2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV Coming Soon: Pricing Announced

The return of the legendary Italian automotive brand Alfa Romeo has begun. From its initial introduction of the hardcore but slow-selling Alfa 4C sports car in 2014, it has recently added the more mainstream Giulia compact luxury sport sedan to its American lineup. And now the US debut of the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, the next vehicle in the Alfa Romeo lineup, has been announced for later this summer, along with pricing.

A Name With Serious Driving Heritage

Located in the Italian Alps, the Stelvio Pass is the highest mountain pass in Italy. The twelve-mile road that takes you through it has nearly fifty bends, breathtaking views, and a very fast rise in altitude, going all the way up to 9,000 feet. The "Top Gear" TV show has picked the Stelvio Pass as the “greatest driving road in the world.”

Over the years, this route has passed into motorsport legend, due to the many competition events that have been held there. The Stelvio Pass puts every vehicle that tackles it to the test, probing the limits of engine performance, handling, and brakes. And so Stelvio is a worthy name for a performance-oriented SUV from an Italian manufacturer such as Alfa Romeo.

Three Stelvio Trim Levels, From Mild To Wild

The 2018 Stelvio comes in three different trim levels: Stelvio, Stelvio Ti, and Stelvio Quadrifoglio. All Stelvio models feature an eight-speed automatic transmission and the innovative Q4 all-wheel-drive system as standard, for additional driving confidence and superior control.

The entry-level Stelvio comes equipped with a direct-injection 280-hp turbocharged and intercooled 2.0L four-cylinder engine delivering 0-60 mph in about 5.4 seconds. Also included is a genuine leather interior, remote start with passive entry, bi-xenon headlamps, a flat-bottom racing-inspired steering wheel, and a 7” touchscreen display.

The Stelvio Ti trim adds 19”wheels, genuine wood interior accents, an 8.8” widescreen entertainment and information display, heated seats, and a heated steering wheel.

The top-of-the-line Stelvio Quadrifoglio (That’s Italian for “four-leaf clover”) is the all-out performance model. It is powered by a 505-horsepower, 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine that is the most powerful Alfa Romeo production car engine ever made.

All Alfa Romeo Stelvio models are built at Alfa’s Cassino plant in Italy.

A Wide Assortment Of Safety Tech And Driver Assistance

The 2018 Stelvio offers many innovative safety, security, and driver assistance features, including:

Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning Plus: Provides autonomous braking and can slow or stop the vehicle when a frontal collision seems imminent
Adaptive Cruise Control Plus with Full Stop: Helps maintain distance from the vehicle ahead and can bring vehicle to a full stop without driver intervention
Lane Departure Warning: Alerts the driver of inadvertent lane departure
Blind-spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Path detection and park assist sensors: Help rear visibility, both on the road and while parking

In addition, the 2018 Stelvio features numerous passive safety features. These include advanced multistage driver and front-passenger air bags; driver and front passenger seat-mounted side air bags; front and rear side curtain air bags; and driver and front passenger inflatable knee air bags.

The Pricing, Please

The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio will have an MSRP of $41,995. The Stelvio Ti will have an MSRP of $43,995. The Stelvio Quadrifoglio pricing and timing will be announced later this year.

The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio will be arriving in a segment already crowded by the long-established presence of the BMW X3, the Mercedes-Benz GLC, the Audi Q5 and the Lexus RX. Can the Stelvio, with its Italian performance image, make a place for itself? Stay tuned!