2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema & 2023 Honda HR-V

Hi, I'm John Davis and this is MotorWeek !

We're sliding behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema... "Your Drive" has tips on starting your perfect dream car project... We'll cover a green car challenge that puts higher learning to the test... And close out with Honda's new HR-V...

So, come drive with us, next!

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JOHN: Alfa Romeo originally returned to the American market in 2008, but it was 2016's Giulia sport sedan that marked the point in which they really got serious about selling cars in the US.

And it was quickly followed up by the Stelvio SUV which has naturally become their best-selling model.

So, what's next?

Well, it looks like Alfa is going to extreme measures to take the Stelvio to the next level.

♪ ♪ The Alfa Romeo Stelvio arrived 5-years ago with a bang.

Not only bringing a much welcomed splash of Italian style to the small sporty luxury-minded crossover scene, but bringing the most power and highest performance, we'd seen yet.

For 2023, there's a new option for buyers, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema AWD.

Starting with Veloce trim, the limited edition Estrema adds an adaptive suspension and limited-slip differential; essentially giving you some of the Quadrifoglio's go-fast goodies without having to spend quite as much dough.

It's all integrated into their DNA drive mode setup, which Alfa says is tuned hand-in-hand with their Formula One team.

The Estrema doesn't get the Quad's race mode, but Dynamic mode is quite aggressive; delivering a ride that's about as firm as you'll find in a production street vehicle.

It can feel hyper, almost twitchy at times; seemingly unhappy tooling through commuter traffic, having higher speeds and freer flowing pavement on its mind.

Four unique colors are available, including this Misano blue; and all Estremas get a new rear diffuser, unique 21 inch wheels, and additional black trim; plus, carbon fiber covers for the grille and side mirrors.

They've added plenty of carbon-fiber inside as well; on the door panels, console, and dashboard.

All of the additions are well executed, and breathe new life into a space that was starting to look somewhat dated compared to the newest rivals.

Both rear seat space and cargo area at 18.5 cubic-feet are tighter than most as well, though max capacity of 56.5 cubic-feet compares better.

Rounding out the list of upgrades in the Estrema are a dual-pane sunroof, wireless phone charging, and a 14-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system for cranking tunes.

Cranking away under the hood is the standard Stelvio's 2.0 liter turbo I4 engine.

It may fall short of the Quadrifoglio V6s 505 horsepower, but still pumps out an impressive 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission, which has some beefy aluminum paddle shifters mounted Italian style on the steering column.

Unleashed at Mason Dixon Dragway, the Estrema, with its standard all-wheel-drive, has plenty of grip for a healthy launch; but from there, power delivery is more moderate than overwhelming, taking 6.3 seconds to hit 60.

Shifts from the trans, whether triggered with those nice paddles or done automatically, are extremely smooth and barely noticeable.

There's not a lot of excitement inducing engine noise either, just a very calm and luxury-like cruise through the quarter in 14.5 seconds at 95 miles per hour.

Everything took a turn for the better when we turned through the cones of our handling course.

Here is where this utility vehicle really shines, feeling absolutely great when it comes to handling performance.

That ultra-firm suspension and hyper nature of Dynamic mode helps this Stelvio feel more like a sport sedan than just about anything else in the crossover world.

Very little body roll, virtually no understeer or oversteer, and the perfect amount of feel through the steering wheel, made for an incredibly precise, spirited, predictable, and fun run through the cones.

Brakes are by Brembo, but they're not Quadrifoglio spec., and we felt substantial ABS pedal pulsing.

Still, stops from 60 took only 113 feet; consistently staying straight and true, with only moderate nosedive.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 22-City, 28-Highway, and 24-Combined.

We averaged a spot-on 24.2 miles per gallon of Premium.

Making for an average Energy Impact Score, using 12.4 barrels of oil yearly, with 6.0 tons of CO2 emissions.

Stelvio pricing begins at $48,170, and for that, you'll get the same engine found here in the Estrema.

It's starting price of $60,920, slots it well below the top Quadrifoglio, yet, gives you a healthy dose of its performance.

So, whether you call it style, character, panache; the 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema has it by the boat load; giving you a perfect option for increased handling performance without having to break the bank.

It's still beautiful to look at, unique to see out on the road, and now even more fun to drive on that road than ever!

♪ ♪ With automotive technology evolving so rapidly, training the next generation of vehicle engineers can no longer be limited to traditional classrooms and books.

