The Alfa Romeo Stelvio (Type 949) is a luxury SUV produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo since 2016. As a D-segment model it slots above the smaller Tonale model in the marque's SUV range. A large SUV, it was first revealed at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, introduced by a 60" short film directed by Louis Sebastian Pane, and entered production at the Cassino Plant at the end of 2016. In 2018 it was Alfa Romeo's best-selling model, with roughly 43,000 sold that year.
The Stelvio uses FCA's Giorgio platform, shared with the D-segment Giulia saloon. The name Stelvio derives from the Stelvio Pass, Italy's highest mountain pass, noted for its 48 circuitous switchbacks.
Characteristics
The Stelvio uses the same Giorgio platform already used by the Giulia, but slightly modified and raised by . The Stelvio also shares the same engines and most of the mechanics, including a carbon-fibre driveshaft. In addition, its track width has increased by in the rear and in the front. It has a boot capacity of . The boot sill is aligned with the rear bumper and cargo does not need to be lifted over a lip when being removed. There are large vehicle blind spots behind the car's pillars. It has a 50/50 weight distribution and a drag coefficient of 0.32 (Cd). Euro NCAP classify it as a large off-road car.
In order to reduce the weight of the car, aluminium is used for body panels, as well as for mechanical parts such as the suspension, brakes, and engine. The suspension, called AlfaLink, implements double wishbones in the front, and an aluminium multi-link configuration in the rear. The springs are longer than those in the Giulia, but stiffer to account for the extra weight and ride height. The driver sits nearly higher from the road than in the Giulia. The suspension is tuned for improved handling and driving dynamics, which can compromise ride quality if optional larger-diameter wheels are fitted.
Rear-wheel drive as standard, the Stelvio can be optioned with an Alfa Romeo "Q4" all-wheel drive system, which can send up to 50% of power to the front in low-grip conditions. The Stelvio weighs with all fluids, less than an equivalent BMW X3 and less than a four-cylinder Porsche Macan. The car's braking system is designed to be less-susceptible to brake fade, which can take time for unfamiliar drivers to get used to.
All models feature an 8.8-inch infotainment system with Apple Car Play and Android Auto as standard, while small tweaks have been made throughout the ranges.
Engines and performance
The car's engine lineup is similar to that of the Giulia's, with a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four and a 2.2-litre diesel inline-four. The Quadrifoglio trim level offers a 2.9 litre 690T twin-turbo V6 rated at , developed for Alfa Romeo by Ferrari. In Europe, consumption standards use the WLTP measuring system, which increases accuracy for consumption and emission figures. On 29 September 2017, a Quadrifoglio model set a Nürburgring lap time of 7 minutes, 51.7 seconds, the fastest for a production SUV.
North American engines and performance
Safety
The Stelvio was crash tested in July 2017 by Euro NCAP. Overall, the Stelvio achieved five-star results. For adult protection, it did "exceptionally well", with its 97% score matching that of the Volvo XC90 (all tests are not comparable because Euro NCAP updated its protocols in 2017). The organisation found that the Stelvio generally did well at protecting adult occupants in a crash, though it was noted that protection of a rear passenger's chest was only adequate. For child occupants the Stelvio also performed at-least adequately except for protecting the neck of the dummy representing a ten-year-old child, which it was weak at in the frontal-offset test. They found that the bonnet is generally at-least adequate at protecting a pedestrian's head in an impact but that the windscreen and a-pillars did a bad job at protecting a pedestrian's head. The bumper was found to protect pedestrians' legs well in a collision but the area above the bumper varied in how well it protected a struck pedestrian's pelvis. The organisation said the Stelvio's autonomous emergency braking system "performed well" in the their tests but found operating the driver-set speed limiter to be "too complicated".
The Stelvio is also fitted with an autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) as standard.