Famous Italian automaker Alfa Romeo introduces its first SUV.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio is the name of the new SUV introduced 14 years after the failed Alfa Romeo Kamal attempt. Italian automaker called this beautiful SUV after the Stelvio mountain passage in the north of Italy. This car is now available in Europe and buyers will have two options when it comes to trims. The first, basic, option is First Edition model which costs around $60,000. The second version is the Quadrifoglio which is faster and more powerful than the one mentioned above. However, the price of Quadrifoglio is somewhere around $70,000. We remember Quadrifoglio model from Los Angeles auto show in November 2016.
Fans in Europe have something to be happy about because Alfa released plenty of videos and a huge gallery of photos of the SUV. Besides doing this, they also published specifications for the vehicle which is designed for the United Kingdom.
Alfa will offer three variations of this model in U.K. Aside from the basic Alfa Romeo Stelvio, there will be Tecnica and Super trims. The best thing about this SUV is that even the base model will have 17-inch wheels, blasting eight-speaker sound system, parking sensors, cruise control, 8.8-inch infotainment, electric tailgate and last but not least rain and light sensors. When it comes to safety on the road, Italians implemented autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, forward collision warning and pedestrian protection. And yes, we are talking about the entry-level model.
Buyers willing to go that one extra step and pay a bit more surely won’t regret it. Alfa offers its customers 18-inch alloys, fabric and leather seats in three colors, door sills with steel inserts and ability to choose between three color combinations for the dashboard and door panels and all that if you opt for mid-range Super trim.
When it comes to the Stelvio Super model, there is a Luxury pack available, and it is optional. Although it may set you back for a few thousands of dollars, it will add real wood inserts, full grain leather seats that are, of course, electrically adjustable and heated. Aside from the Luxury Pack, there is a Sport Pack. Italians included a heated sports steering wheel, aluminum inserts, steel pedals, and leather wrapped seats that are also heated and can be electrically adjusted.
For those who are used to driving diesel-powered vehicles, Tecnica model may be the right choice. This version is equipped with electric folding mirrors, upgraded 8.8-inch Alfa Connect 3D navigation system and bi-xenon adaptive headlights.
We mentioned that Alfa released technical specs for the U.K. models. According to those specs, the 2017 Stelvio in U.K. will have a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine with 280 horsepower which is equal to 206 kilowatts and 400 Newton-meters (295 pound-feet) of torque. This setup will give you the acceleration from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph or 230 km/h.
There are two options considering a turbodiesel 2.2-liter engine. You can have it with 180 hp (134 kW) or 210 hp (154 kW). However, only the 210 hp version with 470 Nm (346 lb-ft) of torque will be available upon release. If you choose Stelvio with this unit, expect acceleration time of 6.6 seconds to 62 mph, and a top speed of 133 mph (214kph), which is quite good for a diesel-powered SUV.
Last but not least, transmission is the same whether you opt for the gasoline or the diesel powerplant. The 2017 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is equipped with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission which can send power to both axles using Q4 all-wheel-drive setup.
U.K. launch is scheduled for autumn this year, and we will learn more about the price and specs then.
However, one thing is for sure, Italians will have a fierce competition, and this is the field in which they did not compete in the previous years. Fans have been waiting for more than a decade for Alfa’s proper SUV. By the looks of it, they won’t be disappointed.
