Stelvio Quadrifoglio

The name comes from the most celebrated pass in the Alps, yet it is in Barbagia that the Stelvio Quadrifoglio finds its true ground: the SS389 cutting through the heart of the island between Nuoro and Lanusei — wide, fast and all but deserted — and the Correboi pass, one of the highest points on the Sardinian road network, where the asphalt crests above the forests of the Gennargentu. Up here, 510 hp and Q4 all-wheel drive stop being numbers and become confidence.

Better still, you arrive with the whole family aboard, luggage in the boot and the climate control working in silence. In our guide to luxury SUVs for a Sardinian holiday, the Stelvio occupies a very specific slot: the SUV that drives like a sports saloon. Delivery through our luxury car rental in Olbia — in town or at the airport — is the most convenient starting point for the interior.

Here the twin-turbo V6 performs on a different stage: its dark, rasping timbre ricochets off the granite walls of the Barbagia valleys, and in Race mode the exhaust punctuates every lift of the throttle with crackles that sound like applause. The 3.8-second sprint to 100 km/h — a tenth quicker than the Giulia, courtesy of all-wheel drive — arrives without a flicker of wheelspin, even on cold morning asphalt at altitude.

The raised driving position has cost it nothing in precision: the steering is as quick as a coupé's, active torque vectoring drives the rear axle out of corners, and body roll is a memory. The claimed top speed reads 283 km/h, but the figure that stays with you is a different one: until you glance in the mirror, you forget there is a second row of seats and a holiday-sized boot behind you.

The car in our fleet wears Verde Montreal, a historic Alfa Romeo shade that shifts from bottle green to emerald under the Sardinian sun. On an SUV with the Quadrifoglio on its flanks, it is a statement of intent — sporting, but cultured. It is the detail that sets it apart on a hotel forecourt as surely as on the hairpins of the Gennargentu.

To weigh it against its saloon sister, the full range from the marque lives on our Alfa Romeo rental page; if you think in categories instead, explore the other high-performance SUVs available on the island. For dates and itinerary, check availability with our WhatsApp concierge.