Compare the2023 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Outback are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outback (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Stelvio doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the Stelvio.

Both the Outback and the Stelvio have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Stelvio has not been tested, yet.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Outback 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Stelvio. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Stelvio ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 5 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Outback’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Outback’s reliability 21 points higher than the Stelvio.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Alfa Romeo vehicles. With 20 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Alfa Romeo.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 19 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Alfa Romeo.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Stelvio doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the Stelvio:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Outback uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Stelvio requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Outback has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Stelvio (18.5 vs. 16.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Outback higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (5). This means the Outback produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Stelvio every 15,000 miles.

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Outback stops shorter than the Stelvio:

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Stelvio; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Stelvio’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Stelvio (8.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.4 inches higher than on the Stelvio (9.5 vs. 8.1 inches).

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 250 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

The front grille of the Outback 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Stelvio doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Outback has 11.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Stelvio (109 vs. 97.6).

The Outback has 6.2 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 7.6 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Stelvio.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Outback’s rear seats recline. The Stelvio’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Stelvio with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Stelvio with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 56.5 cubic feet).

The Outback’s cargo area is larger than the Stelvio’s in every dimension:

Maximum trailer towing in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is limited to 3000 pounds. The Outback offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Stelvio doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Outback’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Stelvio’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Stelvio doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Outback Limited/Touring is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Stelvio’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Outback Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Stelvio doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Insurance will cost less for the Outback owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Outback will cost $2335 to $3745 less than the Stelvio over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Outback will be $10985 to $17203 less than for the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio isn't recommended.

The Subaru Outback outsold the Alfa Romeo Stelvio by almost 19 to one during 2022.