Latest news with #Stelvio
Top Gear
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
BMW M5 - long-term review - Report No:5 2025
BMW M5 Touring vs Stelvio Pass: can this heavyweight feather its way up an Italian mountain road? Here's an incompatible pair: BMW M5 Touring and Stelvio Pass. As long as a limo and heavy as a Defender, it should tackle the 48 hairpins that define this iconic Italian mountain pass like a bowling ball on a marble run: with severe clumsiness and a very real concern that the whole structure could collapse underneath it. What a structure, though. A vertical mile of drop over little more than ten horizontal, narrow, bumpy and fantastically unforgiving miles, it's hell for brakes, traction, gearing, torque and differentials. I dreaded what the Stelvio was going to do to the M5. And vice-versa, actually. Advertisement - Page continues below Let's start with the brakes, and a suggestion. The Ultimate Pack is £18,900. Sorry for anyone out there speccing an M5, but that's a 'must tick' box. Not for the niceties of the panoramic roof or vented seats (and certainly not for the Driving Assistant Professional), but for the ceramic brakes. They're essential even if you're not on the Stelvio. Admittedly I haven't driven an M5 without them, but with them it stops like a car half its weight. Great power, confident underfoot, not once on the descent from the 2,750m summit do they lose any bite or power. And on the way up, something close to revelation: the rear-steer equipped M5 fits around every hairpin without ever having to reverse. But what impresses me most is the drive out of corners. Finally, besides fuel efficiency, here is an actual benefit of the M5 going hybrid: lag-free, any-gear punch out of hairpins. I just leave it in third most of the time, because as soon you touch the throttle you have 194bhp and 206lb ft to get on with things while the turbos are sorting themselves out. Power is metered out smoothly and precisely, traction is even and balanced, there's no hiccups or stutters, it's just deeply muscular and suitably thunderous. In short, it punches out of corners in a way that – like the brakes – makes the M5 seem much lighter than it is. The trickier bit is what happens between the hairpins. Subsidence is an ever-present issue here, bending and cracking the surface so it churns and bucks. Now I notice the M5's 2,475kg mass and have to make allowances for it. Even with the M1 button pressed (medium suspension stiffness, everything else ramped up), body control suffers. A wet, off-camber lump has the back end lurching sideways, sharp crests need a double bounce to bring back under control. Nothing wrong with the stopping and going then, and even the turning isn't bad, but when the surface starts kicking and screaming the M5 struggles. And it always feels big. No, enormous. But that aside it's flattering to drive, can be guided smoothly and rapidly about the place. And the getting down here and back was effortless. 830 miles in one hit heading home? No issue. It thundered quietly along, happiest when it found sections of derestricted autobahn – although having bikes on the back curtailed the fun somewhat. 24.4mpg overall, compared to the 23.9mpg it recorded with a roofbox on a ski haul a few months back (see report 3). Advertisement - Page continues below Issues? The hybrid is always keen to cut the engine on the coast into tollbooths (see also roundabouts etc), so when you accelerate away it's a bit lame, and the car lurches as the engine fires back up. Assisted driving (admittedly useful on a long haul, and BMW's steering and lane keep remains the best there is) doesn't work if anything is connected to the towbar – sensible if you have a trailer connected. But this is only a bike rack. And the car knows that, because I told it what's connected when it asked. And the driver's screen design is a big bugbear. It's just so clunky and poorly laid out, with bar charts and graphs rather than dials. BMW used to do the best dials and instruments in the world. Someone senior needs to go and check out an old E39. The standard displays put key info at the edges of the screen, so your eyes have to flick left and right. Change to Sport displays (after a plunge through the central screen menus, obvs) and the key info comes to the centre – mph, revs, gears. Much better. But in that mode, you can't have cruise control. Why the hell not? All these options, but the option I actually want, I can't have. Moreover, the cabin just doesn't feel very sophisticated or driver-centric. Well made, good seats and all the rest, but jarring to use much of the time, I still don't find it instinctive to operate. But as a support car for the Stelvio's 200th birthday celebrations, a car to munch distances and mountain passes with equal facility, it does take some beating. That's what it was designed for, and although I still fundamentally disagree with it being this heavy (and know how much better it would be if it lost half a tonne), I am gradually coming round to its way of thinking. Thanks to: Stephan Gander,
Miami Herald
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Shaquille O'Neal Cut a Ferrari in Half So He Could Fit In It
Shaquille O'Neal - otherwise known as Shaq, Diesel, and a handful of other nicknames - is almost larger than life. But we aren't just talking about his incredible basketball track record or nearly half a billion-dollar net worth. He's physically a huge guy, weighing over 320 pounds and standing just over seven feet tall. When you're a man of that stature and means, well, sometimes you improvise. In a recent interview, Shaq confessed that he bought two Ferraris - one "real" and one salvage - before trying to splice them together in order to accommodate his frame. There's a surprising tale of ups and downs behind the decision. But what about Alfa Romeo? Ficili, also the head of Alfa Romeo, has confirmed that Stellantis will review its strategy, too. He didn't share further details about this, as it seems like the automaker is focusing on Maserati first. We should know more by the end of the month. Alfa Romeo is currently struggling, not only with sales but also with the development of its upcoming products. Specifically, the next-generation Stelvio, Alfa's best-selling model, is in doubt since the company backpedaled from its full-electric lineup strategy, now heading to a hybrid path. However, a new post today suggests something new will be revealed next week: Of note, 15% of Alfa Romeo's sales are from America, the world's second-biggest automotive market. Again, tariffs will play a significant role in both automakers' business plans, for which Stellantis hired the consulting firm McKinsey.
