The $61,000 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is an improvement on the original that made driving this Italian SUV sheer bliss

• I drove a $61,240 Alfa Romeo Ti Sport SUV, complete with Alfa's Q4 all-wheel-drive system.
• This is a refreshed Stelvio; I'd enjoyed the SUV in 2018, but I had a few complaints about the interior and the infotainment system.
• Alfa Romeo has corrected the Stelvio's flaws in the updated version.
• My test vehicle had a 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine under the hood. It makes 280 horsepower with 306 pound-feet of torque and is unchanged from the previous version.
• With my problems addressed, I couldn't find much to dislike about the Stelvio this time around, and driving it was sheer bliss.
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Alfa Romeo has been in business for 110 years and for about 106 of those years, it didn't need an SUV.

That all changed as luxury 'utes took over the world and compelled parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to steer the legend toward a suburban people-hauler.

Or not, as the Stelvio I drove in its original iteration back in 2018, while fine at hauling people, was far more optimized to provide driverly thrills.

I had complaints back then — about the interior's lack of premium-ness and the absence of a good infotainment system. And lo! Alfa listened. They course-corrected with the refreshed Stelvio.

Was it enough? Read on to find out