Real-world, hands-on experience is crucial, and that's why collegiate automotive engineering competitions, like the Ecocar Mobility Challenge, are more important than ever.

Well, the 2022 edition is now complete, so let's tally up the results.

♪ ♪ Ecocar Mobility Challenge is a 4-year competition in which 11, North American college teams were challenged to reduce the environmental impact of a Chevrolet Blazer SUV, while retaining or enhancing its utility, safety, and performance.

After a year of modeling and simulation, teams were given their vehicles for year two, and have worked ever since on implementing their designs.

But the students also had to think "real-world" in terms of packaging their components for fit and finish, drivability, and consumer acceptance.

Headline sponsor General Motors provided the vehicles, and encouraged the teams to mimic its global vehicle design process, by which GM develops its own prototype vehicles.

They also hosted all 11 schools for this year's finals at their proving grounds in Yuma, Arizona.

We caught up with the competition at phoenix raceway where media, sponsors and local school students were allowed to check out the finished projects in motion, and learn about the some of the design challenges directly from the teams.

COLIN KELLETT: To try to set ourselves apart from the competition, we did try to implement something that you can find in hybrid vehicles today, with our very own one-pedal-like driving regenerative mode.

Um, this does happen to be on the aggressive side, and calibration processes was a little difficult.

Again, we were only allowed one mode of operation.

JOHN: The U.S. Department of Energy pitched in their own expertise and organizational muscle, with engineers from Argonne National Lab managing the competition.

Judging is conducted after each year of the competition, measuring progress in terms of emissions, economy and component integration, as well as pure performance.

And no matter what their results, the prize for the students in terms of knowledge and experience has been invaluable.

MARK SMITH: The Department of Energy has been sponsoring these student competitions for more than 30 years now.

Important from several standpoints.

Number one is we want to make sure the teams are working on those, whether alternative fuels or advanced technologies, and certainly this competition is focused on connected and automated vehicles, but what are those new and cutting-edge technologies that are coming to transportation.

So, it's great to have the teams focusing on these because these are the future engineers they're going to be working for the car companies, working for our national labs, even working for DOE, so now they get the hands-on training with an OEM vehicle and really gets them that expertise they need to step into those future roles.

JOHN: After a grueling week of testing, Georgia Tech claimed top team honors for 2022.

Originally a 6-cylinder, the Georgia Tech ecocar team converted its Blazer to a 4-cylinder hybrid vehicle with adaptive cruise control.

Its vehicle-to-infrastructure communication technology allows it to "talk" to stoplights and adjust its speed for optimization.

Congratulations also go to Ohio State for 2nd place and the University of Alabama in 3rd position.

Many innovative ideas have emerged from the competition and no two cars turned out exactly alike.

But amazingly, all 11 teams produced a drivable, nearly-production-ready vehicle -- imagined, engineered, and built solely by college students.

BETHANY WELTY: If you go look at other cars, they're all different.

People have different engines, different battery pack sizes, different motors, different wheels.

I think, we're the only people to have 18 inch wheels, and also the way that we did our cargo space is different than everybody else.

I think, we actually maintained the most cargo space, which is really great.

COLIN KNIGHT: So, our vehicle is equipped with six radars, all around the car; so three up front, one on either side and then one in the rear.

There's a Mobileye camera in the windshield.

So, the six radars and the camera give us a 360 degree field of view around the car and that gives us the ability to make those decisions on what the car should do on the open road.

We passed everything.

everything worked as intended, so that was really encouraging.

JOHN: Best of all, lessons learned in this classroom will benefit all of us, as the next generation of automotive innovators takes charge!

It's so easy to get excited over a new project involving your rolling pride and joy, but it's a whole other thing to actually make it turn out as expected.

Before idea meets car, you need a plan, so here's Daniel Maffett with advice on how to turn your thoughts into "Your Drive."

♪ ♪ DANIEL MAFFETT: The most important part of any project, or as I like to call it, a build, is the visualization process.

Whenever someone comes to our shop with an idea, the first step of the process is visualization.

You can use an online digital version of a visualization or, as I like to use, pen and paper.

I like to draw out every idea we have on pen and paper, because you can get an idea very quickly of where the light hits it, where the shadow falls, where the highlights might be, and what area of the project might complement with a graphic.

So, what I like to do is get all of my lines out, figure out where everything's gonna be, and then, start just drawing in where I might see a graphic on this project.

