2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: Top 5 Surprises of Alfa’s First Crossover (Video)

2018 alfa romeo stelvio turbo
2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.0T. [photo:TFLcar]

Behold! The top 5 surprises of Alfa Romeo’s first crossover, the 2018 Stelvio

The Stelvio is based on the same platform as the Giulia sedan. This is a good thing, as the Giulia is an exceptional luxury performance sedan, which claimed a blistering 7 min 32 sec lap at the Nurburgring. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is taller and larger than a Giulia, but the underlying DNA is there.

Speaking of DNA, the Stelvio also has three distinct driving modes: D – for dynamic, N – for natural, and A – for advanced efficiency. See what I did there? The system will let you hold gear near redline in the dynamic mode. That capacity is part of what makes the Stelvio, as claimed by Alfa Romeo at least, the fastest crossover in its segment.

The Stelvio arrives at dealerships this month (June 2017), and it will initially be offered with the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with a high-strung rating of 280 hp and 306 lb-ft. of torque. Alfa Romeo claims a 5.4 second 0-60 MPH spring and a top speed of 144 MPH. The segment includes other midsize luxury sport crossovers, such as the entry-level Porsche Macan and the Jaguar F-Pace.

The Stelvio has a sophisticated rear-biased AWD system. Look for the 505-hp Quadrifoglio turbo-V6 version of the Stelvio to come out in early 2018.

So what are the top 5 surprises? Here’s a hint, we’ve mentioned them all above. To find out which is which check out TFLcar’s Roman Mica as he shares the good with you here.