The Stelvio was Alfa Romeo's first SUV when it arrived in 2017, as a D-segment rival for the likes of the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. And Alfa was obviously quite happy with the job it had done, because it's taken a full six years for it to get around to producing the facelifted version we're testing here. The most significant changes to the exterior styling involve the front and rear lights, with the former now featuring matrix LED technology, which is standard throughout the range, and the latter in a new arrangement with clear lenses. Inside, there's a new 12.3in digital driver display, which can be configured with different layouts.

Based on the same platform as the Giulia saloon we drove last month, the Stelvio does a good job of delivering a sporty SUV driving experience - fitting for a car named after a famously twisty stretch of road in northern Italy. Its body weight is well controlled, and an inherently well-sorted chassis is aided further by all-wheel drive traction. The latter attribute also suggests some proper off-road driving ability to go with the SUV looks - as does hill descent control being fitted as standard - although we didn't test the Stelvio away from tarmac. The car's ride is firm, but not harsh. We did, however, notice a degree of wind noise at motorway speeds.

We tested the Stelvio with a 280hp petrol engine, which offers good performance. However, in combination with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, we found it felt a bit sluggish at junctions when in N (Normal) mode on Alfa's DNA drive mode selector. Putting it in D (Dynamic) made things better, but it seems strange to have to select this for town driving.

That petrol engine unfortunately puts the Stelvio into the top 37% company car BIK tax bracket, due to its 192g/km CO2 emissions, and unsurprisingly also uses quite a lot of fuel. Happily, unlike with the Giulia, Alfa will still also sell you a 210hp diesel Stelvio, which sneaks down into the 36% BIK band, and also does 13mpg more on official testing. However, there are no electrified or hybrid options, giving the Stelvio no hope of competing, especially with plug-in hybrid alternatives on a BIK basis. An expected 44.2% residual value is also slightly off the pace compared with rivals.

As with the Giulia, the Stelvio in the mid-range Veloce equipment grade features a stylish and well-trimmed interior - with the quality of materials arguably slightly higher again than with the saloon. The new driver display works well, as does the wider infotainment set-up with its welcome provision of physical controls.

The 525-litre boot is a little smaller than rivals', but still a decent size and features a low loading lip. However, although remote levers for the rear seats are provided by the tailgate, these just unlatch them - they still need to be physically pushed down.

When we reviewed the Giulia last month, we talked a lot about its subjective appeal, and to an extent that also applies here. However, in the SUV segment, it feels harder to excuse shortfalls in economy and practicality for driving dynamics and style, since the latter are inevitably compromised anyway. In a competitive class, it's more difficult to recommend overlooking the Stelvio's flaws.