Alfa Romeo Stelvio First Edition heralds brand’s SUV debut

Alfa Romeo is finally getting serious about SUV with the recently unveiled Stelvio crossover, bringing a refreshing blend of Italian flair and passion to the premium midsize SUV segment.

We have seen photos of Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the range’s flagship boasting a Ferrari-inspired 2.9-litre biturbo V6 serving up 371kW and 600Nm to take on the Audi SQ5 and forthcoming Mercedes-AMG GLC 63. Complete with quad exhausts, aggressive bumpers and pumped up wheel guards, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio will no doubt make visual statement everywhere it goes.

For those more interested in the less shouty models, Alfa Romeo has released first photos of the Stelvio First Edition, a limited run model to herald the brand’s first ever SUV.

Visually striking, exterior highlights of the Stelvio First Edition are characterised by unique 20-inch alloy rims, coloured brake callipers, Bi-Xenon headlights, chrome-plated window frame, rear privacy windows and courtesy lights on the door handles.

The elegant sporty theme continues inside with a driver-focused cockpit emphasised by the curved dashboard and contoured steering wheel. Aluminium shift paddles are standard in the special edition, so are real wood inserts, 3D navigation system developed in partnership with Magneti Marelli with 8.8-inch display, digital radio (DAB) and a 7-inch colour digital instrumentation display.

Power comes from a 2.0-litre turbocharged direct-injected four-cylinder delivering 206kW and 400Nm of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic and rear-biased all-wheel drive. The sprint from 0 to 100km/h takes a hot hatch-beating 5.7 seconds, a figure which Alfa touts “the best in class”. Rated average fuel consumption is a respectable 7.0L/100km.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvia is slatted to hit global markets including Australia in the second half of 2017 and will come from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) plant in Cassino, Italy.