Tesla Model Y vs Alfa Romeo Stelvio

What's the difference?

Completely putting aside the Elon Musk factor, there’s no question the Model Y was in need of an update to keep it fresh and attractive to buyers. On a purely automotive level, the changes they’ve made have been almost universally positive.

Tesla has had to adopt the traditional car company plan, which is out of character, but the new look and tweaks to the ride and specifications make it feel fresh, new and better - which is exactly what the brand needs to continue to grow its market and win back those who have started to look elsewhere.

Whether that’s enough in the face of both the Musk element, slowing EV market and increased rivals - especially those from China - remains to be seen. But if Tesla sales remain in decline, at least it won’t be for a lack of trying to make the Model Y better.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce is the car you get when you want a sports car but happen to have a kid or two. Its ride comfort is on the lower end but it has heaps of power and enough features that it manages to slide into its price tag without feeling too cheeky. The back seat’s size will limit this to smaller families, though. And I would prefer to see better tech at this grade level, so this gets a 7.1/10 from me.

My son didn’t spend much time in this one but he liked the red paintwork. My mum, however, loved the power and sexy packaging. She gives it an 8/10.

Tesla’s original game plan was to focus on software updates to keep its cars fresh and appealing, rather than the traditional facelifts and specification tweaks that other car companies use. But, in what should probably not be a surprise, it turns out the rest of the car industry hasn’t been doing mid-cycle facelifts and updates for every other car for no reason - it did them because they worked.

To that end, this ‘new’ Model Y isn’t all-new, but rather the existing platform with refreshed styling. It takes Tesla’s latest design cues taken from the Cybertruck and Cybercab concept, with a new-look front end that is dominated by this LED lighting that runs across the entire width and wraps around the corners into the headlights.

There’s a new, flatter bumper, which takes styling inspiration from the Cybertruck but the company claims it’s also more aerodynamic. While at the rear there’s been an equally extensive redesign, with new lighting and tailgate. Tesla claims the new rear light bar that runs the width of the car is one of the longest of its kind in the industry.

I’ll leave it to each individual reader to decide whether they like the look of the 2025 Model Y, but objectively speaking it certainly looks different enough from its predecessor that it could entice existing owners to upgrade or attract new buyers.

Inside the changes are less noticeable, with some subtle but significant tweaks. Visually the biggest change is a new wrap-around ambient light strip that runs from door to door across the front of the dashboard.

But the rest of the layout is largely what was there before, with one notable exception. Tesla has taken its ‘minimalist’ design to the next level and removed the gear selector stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column. Instead you need to use the central touchscreen to get the Model Y moving.

To be candid, I don’t like this, it makes for a less convenient, less tactile and less initiative way to change gears, while also making the central screen even busier. Aesthetically, with the left-hand indicator stalk still there, it makes an asymmetrical design element in an otherwise symmetrical cabin. Which is where it starts to feel less like a design choice and more like a cost saving decision.

In fact, despite the good quality materials used throughout the cabin and good build quality, personally I find this almost-buttonless, so-called minimalist cabin just looks and feels cheap with so little in the way of details and design flourishes. Especially against the wave of incoming similar-sized and sometimes cheaper Chinese electric SUV rivals, that either look very similar (Deepal S07) or have similar technology and add some more design flair (BYD Sealion 7).

One design element of note is the lack of any Tesla badging on the front. There’s no ‘Tesla’ or even a ‘T’ badge, which is in keeping with the Cybertruck design but is another meaningful change from the previous Model Y.

While the Veloce has had a facelift, the changes are so minor I would dare to ask, why bother?

The daytime running light signature has been tweaked but only die-hard Stelvio fans will notice it. I do like the larger 12.3-inch digital instrument display but surprisingly the multimedia screen remains on the smaller side at 8.8 inches.

Otherwise, there’s no denying the Veloce looks like an Alfa Romeo, staying true to its Italian heritage. It’s solid, with a 1903mm wide stance, but so robust that it moves away from words like 'sleek' or 'sexy'.

The black grille, 20-inch alloy wheels and red brake calipers make it look sports car mean and hint at what's under the bonnet.

The interior looks well made and it's got a bat cave element with the black headliner and panoramic sunroof. There's a plethora of soft touchpoints throughout and the circular air-vents found in both rows add some flair.

Overall, though, the interior is understated and if you’re looking for something as flashy as the exterior, you may be disappointed.

From a space perspective, the Model Y offers good room front and rear for an SUV of this size. The addition of the rear heated seats and small touchscreen that can support two Bluetooth headphones is very nice. 

There’s plenty of small item storage thanks to a large centre console between the front seats, with space for two wireless smartphone charging pads, two cups or bottles and a pair of large lidded storage spaces (albeit with only a single USB-C input).

In terms of luggage space, the Model Y does a nice job, thanks to its 117L front boot (or frunk), while at the rear the boot has a claimed 854L of cargo space with underfloor storage. However, that big boot comes at the expense of any sort of spare tyre or even a puncture repair kit. Instead, Tesla offers roadside assistance and brings you a spare wheel and tyre or takes you to a tyre store. Which is fine if you have a flat in an urban area and a Tesla service vehicle can drop off a spare in short order, but if you’re in a regional spot you may be waiting a while for a job that some people can do in 15 minutes or less.

