Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio: the most sporty compact SUV

Alfa Romeo presents the Stelvio Quadrifoglio with a 510 CV V6 engine and sophisticated all-wheel drive with a torque vectoring system. The proportions of the new SUV are the most compact in its segment.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio debuts at the Los Angeles International Auto Show as the first SUV in the history of the Italian brand. The Stelvio, named after the Stelvio Pass, the highest mountain pass in Italy, has been unveiled in Quadrifoglio specification.

With the aim of showing the world that the Stelvio embodies the spirit of Alfa Romeo, the Italian brand has promoted its new model through the following spot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IVqE_M8orA

The design of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio stands out for the quality of its surfaces and its interesting proportions. The front styling is clearly taken from the Giulia, as there are hardly any differences between the two models, while the short rear end recalls that of its direct rivals, the Porsche Macan and the Maserati Levante.

It is a compact, aggressive and dynamic model. In fact, its dimensions are quite modest for an SUV: 468 cm long, 165 cm high and 216 cm wide. To put these figures in context against its rivals, the Maserati Levante (500 cm, 196 cm, 167 cm) and the Porsche Macan (469 cm, 192 cm, 162 cm) are larger in every dimension, especially in height.

The Quadrifoglio version features a side skirt in body colour decorated with a carbon fibre application, as well as very sporty front and rear bumpers. The large-volume air intakes are also specific to this version, along with the four exhaust tips.

The interior of the Stelvio maintains the glamour and elegance of the rest of the Alfa models, with standout elements in carbon fibre, wood and highly attractive upholstery fabrics.

The Quadrifoglio version is equipped with a 2.9-litre BiTurbo V6 petrol engine producing 510 CV. This powerplant, inspired by Ferrari technology, is made of aluminium, reducing the vehicle’s total weight, especially on the front axle. This V6 features the well-known electronic cylinder deactivation system, which contributes to better consumption.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox has a specific calibration that allows gear changes in just 150 milliseconds in Race mode. It also features a “lock-up” clutch that ensures a strong sense of acceleration when engaging a gear. Aluminium paddle shifters are fitted as standard.

Among the other engines available for this new SUV, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine stands out, producing 280 CV and 400 Nm of torque. This engine includes the Multi Air electrohydraulic valve system, the same one Alfa launched in 2009 for the Mito. It also introduces a supercharging and direct injection system that delivers an immediate response when pressing the accelerator.

Regarding electronic aids, the Quadrifoglio version introduces Alfa DNA Pro, which allows you to select several driving modes, including the Race option.

The transmission system of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is highly sophisticated. It is somewhat reminiscent of that of the Ford Focus RS, since, in addition to all-wheel drive with a clear rear-axle bias, it introduces a torque vectoring system.

The Q4 all-wheel drive system continuously monitors numerous parameters to ensure the best torque distribution between the two axles. This technology is able to anticipate the loss of wheel grip, based on information gathered by the lateral and longitudinal acceleration sensors, steering angle and vehicle slip speed sensors. Under normal conditions, the Q4 system behaves like a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. However, when approaching the limit of wheel grip, the system transfers up to 50% of engine torque to the front axle.

For its part, the individual torque management system located in the rear differential allows the torque of each wheel to be controlled separately. This improves the transmission of power to the road even in extreme driving situations.

The damping system of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio features a double wishbone suspension on the front axle and a four-and-a-half-link solution at the rear.

As in the Alfa Giulia, the Integrated Brake System (IBS) has been introduced on the Stelvio. Carbon-ceramic brake discs come as standard on the Quadrifoglio.

Finally, the sportiest version of this SUV introduces a system that adapts the chassis geometry in real time, the Chassis Domain Control. The CDC manages the operation of DNA Pro, Q4 all-wheel drive and the torque management system, based on the acceleration and rotation data gathered by the sensors.