No electric versions, zero plug-ins and not even mild hybrids: the range of the new Stelvio deliberately goes against the grain with a model dedicated to pure Alfa Romeo lovers. That is, a lot of power for all versions (160 HP diesel with rear-wheel drive together with the powerful 280 HP petrol and 210 HP diesel engines with all-wheel drive), a flagship consisting of a sparkling Quadrifoglio with an engine of over 500 HP and for all a perfect weight balance, driving dynamics rare in the SUV category and technological and engine solutions at the top of the segment. Now the design has benefited from small tweaks, concentrated on the front, to create a clear and strong family feeling with the brand new Tonale.
But the point is another: absolute loyalty to the brand image. A smart choice if you want, because we must not forget the fact that the Stelvio is leader in the D-SUV segment for the fourth consecutive year, with a share of over 16%, which rises to around 20% in the Premium segment. The price list – another clever idea – starts at 53,150 euros, but thanks to FCA Bank it is possible to put the new Stelvio in the garage with a very interesting financial proposal. For example, for the Veloce 2.2 Turbodiesel version with 210hp and Q4 all-wheel drive there is an installment of 490 euros per month which includes a one-year warranty extension and with an advance payment of 10,920 euros. With the usual possibility to choose, upon expiry of the contract, between three different options: replace the car by purchasing a new one, keep the car by paying the Final Residual Installment or refinancing it, or return it. Or there is the “Leasys Clear Rental” formula which includes, included in the fee, a complete set of services (also manageable from a smartphone, thanks to the UMOVE app): RCA coverage, roadside assistance, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, as well as theft, fire and damage repair coverage and the I-Care infomobility service. Furthermore, with Noleggio Chiaro, the customer has the right of first refusal on the purchase of the car at the end of the rental period. All for a monthly fee of 499 euros (VAT included) with a deposit of 14,900 euros (VAT included).
We immediately talked about the financial offer because in the high end of the market and – above all – in the world of slightly passionate cars, these are rare things. And – probably – the Stelvio owes its success to this too.
So much attention to vile money, however, does not distract from “high” issues. To the point that (probably exaggerating a bit…) at Alfa for the launch of the new Stelvio they even talked about “Evolving is performance art”. A mantra used to encapsulate in a slogan the enormous work and passion that Alfa Romeo engineers put into improving the Stelvio. “An ambitious objective – they explain at the Biscione house – which required a particular skill and a truly extraordinary pursuit of excellence, the same elements that lie behind an artistic work. This is why the evolution of Giulia and Stelvio can be compared to Performance Art, the new art form in which the artist's performance takes place live in front of spectators. In the same way, in fact, the mechanical creations Alfa Romeo manifest themselves in real life, providing strong emotions and ensuring the best driving experience in the automotive world.”
It goes without saying that a little love for your work is always good. But what does the new Stelvio actually offer? And, above all, after years the Stelvio is still at the top of the segment in terms of driveability, in the spirit of the most authentic Alfa Romeo spirit? Absolutely yes. The steering is very precise and the 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with beautiful fixed aluminum paddles is something of a rocket. If we add to this good cornering and unrivaled stability, the picture is complete. Thanks to the architecture of the high wishbone suspension with double lower lever and semi-virtual steering axis at the front (optimizes the filtering effect and allows quick and precise steering) and the famous four-and-a-half-arm multilink – patented Alfa Romeo – for the rear. And, for the special Competizione series there are also active suspensions with electronically controlled damping, which adapt instant by instant to driving conditions and allow you to choose between behavior more oriented towards performance or comfort.
But that's not all: for the more refined there is also a nice Q2 mechanical self-locking differential: on the Veloce trim level it is possible to integrate the Q4 all-wheel drive with the Q2 mechanical self-locking rear differential, also available with rear-wheel drive only.
Speaking of all-wheel drive: Alfisti are well aware of the famous Q4 technology which effectively combines all the advantages of all-wheel drive with the possibility of reduced fuel consumption, without forgetting the reactivity and all the driving pleasure of a rear-wheel drive car. The beating heart of the diabolical system is the torque distribution (active transfer case or ATC) which monitors the grip conditions and driver requests in real time to always guarantee the best performance. To clarify, the car always has 100% rear traction, then as the grip limit approaches or based on a specific request from the driver, the Alfa Romeo Q4 system closes the clutches present in the distribution system and transfers in less than 150ms up to 50% of the drive torque to the front axle. In short, to clarify, the car starts to drift and then “hooks” to the road in a unique way.
In all of this, the assistance systems and all the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) functions with level 2 autonomous driving are kept at bay and are never invasive.
Certainly, the work done to lighten the machine with the widespread use of ultra-light materials, such as aluminum used for example for the base of the engines and carbon, used for the transmission shaft, contributes significantly to all this feeling of agility. or the brake by wire system which involves a notable reduction of the components inside the engine compartment by replacing the assembly consisting of the pump, brake booster and ESP with a single hardware, guaranteeing a reduction in the overhanging masses to the advantage of the agility of the car.
For the rest, as we were saying, the design now offers new front light clusters with “3+3″ lights, i.e. adaptive Full-LED Matrix headlights, which recall a renowned stylistic feature of the Brand introduced by the iconic Alfa Romeo SZ Zagato and the Alfa Romeo concept Proteus. Speaking of historical references, the most beautiful is on the instrument panel where the new 12.3” TFT screen stands out – totally digital – from which you can access all the information on the car and the parameters relating to autonomous driving technologies: it can be reconfigured through three layouts: “Evolved”, which represents the design vision of the Alfa Romeos of the future by enhancing the central area of the screen while maintaining the 2 lateral quadrants; “Relax”, with a specific focus on comfort, free from detailed vehicle information and characterized by the absence of 2 dials; and finally the most beautiful. The “Heritage”, which is inspired by the brand's iconic models from the 60s and 70s, with distinctive details such as the inverted numbers on the final edge of the speedometer (that's what you see below). Applause.
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