Today, in the range Alfa Romeothe Sport Utilities occupy an increasingly important space, after the Stelvio the Tonale has arrived and soon it will be the turn of a new, more compact model. However, the road traveled has been very long for the house of the Alfa Romeo, significantly behind the competition and in fact in the field in the category only since 2016. The beautiful Kamal concept from 2003 is often considered a first attempt, but in reality it c ‘is a previous ancestor, the interesting proposal by Bertone from 1997.
Debut in Geneva
Just a few days after the famous founder’s death, the Piedmontese atelier presents what will become the last testimony of a great creative genius at the Geneva Motor Show. Nuccio, always attentive to emerging trends on the market and realizing the potential for expansion of a sector where a car with an overwhelming future had recently entered, the Toyota Rav 4, decided to accept the challenge. AND’ the birth certificate of the Alfa Romeo christened Sportutdialect synthesis to give a name to an “all sport” medium, out of the ordinary and in harmony with the brand image.
A unique project for style
Above all, aesthetic originality is certainly not lacking a this unique specimen hatchback and five doors of not excessive dimensions (4.11 meters long) and developed in height (1.64 meters), which uses basic components of the 145 sedan. It is characterized by the wide bumper bands in a contrasting color with the rest of the bodywork, the four round headlights, the rear window which also extends to part of the roof, the off-road-like rear protuberance of the spare wheel housing and the sporty design alloy wheels. The interior, with a more classic layout, offers good roominess and the equipment components are taken from Alfa Romeo series production.
State of the art mechanics
In the mechanics, in evidence the all-wheel drive system and the elements, from the suspension to the braking system, directly derived from the 145. The choice of engine, just to confirm the character of the car in the sign of tradition, falls on the refined four-cylinder double cam two-litre, Twin Spark (two spark plugs per cylinder) and 16 valves in combination with a 5-speed gearbox, at the top of the saloon range and which equips the more dynamic Quadrifoglio version. The high power of 150 horsepower guarantees outstanding performance, for a Sport Utility that would not have failed to have its say in a commercial environment that was expanding as far as the eye could see. The management of the then Fiat Group does not think so and Sportut still remains a valid exercise, without the consequences of what would most likely have been a fruitful positive choice even with respect to the competition in the reference range. A lack of “courage” that Alfa Romeo, the last good to enter the game in the sector, has undoubtedly paid for.
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