicle like this Stelvio, I would not be venturing off the smooth highways of our land.

It would do it, don’t get me wrong, but so would a lot of vehicles from highly sophisticated to beaters, without risking any damage to your roadability. The Stelvio can live up to the lofty standards generally associated with Porsche, or with a specially-prepared and race-tuned competition sports car, but they won’t outdo the fantastic feel that you get from sending the Stelvio Quadrifoglio through its paces.

Back to the senses, you eyesight matters because the Stelvio is artistically beautiful, and it’s appearance was enhanced by a color that is called Verde Montreal, which must translate to “deep, rich and almost modulating dark green.” Because that’s what this color did. In subdued light, it almost looks black, but in varying degrees of daylight, its look changes like a chameleon.

Another sense is sound, and you have a handy rotating knob on the console that allows you to switch from eco to normal to dynamic (for sporty driving), and to race, for track-ready sound. 
Turn it up, and you might want to open the window to hear the enhanced sound from those 505 horses all bellowing to put their power down onto the pavement. 

As a younger man, I can recall several circumstances where friends might spend thousands to try to free up their exhausts to approach such a sound. This one bridges the gap between “noise” and “sound” the way a high-end audio system and amplifier might do to a normal radio.

All the while you’re challenging various senses with the sight, sound and fury of the Stelvio, you can also get up to 25 miles per gallon and have instant reaction to the input you send the engine with your right toe.
I love the little Tonale, and the exotic Giulia, but when you can pack the best of both sedan and SUV worlds into such a hot performer as the Stelvio, the decision becomes automatic.