BRAD ANDERSON wrote:Alfa Romeo’s long-awaited SUV, dubbed the Stelvio, has officially landed ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Revealed in these glorious images, the Italian firm’s new crossover is based around the same Giorgio platform as the Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan.
Pictured here in range-topping Quadrifoglio guise, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio receives the same 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine as the Giulia Quadrifoglio. Like with the sedan, it delivers a total of 505 hp and 443 lb-ft and is able to rocket the Stelvio from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.9 seconds and through to a 177 mph (284 km/h). Making the model particularly special is its use of an all-wheel drive system that includes a torque vectoring differential promising to provide excellent handling in all conditions. It also includes an eight-speed auto ‘box capable of changing gears in just 100 milliseconds.
Alongside the performance-focused variant, the model is also offered in base and Ti guises. Both of these feature a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 280 hp and 306 lb-ft of torque, capable of sending the car to a 144 mph (231 km/h) top speed. Like the Quadrifoglio’s engine, the 2.0-liter comes standard with an eight-speed auto and an all-wheel drive system.
Alfa Romeo has also employed its Chassis Domain Controller and DNA (DNA Pro on the Quadrifoglio) drive mode system across the range, allowing the car to adjust how much power each wheel receives. There are also three basic drive modes offered for all variants; Natural, Dynamic and Advanced Efficiency. The Quadrifoglio then receives an additional mode, appropriately dubbed Race.
Visually, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio looks just how we expected and heavily borrows on the design of the Giulia. As a result, the front end consists of similar flowing headlights, the brand’s customary triangular front grille and a set of large air intakes. Unlike the Giulia, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio also includes a set of air extractors on the hood.
Other design highlights of the range-topping model include the flared front and rear wheel arches, rooftop spoiler, blacked-out rear diffuser and the quad tailpipes.
The cockpit of the Stelvio is also rather familiar and incorporates a 6.5-inch touchscreen as standard (an 8.8-inch display is optional), an available 14-speaker audio system from Harman Kardon and safety features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and optional front parking sensors.
