I test drove the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce SUV – not only does it look pretty, it also has something to offer

IF someone says “Italian car” you could be forgiven for conjuring up one of two images.

There’s the low-slung Lambo gliding through the streets of Rome – and then there’s the impossibly small Fiat Cinquecento hurtling through the twists and turns of a Tuscan town.

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You almost certainly don’t think of SUVs.

But the Italians are fast becoming a major player on this wild battlefield.

Alfa Romeo has been in the mix since 2017 with the Stelvio, which is now its best-selling model.

Its appeal is obvious as soon as you lay your eyes on it – it looks damn good.

As if someone from Gucci saw the Jaguar F-Pace and said: “Hold my Peroni. . . ”

Of course, this is perhaps no surprise in a nation where bella figura – looking beautiful – is not a dress code but a way of life.

Stelvio’s figure is indeed very bella.

It’s all inviting curves, a slim belly, 20-inch alloys and of course the signature Alfa grille or Scudetto, reminding you that this is a matter of quality as much as beauty.

Inside, it screams Italian fashion house – all leather and sports car styling.

Which might explain why it feels a lot smaller inside, like an inverted Tardis.

But it doesn’t just look pretty – it also has something to offer.

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I tested the 2-litre petrol turbo with an eight-speed automatic in the Veloce trim, which at £54k is higher up the price range than the £47k base model.

Here you get muscular 280hp and 400Nm.

It gets you to 60mph in just under six seconds, with a top speed of 143mph.

And since this is a mid-size SUV, you can really feel that power.

Not in a Lamborghini Urus rocket-propelled way that makes you hold on to your breakfast, but in a calmer, more confident way that lets you turn off the lights and overtake if you want to.

It rides well too, helped by its dynamic suspension, and there are three ride modes – DNA, as they call it: Dynamic, Normal and Advanced Efficiency – to suit wherever you ride.

The tech is pretty tidy with all the Apple CarPlay business – although the narrow touchscreen could be a little bigger – and a clever docking station for wireless charging.

It’s a solid SUV, but not cheap.

Much like that Armani jacket you had your eye on, it might be a bit pricey, but boy will you look good in it?