Alfa Romeo Stelvio review - MPG, CO2 and Running Costs

Alfa's efforts to keep the extra pounds at bay with the Stelvio certainly pay off at the pumps. It beats many of its premium SUV rivals for CO2 emissions, and matches them for claimed fuel consumption.

The rear-wheel drive 187bhp diesels emits 138g/km, while the four-wheel-drive 207bhp models emits 146g/km. Those figures can't quite match those of the 187bhp Audi Q5 (133g/km) and BMW X3 (132g/km), or the - admittedly less powerful - 161bhp Jaguar F-Pace.

Looking at fuel economy, the 187bhp RWD diesel manages 54.3 mpg, while the AWD version drops to 50.4mpg. There seems to be little penalty in going for the more powerful 207bhp AWD diesel, as Alfa claims the same economy figure. For comparison, the 187bhp 2.0 TDI Audi Q5 claims 56.5mpg, combined. 

The petrols naturally fare less well, but are still very competitive for the class. Again, we question the fact that both the 197bhp and 276bhp petrols claim the same economy figures of 40.3mpg, with emissions virtually identical at 158g/km-160g/km of CO2. 

Unsurprisingly, the Quadrifoglio version with its 503bhp 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine will be the least frugal and the most costly to tax – but it should be comparable to a Porsche Macan Turbo and the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S.

One running cost that needs to be taken into account is road tax. Low versions of the Stelvio come in at less than £40,000 meaning annual road tax of £140, but versions that cost more than that face a £450 road tax bill for the first five years of ownership.