Silver Alfa Romeo Stelvio Rental in Los Angeles

Silver is the finish designers photograph a new car in, because it is the only one that shows a surface honestly. On the Stelvio that means the long curve down the flank, the flare over the rear arch and the way the bonnet is pinched around the scudetto are all visible — three things that a dark car keeps to itself.

It is also the easiest Stelvio to live with over a week: no glare on a bright canyon road, no pale dust showing after a run up the coast, and it looks right at a Century City office and at a house in Malibu without changing character. Take the grey one instead if you would rather the car looked rare than looked clear.

The Stelvio is Alfa Romeo's SUV, and it is built around the same conviction as the Giulia saloon it shares a platform with: that a car should steer better than its rivals even if that costs something elsewhere. The rack is the fastest in the class by a distance, the weight distribution is close to even, and the result is an SUV that changes direction like a much smaller car. On a canyon road it is genuinely, obviously better than what it is priced against.

It is a usable one, too. Five seats, a proper boot, all-wheel drive, and a ride that is firm but never brittle. The cabin is simpler and more driver-focused than a German rival's — fewer screens, a deep instrument binnacle, and column-mounted aluminium paddles that are among the best-feeling controls at this price.

Honest hook: interior materials and infotainment are a step behind the German cars. You are buying the chassis and the badge, and both are worth it.