We were just talking about the Alfa Romeo Stelvio this morning, and now pricing for the beefy Italian has been announced for the New Zealand market.
It will start at $82,990 for the base configuration, with three models on offer; the Stelvio Petrol, Stelvio Diesel, and the Ti. All models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission and Alfa's clever Q4 all-wheel drive system that sends most of its power to the rear wheels in most commuting but throws up to half of that power to the front wheels when required.
But there are differences between the models, too.
The entry-level $82,990 petrol comes equipped with a 148kW, 330Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Features include an 8.8-inch infotainment screen with satnav, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. It also gets leather upholstery, power tailgate, and a safety-tech suite that covers autonomous emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring.
The Diesel equivalent, priced at $84,990, gains capacity, moving to a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine that conjures fractionally more power, 154kW, and much more torque — 470Nm. It also adds fog lamps to the visual mix.
The topping Ti ($99,990, some $17,000 more than the entry-level petrol), is fitted with the most powerful engine confirmed for the New Zealand market thus far; a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder with 206kW of power and 400Nm of torque. It will accelerate from 0–100km/h in 5.7 seconds (quicker than the 6.6 seconds of the diesel and the 7.2 seconds of the standard petrol). Top speed is 230km/h.
Other added features in the Ti include larger 20-inch wheels, heated sports seats and steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, and a boosted 10-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system.
From a performance perspective it will come with a limited-slip diff and a Koni Frequency Selective Damping system. Those wanting even better road-holding performance can opt for the optional Alfa Active Suspension (AAS) system, which delivers heightened adjustability to the car's damping characteristics via solenoid valves inside each shock absorber that alters the hydraulic flow on the run.
These additions are elements that the base models won't come with, and help draw the Stelvio Ti closer to its Nürburgring record-holding Quadrifoglio cousin.
Which, perhaps, is the saddest thing about today's announcement. The track-smashing Quadrifoglio isn't slated to come to New Zealand at this time according to today's news. And that's a shame, given much of the Stelvio's global enthusiast hype is anchored around the feats of the twin-turbo V6–powered machine.
The first of the Stelvios hit the market tomorrow (June 1), with the Quadrifoglio hopefully planned to arrive somewhere further down the pipeline ...
