Suspension systems directly govern the interaction between the vehicle body and the road surface, influencing both ride comfort and vehicle stability. The inherent limitations of passive suspensions, whose parameters are fixed once and for all during the design phase, have motivated the development of semi-active and active technologies capable of adapting their behaviour in real time to changing operating conditions. The present thesis addresses the dynamic characterisation and control of vehicle suspension systems, taking the Alfa Romeo Stelvio as the reference platform. The work develops along three main directions. The opening part reviews passive, semi-active and active suspension configurations from both a conceptual and an analytical standpoint, deriving the equations of motion for each case through the two-degree-of-freedom quarter-car model and examining the main actuation technologies currently available, with particular attention devoted to electromechanical systems in light of their growing relevance in modern electrified vehicles.