thats helpful. thank you!

 

Hi all

This is my first post on this forum since I just joined the Porsche family. Got 911 for myself and have Base Macan incoming for wife.

Since I have been happy owner of Alfa Romeo Stelvio and also own Fiat 124 spider I think I can share some first hand experience about the discussed topic.

I owned Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce for over two years and put almost 40k km during that period.

The car was totally bulletproof, without a single issue during the ownership period. Even more, it was made like a rock (clearly quite high torsional rigidity), without a single rattle or squeak, way better in that regards than 3 MB SUV-s or even Lexus NX I owned prior to Alfa and also new Porsche Macan that I had on test drive for couple of days.

Pros:
I would say that the platform was clearly overengineered, really light and stiff with some high end materials like, aluminium, magnesium and some really nice carbon propshaft.

The car felt light on its feet (some hundred kilos lighter than Macan) with perfect front to rear weight distribution 50/50. This enabled the car just to dart into corners with a flick of steering wheel and could leave vast majority of traffic behind on curvy roads.

The engine gearbox combo was really good in 95% cases. It was quite faster than 2022 Base Macan. Just when creeping on uphills there was some slight hesitation.

In terms of reliability I believe that the gearbox will outlast that from Macan since it is a very highly regarded ZF torque convertor used in multiple other brands like BMW, Jaguars, Land Rovers, Audi Q7/Q8, Porsche Cayanne and etc. I do no know about engine since there were couple of reported failures of multyair unit. Overall this system is quite sensitive to oil quality and maybe that was the reason for failures. In my case both Stelvio and Spider use this system and both engines have been really bulletproof, especially if one considers quite hard occasional track use of spider.

Actually all major components of Stelvio were sourced from really reputable global OEM suppliers like Sachs, Brembo, Continental and etc so I do not expect significantly worse reliability compared to German carmakers.

Now about negative side
- I did not like the interior. In some places Alfa used quite cheap, scratchy plastic that really did not make sense for me.
- Seat base on sports seats could not be reclined and some people could not find good driving position.
- rear view camera was horrible, and overall infotainment system was quite outdated.
- passanger seat footwall was really cramped and uncomfortable.
- ride was getting busy on really broken surface.
- brake by wire was nightmare in stop and go traffic although quite ok in other occasions.

So when We decided that I was going for 911 wife did not want to retain Stelvio and we went for Macan.

Following couple of days of ride of base Macan I can say that there are couple of clear pros for Macan:

- Interior quality is way better:
- infotainment is much improved over Alfa:
- Ride quality is much better with air suspension - so we went for air suspension and base model that is equipped with smaller wheels:
- Wind noise is slightly lower with noise insulating glass:
- Seating comfort is much better.

Now comparing base Macan with Alfa Stelvio We chose Macan because we did not lose much in terms of driving dynamics and got lots of other things, but if I were offered Alfa Stelvio Quadrifoglio for Macan T price, I would not even hesitate a second. These two cars play in totally different leagues. The engine makes a huge difference and Alfa really approaches some supercar territory in terms of performance. Everything starting from acceleration, handling, braking are significantly improved. Just the noise of that v6 is such a nice song. I would gladly forget some ergonomics issues and jump on such offer. Unfortunately in my country Alfa costs some USD40K more than well equippped base Macan.

 

Interesting - drove my friends Guilia which is essentially the same packaging and found the infotainment was pretty good. Agree the reversing camera is a bit, err, crap. But found the Apple CarPlay worked flawlessly and didnt have an issue with it. And it works full screen....

I have the 2021 Macan and while I do get wireless CarPlay, its just not quite good enough and I find it a bit of a pain with the swapping to my phone / wifes phone.... heaven forbid that my daughter is in the car! Wired CarPlay is good, but still not full screen. I know I can pay to have it customized, but feel a little cheated that I have to pay more to get this.

The Alfa system isnt touch screen though? I might be the weird one in the room, but I actually prefer the slightly older BMW system without touchscreen.....

 

Well, Actually it was a touchscreen. The thing is that screen resolution was quite low, it was quite laggy and things were grouped quite poorly, you had to guess where some function was hidden.

Totally agree, I much idrive from BMW to both systems. MBUX in the last gen GLE was also quite good.