Once, you get a solid idea where your graphics going to fall, and you're happy with it on pen and ink, then you go to your car.

And on the car, I like to use simple painter's tape.

This is paint safe, you're not going to damage the project by using it for reference.

But, you start with a fine line, and you figure where you want that line to start, and this body line on this car is really great; curves right around here all the way to the back of the car, so that is the one that I'm going to accentuate here.

So, with that fine line on here all nice and curved, that's going to be my guide for my thicker tape.

Now, this is thicker, it's not going to bend as easy as this, but it's good for reference.

Pull a big line like that, follow it all the way down the hood, and don't worry about creases or wrinkles, cause it's just so you can get your idea out; it's kind of a sketch on the car with tape.

Now, if you want to get complex and a little more advanced, you can use an even thinner piece of tape, and lay out what I like to do in my shop is I use this to lay out flames and complex graphics just like this.

You can get a really quick line like that and you can lay it right back over itself, and it gives you a very fast idea of where your graphics might go.

So, once you have your idea down on pen and ink, and visualize it there, you can move to a physical, on the car, with some design aids like tape.

If you have any questions, hit us up here, at MotorWeek .

JOHN: We've got the key fob, so come ride shotgun for another QuickSpin!

♪ ♪ JESSICA RAY: Even if you're not brushed up on your Italian, you can probably guess that Performante translates to Performance.

And with regards to their 2023 Lamborghini Urus SUV, Performante translates into less weight, more grip and a little more power.

Lambo managed to shave off 47 kilos, or just over 100 pounds, thanks to a carbon fiber hood, fenders, various interior bits and optionally, the roof.

The titanium sport exhaust is also lighter while improving sound.

Standard are 22 inch lightweight forged wheels, though 23 inch rims are available.

The Performante sees 38 percent more downforce in the rear thanks to a new spoiler.

Ride height has been lowered by 20 millimeters, and track width has been broadened by 16 millimeters.

Thanks to a stiffer steel coil suspension, the Urus is still track-capable and street-palatable.

The Performante doesn't see a massive buff in horsepower, though the 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 does get a little extra spice: 657 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque.

Definitely, enough to take the kids to school and plenty for a midday track session-- like at the Autodromo Vallelunga outside of Rome.

So, the Performante doesn't have that much more horsepower than a base Urus, just about 16 more, but the engine response is really incredible.

The minute my foot touches the pedal just a little bit, it goes.

It's really fantastic.

There's...so much torque going to the rear wheels that it handles just so well.

And if track sessions aren't your steez, well, how about a dirt course?

The Urus can do that too.

MAN: There you go, there you go... Wow!

Wow!

JESSICA:(Laughs) That's it!

MAN: That is fabulous... JESSICA: So, in case it wasn't obvious, the 2023 Lamborghini Urus Performante is a lot of fun.

Starting MSRP is around $260,000, so it's no cheap thrill; rather, a precision-built machine with multiple roles to fill.

From street, to track, and even dirt, the Performante performs.

Customers of this super SUV can expect to see deliveries by the end of the year.

And in the meantime, we'll have plenty more QuickSpins, soon!

♪ ♪ Did you know using Premium fuel in a vehicle that only requires Regular isn't going to give you more power or better fuel economy, and it doesn't necessarily mean your car is going to run "cleaner."

The major difference between Premium and Regular gasoline is the octane rating.

Higher compression engines, like here in this Audi A8, are made to run on Premium fuel, so using a lower octane gasoline can cause issues or other damage like engine knocking.

But the opposite isn't true.

Take the Jeep Grand Cherokee for example.

The standard V6 powertrain only needs 87 according to the owner's manual and it even mentions that higher octane gas doesn't provide any benefits.

So, before you think about spending more for Premium gas, first check what the manufacturer requires.

JOHN: The Honda HR-V may have arrived a little late to the subcompact crossover party, but, with Honda's wealth of knowledge on how to load lots of space and features into small packages, when it finally did arrive for 2016, it instantly became a top pick among small Utes.

Well now, a 2nd generation HR-V arrives with even bigger expectations.

♪ ♪ What Honda has done with the 2nd-generation 2023 Honda HR-V is essentially replaced the awkward-looking Fit-based 1st-gen effort with a more traditional SUV shape that has much more in common with the larger but still compact CR-V.

But, as is usually the case when things go more mainstream, the HR-V has lost a few things along the way that made it unique; primarily, its eminently practical rear magic seat, which has been replaced by a more familiar split folding design.

