New Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV Priced At S$329,888 With COE

It seems like Alfa has been getting more screen time than ever before in Singapore. This comes as no surprise - we now have a new Alfa distributor in town, and not long after, Capello Auto dangles an enticing bait to lure aspiring owners to purchase an Alfa within July.

That decision could be made more feasible now that the Stelvio SUV has arrived. Think of it as a SUV sized like a Volvo XC60 or Audi Q5, layered with a tinge of Italian flair, as experienced during our test drive of the Giulia sedan last year. Combining SUV functionality with Italian sportiness sounds like a recipe for success, but can a Singapore-spec Stelvio Veloce (only trim available for now) deliver the goods? Let’s take a look…

It looks stunning right off the bat, with a unique finishing that provides a contemporary reinterpretation of the distinct “Trilobo” grille. The new “3+3” lights make their debut on both Stelvio and Giulia models with Full-LED Adaptive Matrix headlights. Layout of the rear LED tail lights is sleek, and comes in smoked glass with a glossy black finish.

While some manufacturers attempt to achieve a bezel-free instrument panel with maximum real estate, Alfa retains its telescopic panel design but cleverly integrates a 12.3-inch screen within. The cluster can be reconfigured into three layouts: Evolved, Relax, and Heritage - the last of which harks back to the brand’s iconic Sixties’ and Seventies’ model with details like inverted numbers at the end of the speedometer.

If visuals within the cabin do not meet your expectations, that’s because a bulk of the budget has gone to make it a great driving machine. Foundations are in place - despite lugging a 2.0-litre turbo motor up front, it has a 50/50 weight distribution.

It is not featherweight by ICE standards at 1,755kg, but in this age of electrification all is forgiven when even a base-spec Hyundai Ioniq 5 weighs 100kg more. Efforts were made, though, to make it feel light on its feet - aluminium was used at the base of the engines, doors and bonnet, and the drive shaft is made of carbon.

Adopting all-wheel drive with an active transfer case also contributes to the scales, but it’s essential to give it a breadth of ability (and agility) demanded in this segment. The Q4 system allows the vehicle to travel as a pure rear wheel drive and, if tyre grip is approaching traction limits, it can deliver up to 50% of torque to the front axle.

It has the punch to work its chassis, too. A ZF-sourced 8 speed transmission is in charge of handling 280bhp and 400Nm. While these are not mind-bending by today’s standards, a sprint to 100km/h from rest in 5.7 seconds suggests that it has the poke to challenge modern ICE-powered hot hatches.

Only one trim level (Veloce) will be specced for the local market. The Tonale compact crossover and Giulia sedan will also be offered in Veloce spec, and are due to arrive in Q3 this year.

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