Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio to start at £69,500 in Britain

Stelvio range

The standard Alfa Romeo Stelvio - the first mainstream Alfa Romeo SUV - is priced from £33,990 in entry-level trim; £740 less than the equivalent Jaguar F-Pace.

There are just two engines on sale: a 2.2-litre diesel with either 178bhp or 207bhp, with the latter available exclusively in all-wheel drive, or an all-wheel-drive 2.0-litre petrol with 197bhp or 276bhp. The entry-level engine is the 178bhp diesel in rear-wheel drive. 

Like the Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon, the Stelvio's line-up is divided into four trim levels, separate from the more potent Quadrifoglio: standard Stelvio, Super, Speciale and Milano Edizione. The entry-level car gets 17in alloys, adaptive cruise control, an 8.8in infotainment system, automatic lights and wipers, and two rear USB ports, in addition to safety tech such as automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist. Aside from undercutting the F-Pace, it also undercuts the Mercedes-Benz GLC by £2435 and the Audi Q5 by £4045, making it one of the cheapest premium small SUVs in the segment.

Topping the cooking Stelvio range is the 276bhp petrol-engined Milano Edizione. At £45,390, it adds electrically adjustable full leather sports seats, reversing camera, 20in alloys and keyless entry to the Speciale trim, as well as an upgraded speaker system with 10 speakers and a subwoofer. This version hits 62mph from zero in 5.7sec – 0.3sec off the pace of the warm but not range-topping Audi SQ5. 

Click here to read our Alfa Romeo Stelvio review

Bigland explained that the he believes the Stelvio stands out in its congested segment because of its handling. "The reason people will buy our mid-sized SUV is because they will be blown away by the driving dynamics," he said. "Every car Alfa makes must stand apart for that reason, and this car will not disappoint." Bigland has predicted the car will lap the Nürburgring in less than eight minutes; a Porsche Panamera Turbo has been recorded lapping the track in 7m 56sec.

"The Stelvio is uniquely engineered to challenge two-door cars on the track without compromising the SUV side of its character," said Bigland. "We have leveraged Ferrari to help deliver class-leading power and it will also come with Alfa Romeo’s Q4 all-wheel drive system.

Elsewhere in the Stelvio range, there will be a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 276bhp and 295lb ft.

The Stelvio was developed in Alfa Romeo’s Modena engineering facility and will be built in Italy alongside the Giulia in the Cassino plant, which has recently received investment from Alfa Romeo. 

It’s one of the smaller premium small SUVs on the market, at 4686mm long, 1677mm tall (including antenna) and 1903mm wide (2163mm including mirrors). By comparison, the Porsche Macan Turbo is only marginally longer, squatter and wider, at 4699mm long, 1624mm tall and 1923mm wide.

Alfa Romeo claims that a perfect weight distribution has been achieved partly with its use of carbonfibre on the driveshaft and the same material across the bodywork and many mechanical components. It takes the hot model 3.8sec to reach 62mph - faster than any rival currently on the market.

The Quadrifoglio model is marked out by bodywork upgrades including carbon-detailed side skirts, more aggressive bumpers and wider wheel arches. A rear spoiler sits atop the boot lid, which Alfa claims is aerodynamically beneficial rather than merely aesthetic. There’s also a set of intercooler vents at the front that are specific to the Quadrifoglio model.

The Stelvio may be joined by two more SUVs in the near future - one smaller and one larger - as well as an estate version of the Giulia and a BMW 5 Series rival, as part pf a nine-car model offensive by 2021. The Stelvio is the first SUV Alfa Romeo has ever made, but its importance is recognised by former boss Harald Wester, who said: “You can remain pure and ignore the crossover trend, but if you do, you can look forward to a beautiful death."