New price leader for Alfa Romeo Stelvio

A new entry-level variant has been confirmed for the updated MY21 Alfa Romeo Stelvio line-up announced in April, priced at $64,950 plus on-road costs.

Dubbed simply the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the new base model joins the Stelvio Sport and Stelvio Veloce trim grades in the mid-size luxury SUV range, but will only be available via customer order.

The fire-breathing twin-turbo petrol V6-powered Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio continues to top the MY21 Stelvio range. All other versions of the Italian SUV employ 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engines. Diesel Stelvio models are no longer offered Down Under.

The all-wheel-drive MY21 Stelvio range heralds the arrival Down Under of a host of changes to the SUVs’ equipment levels, infotainment and safety tech. Most of the changes were introduced in the MY20 models launched in Europe and markets like the UK in late 2019.

A local backlog of unsold Stelvios and delays due to COVID meant that Australian buyers effectively missed out on MY19 and MY20 models and had to wait until earlier this year to benefit from the updates.

Updates inside the latest Stelvios include higher quality materials and detailed changes to the centre console. All Stelvios now get a new larger 8.8-inch colour centre display with new touch-screen interface and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.

Other additions across the four-grade Alfa Romeo Stelvio range include a suite of driver aids comprising autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping, rear cross traffic alert, active blind spot assist and driver attention assist.

Automatic high beam assist and active cruise control are now standard across the range. In addition, most Stelvio variants (excluding the base model) feature traffic sign recognition and intelligent speed control – a system which combines the functionality of the adaptive cruise and traffic sign assist to “suggest to the driver an automatic speed adjustment in relation to the limits detected from road signs”.

Both the base Stelvio and the $69,950 Stelvio Sport are powered by a 147kW/330Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

A power tailgate is standard on both grades, as are 19-inch wheels.

New to the line-up, the new Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce ($78,950 plus ORCs) adds a limited-slip rear differential to Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel drive system and features the same powered-up 206kW/400Nm four as its Giulia namesake.

Alfa claims a 0-100km/h time of 5.7sec and a top speed of 230km/h for the Stelvio Veloce – down/up from 7.2sec and 215km/h for the two other four-cylinder models.

Inexplicably, however, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for the quicker, faster and higher-output Veloce are apparently unchanged at 7.0L/100km and 161g/km.

Interior equipment highlights include heated front and (outboard) rear seats, eight-way power-adjustable front seats, ambient lighting, 10-speaker sound and a leather stitched dashboard and door trims. Outside there are Dark 20-inch alloys, a body kit with dark accents and hands-free tailgate.

See below for more details on equipment and pricing on all grades.

Alfa Romeo Australia says all four model grades of Stelvio are now available in its dealerships. Indeed, it says the ability for buyers to access ‘in stock’ Stelvios will be an advantage it intends to capitalise upon.

“One of the things that we’re calling out is we’re in stock,” Alfa Romeo Australia’s head of product and marketing, Andre Scott, told carsales.

“It’s not normally something you’d hang your hat on, but in this environment, it’s actually a great talking point. We can talk with confidence of that stock availability – we have line of sight of it,” Scott added.

With Alfa Romeo’s dealer numbers in single digits Australia-wide, however, Scott says reach and sales volumes for the brand remain modest. Alfa will, however, add at least one dealer in the near future – in Brisbane or the Gold Coast.

“We can’t be very broad and accessible from a dealer point of view – that goes against the grain and what we’re trying to do. [And] We are largely, from an audience point of view, urban,” Scott explained.

“We are comfortable with who we are appealing to, but we want more [sales] and we feel we can do that with: one, stock; two, a slightly expanded dealer network; and with a player [Stelvio] that moves us into the SUV space.

“We’re treating our marketing efforts differently… We have to recognise that Stelvio is different from Giulia. Historically we spoke to a Giulia customer about Stelvio,” Scott opined.

“If you focus purely on the traditional Alfisti… you do not need to involve the family in the discussion; you do not need to involve her in the discussion.

“[With Stelvio] The key decision-maker suddenly moves into the female space… An SUV audience is broader with much more opportunity,” he explained.

“We’re not going out to be the next BMW. [But] We expect growth,” Scott stated.

MY21 Alfa Romeo Stelvio standard equipment:

Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Output: 147kW/330Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Q4 all-wheel drive
19-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels
35W bi-xenon headlights with Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFLS) and Auto High Beam
Power-folding mirrors
Dual chromed exhaust outlet
Six-way power-adjustable front seats
Driver’s seat memory
7.0-inch TFT colour instrument cluster
Aluminium shift paddles
Reversing camera with dynamic guidelines
Front and rear parking sensors
Alfa DNA Drive Mode System
Auto headlights and wipers
Autonomous Emergency Braking
Forward Collision Warning
Lane Keep Assist
Blind Spot Monitoring
Rear Cross Path Detection
Driver Attention Alert
Active Blind Spot Assist
Infrared reflective windscreen
Tyre pressure monitoring system
Exterior door-handle courtesy light
Passive Entry
Push-button start on steering wheel with Keyless Go
Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
Powered tailgate
Air quality system
Eight-speaker sound system
8.8-inch colour touch-screen
3D Navigation
Four USB ports
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
AM/FM/DAB

MY21 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Sport standard equipment – in addition to or replacing Stelvio:

Sport appliques
Koni Frequency Selective Damping
19-inch Sport alloy wheels
Red brake callipers
Gloss-black side window surrounds
Gloss-black roof rails
Rear and rear side privacy glass
Sports front seats with powered side bolsters
Heated front seats
Heated leather sport steering wheel
Aluminium pedals
Aluminium dashboard, tunnel, centre console inserts
Traffic Sign Recognition
Active Cruise Control
Anti-theft alarm system
Wireless phone charging

MY21 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veloce standard equipment – in addition to or replacing Stelvio Sport:

Output: 206kW/400Nm
Q2 limited-slip rear differential
Alfa Active Suspension
Upgraded braking system
20-inch Sark alloy wheels
Veloce body kit with dual exhaust
Wheel-arch trims in body colour
Leather stitched dashboard and door trims
Eight-way power-adjustable front seats
Ambient interior lighting
Heated rear outboard seats
10-speaker sound system
Hands-free tailgate

MY21 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio standard equipment – in addition to or replacing Stelvio Veloce:

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo petrol V6
Output: 375kW/600Nm
Alfa DNA Pro
Alfa Active Suspension
Alfa Torque Vectoring System
Monza exhaust with quad outlets
20-inch QV forged alloy wheels
Pirelli P Zero tyres
QV leather-clad steering wheel with red starter button
Leather and Alcantara upholstered seats
Carbon-fibre interior trim
Harman/Kardon Sound Theatre
Dual-zone climate control
Carbon-fibre side skirts, rear spoiler and bonnet
QV door sill scuff plates with aluminium insert

How much does the 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio cost?
Stelvio – $64,950
Stelvio Sport – $69,950
Stelvio Veloce – $78,950
Stelvio Quadrifoglio – $146,950
*Prices exclude on-road costs