Those eager to sample Alfa Romeo’s first go at a properly bonkers-fast SUV finally have a timeline for its arrival as the Italian marque has announced that it will reach showrooms in the UK in mid-2018, confirming its long-suspected specifications along the way.
This news is revealing to Alfa’s rollout schedule for the Stelvio QV (short for Quadrifoglio) because, thus far, we’ve only had word about the arrival of the Italian-spec version, and it was unclear how long they would let the introduction of a right-hand drive Stelvio QV drag on for.
The announcement of the UK’s summer arrival also had other bits of information in tow, though these were hardly a surprise. Under the bonnet, the Stelvio QV is all but identical to its Giulia sedan counterpart, sporting a 2.9-lite twin-turbocharged V6 petrol that outputs 375kW and 600Nm to be sent to all four wheels (unlike the rear-drive Giulia) after being first funnelled through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission.
Alfa has also equipped it with a more aggressive version of their torque vectoring and dynamic suspension system to mitigate the unavoidable - though minute - extra body roll due to its higher ride height. But thanks to all-wheel traction, the Stelvio QV’s 3.8-second dash pips the Giulia to 100km/h by 0.1 second - at least on paper.
Inside, the layout and instrumentation also mimics the sedan to a tee with its black and red motif spread across the flowing lines of its dashboard with carbon fibre inserts, sculpted leather/Alcantara seats, and cleverly hidden Alfa Connect 3D infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Even before Alfa Romeo’s first-ever high-performance SUV was fully allowed into the light, extrapolating the high riding Italian’s key specifications weren’t much of a challenge. Curiously, they weren’t revealed officially despite everyone pretty much knowing what they would be.
Later on, a lightly disguised Stelvio QV claimed to have snatched a particularly quick lap around the Nurburgring, and with it the title of world’s fastest SUV. Intoxicated by the glory first found by their Giulia QV sedan as the quickest four-door around the Green Hell, Alfa Romeo just couldn’t stand not having the additional bragging rights.
The Stelvio QV is expected to start its rollout campaign in Europe with Italy, unsurprisingly, being one of the first markets to receive it. Prices there are expected to start at around €95,000 (or approximately AUD$144,000). For reference, the Giulia QV sold here has a local list price of $143,900.
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