As for the in-car technology, there’s no question that Tesla has created a good infotainment system and it runs quickly on the big, hi-resolution screen. However, once again Tesla’s desire to be different and not conform to the industry norms rears its head.

There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility, because Tesla wants to only run its system and not deal with third parties. And, yes, you can still pair your phone and get very similar functionality, but it is not the same functionality and seems like a compromise for customers.

The Model Y still has plenty of the ‘Easter eggs’ that are a much-talked about part of Tesla lore. And honestly, they’re fine, a nice little bonus, but the truth is, like so many other car ‘surprise and delight’ features, they don’t add any meaningful long-term value to the ownership or user experience. I used to get excited by them when I first drove Teslas, but within a few days you tend to forget about them.

On a positive note, the Tesla App is a great feature, allowing you to keep in contact with your car, and access cameras and other features remotely, while also using your phone as a key. Which is good, because otherwise you have to use a key card, which allows keyless entry but the card has to be pulled out of your pocket and placed on the wireless phone charging pads in order for the car to start, which just seems unnecessarily complex.

The front row benefits the most in terms of space and features. I have stacks of headroom and legroom in the front seat and didn’t feel like I was too close to my passenger this week.

I like the comfortable electric seats and the fact you can adjust the side bolsters and under-thigh support.

Individual storage options are on the slim side throughout the car and it was something my mum and I found annoying on our road trip because there aren’t a lot of spots to put your little items up front. Think snacks, sunglasses, lip balm etc.

The two cupholders are really drink bottle holders because they’re too large to fit a small takeaway cup without popping the lid off but I like the large storage bins in each front door.

It's a tight squeeze in the back seat for my 168cm (5'6") height and that’s behind my driving position! It could feel a tad cramped back there for those with longer legs.

It’s also a bit awkward getting in and out of the back seat because of the large wheel arches.

The storage bins in the doors are too small to hold a drink bottle but the middle armrest has two cupholders and a phone holder.

Charging options are fantastic up front with two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad to choose from. You even get an 'aux' jack, too.

The amenities in the back seat are okay and you get a couple of net map pockets, reading lights, a USB-A and C port, as well as directional air vents.

This Alfa has a no-nonsense approach with the other tech, though. I usually don’t mind that but the touchscreen multimedia system is a little too no-nonsense for this spec-level.

I found it to be laggy and too small. It also regularly turned itself off and rebooted. This happened a few times while needing satellite navigation directions, which was annoying.

Also on the sat nav, you can’t search for a general name of something, like a business, you have to input an address which meant using my iPhone anyway. It’s great that you get wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though.

The digital instrument panel looks upmarket but isn’t properly customisable and I was disappointed the ambient lighting package only meant that there are lights in the footwells and a tiny overhead light. Adding some extra lighting would have transformed the night-time driving experience.

The boot is the highlight for me because you get a decent capacity at 499L. The load space is level and I like the back row's 40/20/40 split-fold. We had plenty of room on our road trip for luggage and shopping.

You get a temporary spare tyre and a retractable cargo blind. The latter is stiff enough to double as a shelf which is handy and a handsfree powered tailgate comes standard, as well.

There are three models for the Stelvio and ours is the mid-spec Veloce grade, which will cost you $82,950, before on-road costs. The pricing should make it competitive compared to its rivals but the features list isn’t as robust as it could be.

The interior gets most of the big-ticket items with leather upholstered sports front seats, extended leather trim on the doors and dashboard as well as a heated steering wheel.

Both front seats are electric with six-way power adjustment, powered side bolsters and four-way adjustable lumbar support. They also feature a heat function and extendable under-thigh support.

The luxury items continue with the panoramic sunroof, real aluminium accents throughout and a premium Harman Kardon sound system that boasts 14 speakers.

Other standard features include full LED adaptive 'Matrix' headlights, aluminium sports pedals, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, push-button start and a handsfree powered tailgate.

It's the technology that lets the Stelvio down but I'll go into that later.

For all the difficulties Tesla has been suffering lately, and amid all the new challengers, one area where the brand remains in a strong position is its powertrains and battery technology. It is still among the best in the business, and should be the reason you buy a Model Y more than its ‘Easter eggs’ or buttonless interior.

Tesla is notoriously cagey when it comes to its power and torque figures, but all indications are the motors haven’t been changed. That means the RWD makes 220kW/420Nm, while the Long Range we’re in has a theoretical 331kW/559Nm.

What Tesla has confirmed is the new Model Y is faster, thanks to a software update, with the RWD a full one second faster from 0-100km/h - now taking 5.9 seconds - and the Long Range is two-tenths quicker at 4.8 seconds.

The Veloce has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that gives a maximum power output of 206kW and 400Nm of torque. It’s an all-wheel drive and has an eight-speed auto transmission which is very smooth. 

Checking out the specs I didn’t think this would be as powerful as it is. But it’s really fun when you need to put your foot down! I mean, it can go from 0-100km/h in just 5.7 seconds.

