Stelvio

Make
Alfa Romeo
Segment
SUV

It must be quite the adrenaline rush to feel the thrill of 177 mph in a large all-wheel drive SUV, but unfortunately for Alfa Romeo (and our ear drums), not every Stelvio customer cares to hit such speeds in a fantastic sounding 505 horsepower Quadrifoglio-badged Italian off-roader. It was obvious Alfa Romeo was going to have to offer lower trims of the Stelvio at some point, but that's just what FCA's middle of the pack luxury brand has announced ahead of an official debut in New York.

The two models under the Quadrifoglio will be the Stelvio and Stelvio Ti. Both will feature the Giorgio platform's epic near 50/50 weight distribution, an eight speed automatic transmission, and available steering column-mounted shift paddles. Power will be sent to all four wheels through Alfa's Q4 AWD system that can send up to 60% of the torque up front. Thanks to a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four making 280 horsepower and 306 lb-ft of torque, the Stelvio will hit 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds and will only relent at an astonishing 144 mph. Standard on both trims are Alfa's DNA drive modes, a carbon fiber driveshaft, dual exhaust with eye-grabbing tips, and 18-inch aluminum wheels with 19-inch and 20-inch wheels being optional.

Standard comfort and convenience features include leather seats, a backup camera with parking sensors at the rear, remote start, keyless entry and ignition, and a flat-bottom steering wheel being the cherry on top. To entice buyers into the higher Ti trim, Alfa Romeo has bestowed upon it standard 19-inch wheels, heated front seats and steering wheel, front park sensors, wood interior accents, and an 8.8-inch infotainment display. And just because buyers of a luxury Italian SUV are likely to be of a breed that appreciates individualization, Alfa is throwing in the Sport package for both the Stelvio and Stelvio Ti.

This upgrades the wheels up a size to 19-inches on the Stelvio and 20 on the Ti while adding 12-way power leather seats to the Ti only as well as the optional paddle shifters, sport steering wheel, a black window trim surround, black roof rails, aluminum pedals, colored brake calipers, and more. Available only for the Ti is the Lusso Package that decks the interior out in premium materials including real wood and Luxury Pieno Fiore Italian leather seats with Cannelloni inserts. Standard across the board are safety features like forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning. Blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic sensors remain options. Come check out the Stelvio for yourself at the 2017 New York Auto Show.