The picture above is somewhat of a dream for most petrolheads – the stelvio pass and an Alfa Romeo. That is quite some combination and makes is really rather wish we were there. In over 100 years, Alfa Romeo has never produced an SUV. That is of course until now, when due to massive popularity and demand the Stelvio has emerged. Who can blame Alfa though given the huge success of the Porsche Macan.
Inspired by Italy’s highest mountain pass – an epic 20 kilometre driving route with more than 75 hairpins – the Alfa Romeo Stelvio has been built to offer an engaging driving experience while still maintaining the driver’s comfort. We have no doubt that the Stelvio will live up to the name to which it has been monikered.
Thanks to the Q4 all-wheel drive system, with rear-wheel-drive bias, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is capable of conquering a mountain hairpin, gravel track or snow-covered roads. Its architecture includes an active transfer case and front differential designed to give rapid-response management of high torque levels and a compact, lightweight set-up.
The Q4 system continuously monitors numerous parameters to optimise torque distribution between the two axles according to what the car is doing and how much grip the road surface offers. In normal grip conditions the Alfa Romeo Stelvio acts like a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with 100% of the torque sent to the rear axle. As the wheels approach their grip limit the system transfers up to 50 per cent of the torque to the front axle. This translates into best-in-class control in terms of traction and directional stability on corners.
An optional mechanical self-locking rear differential transfers more torque to the wheel with most grip to optimise the car’s traction in any driving conditions.
Three trim levels are available for the Stelvio, including Stelvio, Super and Tecnica. There will be a choice of a 280hp 2.0-litre Turbocharged petrol or a 210hp 2.2-litreDiesel engine, both combined with an 8-speed automatic transmission and Q4 all-wheel drive. Prices will be confirmed closer to the release date.
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