► Get the latest on Alfa’s upcoming SUV
► New X4 rival reputedly dubbed ‘Stelvio’
► Best spyshots yet – inside and out
Alfa Romeo is making final preparations to its new ‘Stelvio’ crossover, now confirmed to be shown at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show this autumn ahead of a UK launch in spring 2017.
Our spies have captured the new SUV, which will share much of its hardware with the warmly received new Giulia saloon. These latest spyshots depict a sleekly styled soft-roader on the sportier end of the spectrum, with a sloping roofline not dissimilar to the BMW X4’s.
Launching an SUV should grant Alfa access to an increasingly popular and profitable sector of the market, reinvigorating the company according to new CEO Reid Bigland. Read our interview with Alfa’s new boss here.
The new 2017 Alfa Romeo crossover
This new SUV, which is mooted to rival the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe and BMW X4 with a price tag mooted to start around £35,000, is codenamed Tipo 949. Judging by the prototype, it’ll ape the class trend for a jacked-up five-door hatchback profile.
Basic shape aside, it’s clear this prototype sports Alfa’s familiar shield-shaped grille at the front – while out back there’s an ostentatious twin-exhaust system.
Will there be an all-wheel-drive version?
Underneath, you’ll find the platform that underpins the new Alfa Romeo Giulia, so there’s the potential for rear- and all-wheel-drive versions – as well as a variety of four- and six-cylinder engines.
We suspect the boldly chromed, large-diameter exhaust pipes caught in our latest spyshots (below) will be reserved for more powerful versions.
A high-performance QV version, with the 503bhp twin-turbo V6 from the Giulia, is also planned – so those considering the likes of an SQ5 or planned BMW X3 M will have another avenue to explore. The new boss Bigland has already told CAR they’re gunning for the Nurburgring lap record for an SUV.
What will the new 2017 Alfa Romeo crossover be called?
Previously, Sergio Marchionne had suggested that the new Alfa Romeo SUV would be called the Stelvio, presumably referencing the famous Italian mountain pass. The company filed a new application in October 2016 for ‘Stelvio’ – for use on a car – with the US trademark office.
Mind you, it’s also reserved the Kamal badge. If that name rings a dim and distant bell, it’s because it was also used on the previous Alfa Romeo SUV concept of 2003 – and, in Arabic, it means ‘perfection’. The company may simply be looking to protect its former nameplate, though, and the application could be unrelated to the upcoming SUV.
Inside the cabin
Our paps have also seen inside the new Alfa soft-roader. And – surprise, surprise – it apes the interior of the new Giulia. There’s the same centre console, automatic box gearlever, Alfa’s own multi-controller system and the sporty start button on the steering wheel.
Note also the HUGE aluminium paddle-shifts, signifying the sporting intent of this Italian SUV.
When will the new SUV arrive?
We expect to see the new crossover in UK showrooms by spring 2017. And don’t miss its world debut at the Los Angeles auto show in November.
Read CAR magazine’s Alfa Romeo reviews here
