BUSINESS

Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio crossover seats up to 5, starts at $45,550

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Alfa Romeo, a premium Italian car brand, returned to the U.S. market in 2008 after a 13-year absence, initially featuring sporty cars.
But the brand’s U.S. offerings now include the Stelvio five-passenger midsize crossover, which was added for model year 2018.
The Stelvio has the signature Alfa V-shaped mesh grille also found on the 4C sports car and the Giulia sedan. Stelvio is named after the highest mountain pass in Italy, which rises to 9,000 feet.

Four trim levels are offered for the 2022 model year, the Sprint ($45,550, plus $1,595 freight; or $46,575 for 2023), Ti ($51,160; or $52,185 for 2023), Veloce ($52,300; or $53,325 for 2023), and the ultra-luxury Quadrifoglio ($86,850; or $88,175 for 2023).
For 2023, the new Estrema model ($59,825) has joined the lineup just above the Veloce. 
The Veloce model, which we tested for this report, was added for 2022, replacing the previous year’s Ti Sport trim level. Alfa Romeo parent Stellantis says the Veloce offers a “performance gateway” into the Stelvio lineup, and “complements the luxury-focused Ti trim.”
Updates for 2022 included new standard advanced driver-assistance technology, as well as safety and convenience features across all trim levels, the manufacturer says.

“Born from the world’s greatest driving road, the Stelvio Pass, the 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio delivers performance, design and technology in an SUV that could only come from Italy,” the company notes.
These vehicles are “crafted by Alfa Romeo artisans at the Cassino plant in Italy,” and are “infused with Italian passion, craftsmanship and innovation,” the description continues.
Stelvio Sprint, Ti and Veloce models come with the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine used in the Alfa Giulia sedan, with 280 horsepower and 306…

Lexus GX 460 returns for 2023, ready for highways and byways

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Now in its second generation, the seven-passenger Lexus GX 460 full-size sport utility returns for 2023 with a starting price of $57,575 (plus $1,150 freight) for the base model.
Also in the lineup are the Premium ($58,910); Black Line Special Edition ($62,310), and top-of-the-line Luxury ($67,080), which we tested for this report.
For 2023, the GX carries over without any major changes. Four-wheel drive is standard across the board, and is a true trail-ready system. 
This is the second year for the Black Line Special Edition, which returns with some additional features. It’s technically an upgrade to the Premium model, but it’s limited  to a production run of 3,000 units. 
The Luxury model now comes standard with the Mark Levinson 17-speaker, 330-watt Premium Surround Sound Audio System, which previously was an extra-cost option.
All models continue to be powered by the 4.6-liter V-8 engine, with 301 horsepower and 329 foot-pounds of torque. It’s connected to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Our Luxury test vehicle came with the Off-Road Package ($1,570), which added such special features as a multi-terrain panoramic-view monitor, a transmission cooler, fuel-tank protector, Crawl Control, and multi-terrain drive-mode selector.
Also included was the Sport Design Package ($2,020), which brought 19-inch dark-gray metallic alloy wheels, , second-row tilt/slide dual captain’s chairs (in place of three-person bench seat), unique lower grille trim, front and rear bumper spoilers, dark gray exhaust tip, and chrome-trimmed outside mirrors.
The test vehicle came in the Atomic Silver exterior color with Rioja Red semi-aniline leather interior and  Gray Sapele wood with Aluminum interior trim. 

Standard interior features of the Luxury model include the Lexus Memory System;…