ALFA ROMEO STELVIO AT A GLANCE

MODEL

This is Alfa’s contemporary foray into a whole new segment from a brand that’s built on ‘Italian passion.’ The Stelvio is a five-door compact SUV and one of the smartest looking in the segment. FCA has its work cut out to build up Alfa Romeo but we see a significant second step in the right direction. The first was the Giulia, which remains our all-time favourite super sedan to date.

ENGINES

Two MultiAir petrol versions displacing two litres and a 2.2-litre Multijet diesel in several states of tune are the garden variety Stelvio. For the enthusiast who wants more oomph, there’s the 2.9-litre petrol V6 twin turbo Quadrifoglio – a track tuned fine edged sword in the right hands. No hybrid or EV models are on offer.

FUEL

14.2 km/litre from the 2-litre petrol and 21 km/ litre from the diesel.

POWER

197 or 276 bhp from the 2-litre MultiAir; 177, 187 and 207 bhp from the 2.2-litre diesels; and 503 bhp from the Quadrifoglio.

TRANSMISSION

Eight-speed automatic and sixspeed manual.

DRIVE

Rear-wheel drive on the base models while the others are equipped with all-wheel drive.

VERDICT

Alfa is not a strong brand in Sri Lanka. Add to that, the former sole agent went belly up, leaving buyers of the 156 in the lurch. However, the typical Alfa buyer is more interested in the driving dynamics and design detail – and many have another vehicle at their disposal. What all this means is that if you buy a Stelvio (or for that matter, a Giulia), you may have to keep it for a while unless you find an enthusiast buyer.