While it may not be more powerful, Tesla has extended the range on both the RWD and Long Range.

The RWD has been stretched to 466km, an improvement of 11km, and the Long Range lives up to its name with a 551km range - an 18km increase over the old model.

In the real-world though, we noticed quite a dramatic decrease in battery percentage on relatively limited urban driving, so much so we’d need a longer evaluation period to confirm whether you could consistently get more than 500km from a single charge. Even working from home, and driving a second car during the week we had the Model Y, I was on course to have to recharge within a seven-day period.

When you do need to recharge, Tesla operates its own Supercharging network, so in addition to being able to use the growing number of public chargers, you can probably find one of Tesla’s 110 Superchargers near you.

Charging is nice and easy too. You can upload your credit card to the car so you only need to plug in and it will automatically start replenishing the batteries.

The official combined cycle fuel economy figure is 7.0L/100km and my real-world usage came to 8.4L/100km.

I drove our test model hard but did A LOT of open road driving - 2051km to be exact - so I was happy with the average but I would expect it to be higher in the city.

Based on the official combined cycle number and 64L fuel tank, you theoretically should be able to get a driving range of around 914km but my real-world tests see that figure come in closer to 700km.

Alfa Romeo recommends a minimum 95 RON petrol be used for the Stelvio.

One of the most significant mechanical changes for this new Model Y is retuned suspension. The previous Model Y was criticised for its uncomfortable ride, especially in the rears, and Tesla has acted to change that. 

The ride is more comfortable but still on the firm side as it needs to control the weight of all the batteries. Overall the changes have brought a positive impact and helped improve one of the weak points of the Model Y.

Tesla has also added lower rolling resistance tyres and acoustic glass, both of which help refinement and make for a quieter cabin. That was an early problem with the Model S, the amount of road noise and mechanical groans and squeaks that were audible without an engine to mask them. Tesla has worked hard over the years to make a much more refined and quieter electric vehicle.

From a driving perspective, the Model Y is nice without offering anything class-leading or particularly stand-out. Tesla claims the new tyres help improve handling, but there's no real evidence of that from behind the wheel.

In fact, the Model Y doesn't really have any element of the driving experience that stands out amongst its newer rivals. The motors offer good, effortless performance, but the driving character - the steering, the chassis handling - just lacks any above-average quality.

One area where Tesla has caught up to some of its EV rivals is adding a different level of regenrative braking, with a relaxed setting that allows for a more conventional two-pedal driving experience than the standard regen, which is quite strong.

Still, it's hard to give Tesla any more points for its Driving score because it simply feels very much average for the current class of EV SUVs.

The Veloce is downright fun to drive because of how damn responsive it is. There is plenty of power, so much so, that you’ll look forward to hitting the open road. 

The sporty steering makes for sharp handling and the car moves decisively. I have felt confident all week that it would do what I wanted it to do. It's wide stance also makes it hug the road like an old friend.

However, the suspension is also sporty, aka firm! The padded seats help soften the impact when you hit a bump but you’ll still know it when you hit one. There's also a resonating 'ker-thump' in the cabin, in case you didn't feel it.

The big thing that marred the driving experience for me, at least for a longer trip, is how loud road and wind noise are at higher speeds. It’s loud enough that you need to raise your voice to talk, which I didn’t enjoy.

The Veloce earns back points with how easy it is to park and it handles those stupidly small hotel car parks extremely well.

I don't rate the reversing camera, though. The quality of the image is terrible for this grade-level.

The Stelvio has most of the major items that I like to see on a family car and the standard safety features include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, driver attention monitor, traffic sign recognition, lane keeping aids, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera, daytime-running lights, front and rear parking sensors, and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

It's important to note though that the safety systems only scored a 60 per cent with ANCAP.

It has autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and car detection and is operational from 7.0 - 200km/h.

The Veloce has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating but it was done ages ago in 2017, which means it will expire this December. It also only has six airbags, which is low for a family car but the curtain airbags cover the back row.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard rear seats and three top tethers in the second row but two seats will fit best.

You can just squeeze a 0-4 rearward facing child seat in but it will encroach on front passenger comfort.

Tesla has a relatively short warranty for the Model Y, at least by modern standard, at just four years and 80,000km. However the battery and drive units are covered for eight years, so you do get more peace of mind that any battery issues will be resolved.

However, there are different mileages for the RWD and Long Range models, and Tesla says the batteries only need to retain 70 per cent of their performance to be within their limits.

Servicing is another non-traditional area for Tesla. The company doesn't offer fixed-service intervals, but rather the car will alert you when it needs a service. BMW and Mini also do this.

Naturally, there are less lubricants and other consumables to maintain as you’d find on a petrol-powered SUV, but there are still parts like brake fluids and air filters that need to be looked at by a technician.

The ongoing costs aren’t too shabby on the Stelvio because it comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and you also get five years roadside assistance.

It’s a 24/7 complimentary service that covers a host of items but check out the terms and conditions for more information.

There’s capped priced servicing for five years or up to 75,000km, whichever occurs first.

Services cost an average of $573, which is competitive for the class and servicing intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.