Source: AutomotorPro.com – Italian Stelvio First Alfa Romeo SUV
Written by Marco Carvajal
Photographs by Marco Carvajal
Made in Italy, the 2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is the result of Italian automotive perfection combining performance, style, technology, and beauty in an elegant SUV.
Car buyers have several options when buying a luxury SUV with many brands like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar, Infiniti, Lincoln, Range Rover, Jaguar, Cadillac, and more, but if you want to drive a unique car that will stop the traffic and will produce the WOW effect on your neighbors and friends, then the Stelvio is the car.
2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Italian Elegance SUV
Entering the Stelvio and starting to drive it around the coast and intercostal in Central Florida gives me a new inspiration. I don’t know the exact reason for such positive emotions when driving the Italian Stelvio, perhaps is the perfect harmonic design, or perhaps is the luxury involved in and out of the car, perhaps more than anything is the aerodynamic original unique design in the exterior, but the fact is that when you drive this car you feel different.
Every time I test drive Alfa Romeo cars, random people on the street or parking lots ask me what car I am driving? They seem very impressed with the design. Americans are not used to see Alfa Romeo cars on the road, at least not until the last couple of years and this car gets a lot of attention everywhere.
Many people I meet while driving the Stelvio don’t even know the brand Alfa Romeo but they just look at the Stelvio as if it was a beautiful UFO car that just landed from space.
Some have seen the Stelvio only on advertisements, but never saw it in real life, especially with recent strong advertisement campaigns for Alfa Romeo, now people are getting to know the brand more. Known or unknown, the fact is that whoever sees an Alfa Romeo in person just falls in love with it.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo started in Milan, Italy, in 1910. The brand has created very stylish and exclusive cars through automotive history.
Alfa Romeo is part of the Fiat Chrysler Automobile group, and after a long pause of not being present in the US, it just started to be sold and properly marketed in the US since a few years ago.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
The Stelvio is the first SUV made by Alfa Romeo. This High-Performance Luxury SUV is very impressive.
The Stelvio is the third vehicle that Alfa Romeo introduced during its return to the United States, and is largely based on the Giulia sedan, which shares its powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine, chassis and equipment levels. It has a distinctive style and a powerful engine
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is the last entry in the compact crowd of luxury SUVs. It differs through an attraction for emotion and driving pleasure, beautify and performance merged together.
The Stelvio drives with precise handling and steering, with and an engine that is ready to break speed limits. This Alfa Romeo SUV is fashioned using authentic Italian craftsmanship to produce a work of art on wheels.
Stelvio Meaning
The name of this SUV, “Stelvio”, is based on Italy’s highest mountain road with 48 circuitous switchbacks on the Italian Alps, called in Italian: “Passo dello Stelvio”
2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Models
For 2019, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio lineup offers six models in the US:
- Stelvio
- Stelvio Sport
- Stelvio Ti
- Stelvio Ti Sport
- Stelvio Ti Lusso
- Stelvio Quadrifoglio (the one I am test driving)
Pricing
2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, Starting MSRP $80,245
The base model Stelvio starts at a much lower price than the top of the lineup, at $40,545 going up in price to $80K with the Quadrifoglio, the top of the line.
2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio AWD
2019 Stelvio model features a great balance of 50/50 weight distribution, class-leading power and great performance with and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Stelvio comes very well-equipped with many standard premium features, including a direct-injection 280-hp turbocharged and intercooled 2.0L engine delivering 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds, DNA drive mode selector, genuine leather interior, remote start with passive entry, bi-xenon headlamps, dual exhaust, class-exclusive carbon-fiber driveshaft, flat-bottom Formula One-inspired steering wheel and 7-inch TFT.
Stelvio Quadrifoglio continues to highlight Alfa Romeo’s performance expertise with best-in-class V-6 505 horsepower and segment-leading V-6 torque, powering it from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 176 MPH, it is very fast!
Paired for the first time with Alfa Romeo’s most powerful production engine ever, the innovative Q4 all-wheel-drive (AWD) system in the Stelvio Quadrifoglio takes premium midsize SUV performance to a higher level.
2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Highlights
- 2.9L 505HP Twin-Turbocharged V6 Engine
- 8-Speed Automatic Transmission
- 505 Horsepower (HP)
- 443 Torque (LB-FT)
- 0-60 MPH in 3.6 (SEC)
- 20-Inch Five-Hole Aluminum Wheels and Anodized Calipers with Alfa Romeo Script
- Sport Leather and Alcantara Suede Seats with Leather-Wrapped Dash and Upper Doors with Carbon Fiber Interior Trim
- 3-D Navigation
- Q4 All-Wheel-Drive System with DNA Pro Drive Mode Selector
- Adaptive Suspension and Torque-Vectoring Rear Differential
- MPG, 17 city / 23 hwy
- Harman Kardon Premium Audio System
- 8.8-Inch Widescreen Color Display
Recent awards won by the Stelvio in the US:
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Named a Car and Driver 2018 Editors’ Choice
2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Wins Panoramic Utility Vehicle at Night Annual “Topless in Miami” Competition
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Named Performance SUV of the Year by Automotive Video Association
2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio Named Northwest’s ‘Most Fun SUV’ for Second Consecutive Year at NWAPA ‘Run to the Sun’ Media Event
Should you buy a Stelvio?
The Stelvio is one more player in the competitive market of luxury cars in the US, just like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar, Infiniti, Lincoln, Range Rover, Jaguar, Cadillac. However if we compare the Stelvio based on performance then competitors can be the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk at 707 hp, the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 and the Porsche Macan GT. However, the Stelvio is unique and I suggest to test drive it at your closer Alfa Romeo dealer.
The Stelvio is a bit smaller than most luxury SUVs, resulting in a more compact second row and a tighter load volume, however the beauty and perfect distribution of the interior space, makes up for its smaller size.
Stelvio’s appeal can be in part based on his special charm and character. Driving enthusiasts can enjoy the original design and style of this unique SUV, the Italian Stelvio. Beautiful and super fast!
Source: AutomotorPro.com – Italian Stelvio First Alfa Romeo SUV