West Australian
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- West Australian
‘Very powerful' Alfa Romeo special editions coming with Prada input
Alfa Romeo has announced a partnership that its boss says will spawn a series of lighter and 'more powerful' special-edition Quadrifoglio model variants, with the first to be unveiled in early 2026. The unique road cars will come from Alfa Romeo's new technology sharing partnership with Luna Rossa, an Italian challenger for the 38th America's Cup yacht race that's set to take place in Naples, Italy, in 2027. The America's Cup – won by Australia II in 1983 – sees high-tech vessels vie for line honours on the water, in a competition as technically challenging as Formula 1. When asked about whether the technical tie-up between the Italian automaker and Luna Rossa will extend to special-edition road cars, Alfa Romeo CEO Santo Ficili was emphatic that it would. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now . 'Yes – the answer is absolutely yes, and there is a lot of excitement about this, because we are working as two teams,' Mr Ficili said during a media call attended by CarExpert. 'The partnership is going to start now, and I believe in the next six to eight months we are going to be really working together – we have started already. 'I believe that Q1 2026 {the first quarter of next year] we would like to start with something we have in our mind – very limited, very powerful – and then we would like to continue.' The Alfa boss added that the special editions will peak – or 'apex', as he called it – around the time of the 2027 America's Cup, which is scheduled to take place between March and August of that year in Naples, where the Alfa Romeo Tonale small SUV is made. He also said the Quadrifoglio name will still hold its place as the halo model grade of the Italian brand's performance vehicle lineup. 'The first thing we are trying to work out together [on] is starting from the Quadrifoglio, which is our top performance brand, to find something that embeds the research of materials that we are doing together,' he said. 'Of course, it has to be something embedded into the Quadrifoglio brand – so it's going to be basically something around Quadrifoglio.' Alfa Romeo currently offers Quadrifoglio versions of its Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV, which are both at the end of their lifecycles and will be replaced some time next year by hybrid and electric successors. Alfa Romeo's global marketing boss, Cristiano Fiorio, has essentially confirmed ongoing petrol power for the brand after it cancelled plans to go all-electric by 2027 . 'Personally, I do not see a Quadrifoglio EV,' Fiorio said to British publication Autocar earlier this year. And it seems the special editions won't wait for Alfa Romeo's next-generation models, which are due to be outlined when the automaker announces its new strategic plan on June 23. 'The current range – we have to consider Junior [a new small hybrid and electric SUV due in Australia later in 2025], Tonale, Giulia and Stelvio,' said Mr Ficili. 'So, we will start from these four fantastic models we have today in our range, then we will see also in the future, but there is already space to work with the current range of Alfa Romeo.' The centenary of the iconic Italian Mille Miglia – which means 1000 miles – road race will also take place in 2027, and the Luna Rossa team is set to race an Alfa Romeo 1900 SS in this year's historic running for pre-1957 cars. Driving the car during the June 17-21 event will be Italian rally driver – and head of corporate responsibility at fashion brand Prada – Lorenzo Bertelli. 'We are working with the team Luna Rossa and with Lorenzo in order to put all the know-how, the expertise of the design, the speed, the light materials into also some limited-edition cars,' said Mr Ficili.
