Los Angeles has witnessed unveiling of the newest Alfa Romeo and we are stoked. Built on the same platform as the much appreciated Giulia, the Stelvio is the first-ever SUV from the Italian car maker. The car is named after the challenging Stelvio Pass bordering Italy which has been globally acknowledged as one of the best driving routes.
The design of the Stelvio has the classic Italian touch with the flowing lines and the signature triad grille fascia. The centre grille is taller and gets a chrome lining while the slim swept back headlamps extend right across the fascia. The projector units get LED daytime running lamps. The design is simple yet stylish with creased long-ish bonnet, a twin-cab profile and slightly flared wheel arches. Alfa Romeo insists that the Stelvio has been built to deliver the revered Alfa dynamics and we would certainly not complain about the not-so-tall height of the SUV.
The Stelvio is a premium SUV and the interior is plush with a black themed leather upholstery with contrast stitching. The twin-pod instrument cluster reads revs and speed, 320kmph in case of the Quadrifoglio. It gets a TFT screen between the pods that reads all the vitals and any other information that you may need. The touchscreen on the centre console will be 6.5 inches on the standard car while the top-spec car might get the larger 8.8-inch touchscreen. The red push-button start sits on the steering just like a sportscar and it will get driving modes for the higher performance trims.
Speaking about performance, the Stelvio will certainly get the new 2.9-litre 503bhp twin-turbocharged Ferrari V6 engine from the Giulia Quadrifoglio that has already built a reputation for itself. You also have a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-banger petrol that develops about 280bhp of power and 400Nm of torque for your daily runs. And yes, you can opt for a diesel as well. The 2.2-litre Multijet should be available in 207bhp, 470Nm setup as it is the only diesel Q4 setup. Six-speed manual and the eight-speed automatic gearboxes will be offered on all variants of the Stelvio. Knowing that the Stelvio is built on the same ‘Giorgio’ platform as the Giulia, the longitudinally mounted engine in the front and rear biased Q4 all-wheel drive setup is standard. The chassis gets a large dose of aluminum and strives for the ideal 50/50 weight distribution between the front and the rear axles – something that sports cars strive for.
The Stelvio will compete with the Porsche Macan and the Mercedes GLC AMG amongst performance SUVs. The price tag is yet to be announced and the Stelvio is expected to be launched globally by the end of 2017.
