Meet Stelvio, an Alfa Romeo SUV

A racist millionaire TV personality is the President-elect of the USA, VW pulling out of WRC, Malaysia looking to withdraw from F1 seasons. In a world where the steps of progress are going down a scary path, uncertainties regarding the survival of the good things that we know of, this could be another blow to our world that seems to be breaking apart.

When the news first came to us, we spent a few minutes hyperventilating, finally accepting the bitter news with the hope that Alfa would do something true to its core even though they were making an SUV. And in a way, they did.

At the 2016 LA Auto Show, Alfa Romeo unveiled the Stelvio, an SUV based on another recent launch of theirs, the Alfa Romeo Giulia. But they didn’t do the reveal with the standard Stelvio, they did it with the 498bhp 2.9-litre turbo V6, Stelvio Quadrifoglio (pause for gentle applause and impressed nods). While SUVs may have seemed like the theme for this year’s LA Auto Show, Alfa still managed to steal enough limelight from the Jaguar I-Pace concept, an all-electric SUV which, in itself, is quite the stunner too.

The Stelvio gets the blessing of Alfa Romeo’s design cues, similar to the Giulia, giving it a distinct look in the sea of SUVs entering the markets today. The attention to detail seems apparent on the inside as well as on the outside of the new Alfa and comes packed with their best-driving tech to offer a truly Italian sporty SUV that can take the S-curves head on without compromising on the luxurious feel of the car.

 

The standard Stelvio will get the 2.0-litre Intercooled turbo engine that puts out 276bhp of power and 306lb-ft of torque and both variants will come with dynamic driving control. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio gets ceramic brakes as an optional, and with 498bhp of power and 443lb-ft of torque on tap, we’d say that it’s a good idea to get those.

Speaking from a business perspective (limited as it may be), the future of Alfa Romeo depends on the Stelvio being a success, particularly in the USA. Why? Because, whether we like it or not, that’s what the people who can pay for the cars to keep our favourite manufacturers alive, those people want SUVs. It is from their evil desires that our dreams have the chance to survive.

All images from manufacturer’s website: http://www.alfaromeousa.com/cars/alfa-romeo-stelvio