7NEWS
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
‘Very powerful' Alfa Romeo special editions coming with Prada input
Alfa Romeo has announced a partnership that its boss says will spawn a series of lighter and 'more powerful' special-edition Quadrifoglio model variants, with the first to be unveiled in early 2026. The unique road cars will come from Alfa Romeo's new technology sharing partnership with Luna Rossa, an Italian challenger for the 38th America's Cup yacht race that's set to take place in Naples, Italy, in 2027. The America's Cup – won by Australia II in 1983 – sees high-tech vessels vie for line honours on the water, in a competition as technically challenging as Formula 1. When asked about whether the technical tie-up between the Italian automaker and Luna Rossa will extend to special-edition road cars, Alfa Romeo CEO Santo Ficili was emphatic that it would. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. 'Yes – the answer is absolutely yes, and there is a lot of excitement about this, because we are working as two teams,' Mr Ficili said during a media call attended by CarExpert. 'The partnership is going to start now, and I believe in the next six to eight months we are going to be really working together – we have started already. 'I believe that Q1 2026 {the first quarter of next year] we would like to start with something we have in our mind – very limited, very powerful – and then we would like to continue.' The Alfa boss added that the special editions will peak – or 'apex', as he called it – around the time of the 2027 America's Cup, which is scheduled to take place between March and August of that year in Naples, where the Alfa Romeo Tonale small SUV is made. He also said the Quadrifoglio name will still hold its place as the halo model grade of the Italian brand's performance vehicle lineup. 'The first thing we are trying to work out together [on] is starting from the Quadrifoglio, which is our top performance brand, to find something that embeds the research of materials that we are doing together,' he said. 'Of course, it has to be something embedded into the Quadrifoglio brand – so it's going to be basically something around Quadrifoglio.' Alfa Romeo currently offers Quadrifoglio versions of its Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV, which are both at the end of their lifecycles and will be replaced some time next year by hybrid and electric successors. Alfa Romeo's global marketing boss, Cristiano Fiorio, has essentially confirmed ongoing petrol power for the brand after it cancelled plans to go all-electric by 2027. 'Personally, I do not see a Quadrifoglio EV,' Fiorio said to British publication Autocar earlier this year. And it seems the special editions won't wait for Alfa Romeo's next-generation models, which are due to be outlined when the automaker announces its new strategic plan on June 23. 'The current range – we have to consider Junior [a new small hybrid and electric SUV due in Australia later in 2025], Tonale, Giulia and Stelvio,' said Mr Ficili. 'So, we will start from these four fantastic models we have today in our range, then we will see also in the future, but there is already space to work with the current range of Alfa Romeo.' The centenary of the iconic Italian Mille Miglia – which means 1000 miles – road race will also take place in 2027, and the Luna Rossa team is set to race an Alfa Romeo 1900 SS in this year's historic running for pre-1957 cars. Driving the car during the June 17-21 event will be Italian rally driver – and head of corporate responsibility at fashion brand Prada – Lorenzo Bertelli.
The Drive
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Second-Gen Stelvio on Hold as Alfa Romeo 'Reworks' EV Plans
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio has been with us for eight years now. It landed shortly after the brand's reintroduction to North America in 2015, and while it's outsold the Giulia sedan practically every year since it came out, the Stelvio never really provided the push expected from the company's first SUV. Naturally, people are looking to the next generation to right the ship, but if comments from Alfa leadership today are any indication, we could be waiting a while until we see it. During a Q&A session about the automaker's collaboration with the Luna Rossa sailing team this morning, Santo Ficili, CEO of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, briefly fielded a question about the upcoming SUV. 'You know, the transition throughout electrification is not going with the speed we were imagining last period, so now we are changing, totally, our path following the specific requests of our customers,' Ficili said. 'So the future of Alfa Romeo will be not only BEV, but we are working to evolve also [the internal combustion] engine powertrain, PHEV, and MHEV. In this sense, we are reworking our plan. As soon as we will be ready, of course we will launch also the new Stelvio.' This isn't much of a surprise, though it is somewhat disappointing. Last month, Reuters reported that the new SUV's launch had been postponed, citing 'tepid demand for electric vehicles.' Alfa was expected to lead with a battery electric version of the Stelvio, which will be built on Stellantis' STLA Large platform, just like the Dodge Charger. Taking that report and Ficili's comments together, it sounds like Alfa has decided to give itself more time to introduce a hybrid model concurrently with the EV. Reuters' sources told the news agency that the second-gen Stelvio now likely won't begin deliveries until September 2026 at the earliest. Meanwhile, the current Stelvio has certainly begun to show its age. It still looks solid, especially thanks to a refresh last year, but it's struggling to keep pace with the latest competitors from Alfa's luxury rivals in Germany. Unfortunately for the storied Italian automaker, its savior isn't exactly waiting in the wings. Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@