 

I have an 18 Stelvio Ti Sport and a 2015 Macan S. Both are reliable, with the nod for quality of materials to the Macan. However, I prefer the Stelvio as the driving dynamic is more on the sporty side. The Macan feels and drives like a luxury car. You can push the Macan and it will respond, but compared to the Stelvio, it just feels ponderous. Other cars in my stable are a 2022 WRX, modded 997.1 and a F10 535i. I've also had lots of air cooled cars and prefer the lighter driving ones. I had varying 930s, 79, 86 and 77. I just sold the 77 and it was the best driving of the bunch because of its lightness. My 964 turbo was fast and refined, but drove heavy. I also had an SC and a few Carreras and the SC felt the most lively.

As for an extended warranty for the Alfa, there is nothing like a reasonably priced OEM ELW. Alfa is a part of Stellantis fka Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. As such, you can purchase a Mopar Max Care warranty for your car. If it is still under factory warranty, the ELW starts at the in-service date, for a max of 8 years. Mine runs until 2027 and the Max Care bumper to bumper $100 deductible was under $1700. I purchased it this summer, so the pricing is very recent.

Test drive them both and see what you prefer. I am also considering a QV.

 

Thats fair. Alfa's have always been sharp, even in their base models! As a European living in the US, I still feel sad that so many Americans havent had the opportunity to drive an Alfa. Sorry, had to get that in there....

What I have always been surprised with both the Cayenne and the Macan is their ability to balance the luxury with the sporty. I would never say that either are the ultimate in sports driving (Cayenne GT maybe), but their ability to have that dual personality fits perfectly for what we needed. Now, if you want the more sporty feel, the Alfa will deliver that - but for me, I love the way that we can just calm it down and cruise comfortably and quietly. Oh, and I really love the Porsche seats, but thats me, I am an odd size.

 

Great post. It took me many decades of car ownership to finally figure out what Colin Chapman presumably knew from birth -- that lightness is really, really good. True in all cars in my mind -- daily drivers, SUV's, sports cars. I've found that cars that feel light are the most fun to drive -- far more important than power for me. I always look for the lightest version of any car I buy. This is a relatively newfound revelation - never paid that much attention to car weight most of my life.

 

Just drove both back to back. The Macan really does feel more luxurious in the way it drives/rides and the quietness of it. It exudes quality. Both vehicles are within a fraction of an inch in width and length, but the Macan feels more intimate. I have no idea why, but it just feels small inside. Not good. Not bad. Just different. One thing that is very noticeable is the added weight of the Macan. You can't hide 600lbs over the Stelvio, but I am sure that is what gives it that luxurious ride quality. If the Macan were the same weight as the Stelvio, it would be incredible, considering the Stelvio has 280hp vs the Macan 340hp. Perhaps Porsche can make a Macan RS ala 964 RS America?

 

There are many reasonably priced extended warranties available for Alfa Romeos. I have one for my 2018 base Stelvio with RiskGuard. You can also get Mopar extended warranties for Alfa Romeos.

 

I saw a Stelvio last week on the road. Pretty car. Not sure about the reliability of these cars but one question I would have would be where I would service it.

 

There is a new smaller and sportier Alfa SUV called the Tonale. I happened to notice it at the New York auto show, but don't know anything about it. Google tells me that it's a plug-in hybrid with 35 mile electric range -- don't know whether is a "gas only" version.

I preferred the looks of the Tonale -- at least the front end -- over the Stelvia. I never liked the front lights on the Stelvia, so the Tonale addresses that to my eye.

There is a mega Alfa thread on the popular Ferrari forum that stated when the new Alfas first came out, and they seem to be saying that the Alfas have proven to be reliable. That reported reliability has caused me to start thinking about maybe getting a Giulia.

One thing I don't like about the new era Alfas is that the front end is such that there is no good place to put on a front license plate. You can't really put them them in the center without blocking air flow, and they look weird mounted on the side. In our area, you can't ditch the front plate, the cops will pull you over.

 

Three Alpha Romeo Tonale models ranging between $43 - $48,000. All plug in hybrids.

 

I wonder what the service costs are like on these plug-in hybrids given that the engine is pretty rarely used in the typical case (short daily commutes). I've been thinking about an EV for my next DD, but a plug-in hybrid like the Tonale would be more flexible than pure EV. I'd very strongly consider the Tonale to when it comes time to replace the Macan if the Tonale is reliable. Also need to check if the Tonale is big enough, but I loved the looks of the it when I saw it at the NY auto show.

 

In my opinion the Tonale Looks too much like the Toyota Rav4.

 

OP is deciding between the Macan T and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, so the HP comparison is 261 (Porsche) vs 505 (Alfa) and weight is 4,187lbs (Porsche) vs 4,313 (Alfa)