2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Australian pricing announced

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia has announced local pricing and specifications for the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio ahead of the car’s on sale date later this month. One of only a handful of SUV models from the Italian brand, the Stelvio is the second product in Alfa’s global expansion plan after the Giulia sedan of which the Stelvio shares its platform.

Alfa Romeo’s answer to the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 will be offered in a single specification for now, while a special Launch Edition will offered in 300 units for the launch of the car. Priced from $65,900 plus on-road costs, the Stelvio will be on sale in Australia from March 20.

According to the brand, the 2018 Stelvio is a testament to Alfa Romeo’s perfect balance of engineering and emotion – creating a premium mid-size SUV for driving enthusiasts that stands out in one of the largest and fastest growing segments in Australia.

“We’re thrilled to be announcing the highly-anticipated release in Australia of Alfa Romeo’s first SUV, the all-new Stelvio,” Alfa Romeo Australia CEO Steve Zanlunghi said.

“The latest evolution of the Giorgio family architecture, the Stelvio seamlessly blends everything the Alfa Romeo brand stands for; style, passion and exhilaration,” he said.

Priced from $65,900 plus on-road costs, the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio will be offered in Australia in one main specification for now, dubbed Stelvio. The Stelvio grade is well equipped, with equipment such as 19-inch alloy wheels, an 8.8-inch infotainment system with inbuilt satellite navigation, an electric tailgate, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery with electric front seat adjustment, keyless entry and start, tyre pressure monitoring, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights all standard.

Active safety equipment is also on offer with autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning as well as a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors standard equipment – though curiously, items such as radar cruise control, rear traffic alert and lane keep assist are unavailable.

Refreshingly for a premium brand, just one option package is on offer with the Stelvio, named the Veloce Pack. Priced at $5,000, the Veloce Pack includes sportier 19-inch alloy wheels, aluminium interior trim and sports pedals, black-painted roof rails, adaptive dampers, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, red brake calipers, sports front seats, a sports steering wheel and power bolster adjustment for the front seats.

Alfa Romeo is also offering the Stelvio Launch Edition, which is priced from $71,900 plus on-road costs and limited to 300 units in total – 200 diesel and 100 petrol. The Launch Edition adds all the content of the Veloce Pack, plus a panoramic glass sunroof, a 14-speaker 900W Harman Kardon sound system and rear privacy glass.

For now, the Stelvio is offered with just two engine options – one petrol and one diesel unit, with both matched to Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel drive system and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The petrol is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo unit producing 148kW and 330Nm, with a 7.2 second 0-100km/h claim, a 7.0-litre/100km fuel claim and combined emissions of 161g/km.

The diesel unit is a 2.2-litre turbo unit, which produces a strong 154kW of power and 470Nm of torque. Alfa Romeo claims a 6.6 second 0-100km/h claim, with its fuel consumption rated at 4.8L/100km and combined emissions of 127g/km.

The Stelvio’s dimensions sit closely with competitors, with a 4,687mm overall length, a 2,818mm wheelbase, a 1,903mm width and a 1,671mm height. Bootspace is listed as 525-litres (larger than the XC60 but smaller than the X3, Q5 and GLC) that can be opened up to 1,600-litres by folding the rear seats.

2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Australian pricing (plus on-road costs):
Stelvio petrol – $65,900
Stelvio diesel – $67,900
Stelvio First Edition petrol – $71,900
Stelvio First Edition diesel – $73,900

The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is on sale in Australia from March 20. Future additions to the local Stelvio range will include a higher-output 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine from the Giulia Veloce, as well as the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol Quadrifoglio – itself capable of a sub-four second sprint to 100km/h.