We're less saddened by the rear door handles moving from the pillars down to a more familiar position on the doors; and I think we can all agree it's a much better-looking design, though the rounded face keeps the overall vibe playful.

Now, actually based on the Civic, this HR-V is 9.4 inches longer than before, with 1.7 inches of additional wheelbase; along with being 2.6 inches wider, LED headlights are mounted about as high as can be.

That more SUV shape means an extended roofline and more practical cargo space.

But, there's still enough rear brake to give it a hatchback feel.

At 24.4 cubic-feet, cargo room is up over last year, and among the best in class; though max falls from 57.6 to 55.1 cubic-feet.

Now...while, it may look more like an SUV, you actually sit lower than before inside.

Still, there's a much nicer interior to look at, with a more functional layout and materials with honeycomb accents and French stitching that help it truly feel a step above the price point it's playing in.

Tech was not exactly cutting edge in the first HR-V; much different scene here.

There's even a nice clear digital gauge panel that includes an actual speedometer with needle, not the customary Honda digital readout.

And on top of the dash is either a 7.0 inch touchscreen as standard; or this EX-L's 9.0 inch display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Plenty of easy access USBs and helpful pass thru storage in the console too.

Top EX-L also adds wireless phone charging, power moon roof, leather trimmed seats, dual zone climate controls, ambient lighting, and parking sensors front and rear.

Front seats are wide and comfy, and while the rear seats no longer perform magic tricks, your mother-in-law will appreciate that they are now much more comfortable than before.

(engine starts up) Under-hood is the Civic's naturally aspirated 2.0 liter I4 with 17 more horsepower than the previous HR-V's 1.8 liter; though 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque are not going to drum up too much excitement.

Transmission is also the Civic's CVT, but with the ability to add all-wheel-drive.

So, our expectations were tempered as we rolled our all-wheel-drive tester into Mason Dixon Dragway.

With good reason as it turns out, as much like a teenager on a Saturday morning, the HR-V displayed very little urgency to get up and get going, taking us a full 10.8 seconds to get to 60.

Once, the RPMs reach their peak and hover there for a while it starts to feel a little better; but a quarter-mile time of 18.1 seconds at 80 miles per hour puts this fully in the safe and steady category.

And since, it's now sporting the Civic's multi-link independent rear suspension, it could certainly handle a lot more power.

It makes for noticeable improvement over the previous HR-V's torsion-beam setup, with better composure and less body roll; though understeer is still very obvious.

Panic braking stops from 60 happened in just 113 feet.

There was a lot of noise accompanying the ABS, but virtually no fade and the brake pedal stayed nice, and firm throughout.

But, the biggest improvements of all were felt away from the track where that new suspension delivered a much more civilized ride; and an expansive greenhouse gave great visibility all around.

Pricing starts at just $24,895, with all-wheel-drive a $1,500 option, which puts you just over $30,000 for a top EX-L with AWD; not bad at all these days.

There may be more Civic and less Fit in this 2023 Honda HR-V, but that actually makes it a better fit for most small families and young "couples on the go" who want a small utility vehicle to live their young active lifestyle lives to the fullest.

Well, that's our show, I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, for more MotorWeek , including daily news updates, podcasts, and even complete episodes, cruise on over to PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

And I hope you'll join us next time.

It's all-electric and all-exciting in the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback.

Then, it's a new twist for Kia's long-running Sportage sport Ute!

Until then, I'm John Davis.

We'll see you right here on MotorWeek !

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about MotorWeek , television's original automotive magazine, visit... To order a DVD of this program, call... MotorWeek has been brought to you by... ANNOUNCER: For more than 30 years Lucas Oil products has helped people tackle mechanical problems in the automotive, marine, and industrial fields.

From our original four core products... Lucas Oil has developed over 400 custom products to help both professionals and do it yourselfers.

To learn more visit Lucasoil.com.

Lucas oil, keep that engine alive!

MotorWeek is proudly sponsored by Auto Value and Bumper To Bumper, featuring major brand auto and truck parts, and service from coast to coast.

Learn more at AutoValue.com and BumperToBumper.com.

TireRack.Com is proud to support MotorWeek .

First, there was the wheel.

Then, the tire.

"We'll call it Tire Rack."

Forty years later, we're not slowing down.

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(car engine revving) ♪ ♪ You're watching PBS.