Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio 2017

[pennellotref]

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/alfa-romeo/stelvio/101934/new-alfa-romeo-stelvio-quadrifoglio-2018-review

 

Cita

Verdict: 4 stelle su 5.

Alfa Romeo has another hit on its hands with the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It has injected the Stelvio with about as much agility, performance and involvement as you could wish for in a large SUV. It’s feasible Alfa may even have a five-star car on its hands, but we’ll need to wait for its showdown with the Porsche Macan Turbo to determine that.

 

 

Alfa Romeo finally appears to have got its act together. After years of failed attempts and collective sighs from the industry and customers, it has delivered two competitive and recommendable cars in the Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV. We’ll even see the Alfa Romeo badge slapped on the side of a Formula 1 car from 2018.

Now the firm is tuning up the heat even further with this, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It has set a new lap record for an SUV at the famed Nurburgring race track in Germany, and is aimed directly at thePorsche Macan Turbo and Mercedes-AMG GLC 63. And it’s wading into a segment that’s only going to get even more competitive in the coming months – as engineers from Jaguar andBMW are busy putting the finishing touches to cooked-up versions of the F-Pace and X3 respectively. 

 

The faster Stelvio follows on from the Giulia Quadrifoglio in Alfa’s performance line-up and makes use of that car’s 503bhp 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 engine and eight-speed auto gearbox. However, in the Stelvio it’s hooked up to Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel drive system to deliver maximum traction

It’s a rear-biased set-up, and sends 100 per cent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels in normal driving. However, it can also shuffle up to 50 per cent to the front axle when it detects slip – and as a result Alfa claims it can cover 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds and hit 176mph flat out. Those are serious numbers for a 1,830kg SUV.

Climb inside and there are several neat touches to remind you that you are in something a bit more special. The Alcantara and carbon fibre steering wheel, red decorative stitching and carbon-backed bucket seats set the tone without being over the top. Our only cabin reservation is perhaps some of the switchgear doesn’t feel or operate with the slickness you’d expect in a near-£65,000 SUV. 

Alfa already has quite a driver focused SUV in the standard Stelvio, so it’s little surprise that a set of chassis tweaks and the addition of a thumping new engine has improved its dynamic makeup. The four-wheel drive powertrain ensures that all 503bhp and 600Nm of torque are fed to the road without any drama; deep chested wails from the engine are punctuated by violent pops and bangs from the exhaust.

We know the 2.9-litre V6 and eight-speed auto combination from the Giulia Quadrifoglio is an excellent paring and it’s the same story in the Stelvio. A wide spread of torque, sharp throttle response and thumping gear changes make it one of the best powertrains in the business. It’s clever, too, as it can shut down a bank of its cylinders without detection to reduce fuel consumption when cruising at steady speeds of up to around 80mph.      

 

After the brutal acceleration you notice the steering, which is super sharp and accurate; the slightest twitch from your wrist is transmitted directly to the wheels. It instills the Stelvio with a greater sense of agility than its portly kerbweight would lead you to believe. Combined with the four-wheel drive system it makes for an incredibly fast and secure performance car. 

Flick the Stelvio through the various drive modes and up to its most aggressive Race setting, and the reins are loosened on the stability control. This allows for a bit more movement at the rear end before the four-wheel drive system gathers it all up and launches you down the road, but even here it’s incredibly surefooted.  

It’s a beautifully balanced SUV, but it has its limits. The Stelvio manages its weight shifting from side to side through high-speed corners, but you are always aware of the mass it’s hauling around – as it leans a little through corners. 

Of course, being an SUV means it also has to come with a modicum of practicality. The 525-litre boot is larger than that on the Macan and you can drop the rear bench to maximize carrying capacity. Legroom is at a premium in the back, though, especially if you opt for the bucket seats as tested here, which nibble away at rear knee room, too. 

UK buyers will have to wait a little while get to get their hands on one, too, as the Stelvio Quadrifoglio doesn’t arrive in the UK until next summer. Pricing and specs are yet to be announced but a figure around the £65,000 is to be expected, but if a performance SUV is on your wish list then this is one worth waiting for.

Per le foto, andare al link.

Modificato 4 Dicembre 2017 da pennellotref

[pennellotref]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/alfa-romeo/stelvio-quadrifoglio/first-drives/alfa-romeo-stelvio-quadrifoglio-2018-review

 

Cita

by Dan Prosser

4 December 2017

 

 

What is it?

According to its maker, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is the fastest production SUV you can buy.

That’s a tricky claim to verify, though, because there are so many different ways to interpret that slippery F-word. There are SUVs that better 503bhp Stelvio’s 3.8sec 0-62mph time, after all, and SUVs that shade its 176mph top speed.

What Alfa Romeo bases that somewhat bold claim on, then, is the Stelvio QV’s eye-opening 7min 51.7sec Nürburgring lap time, which is an SUV record. It wasn’t all that long ago that dedicated sports cars were recording seven-fifty-something laps around the Nordschleife. No matter how tired you are of hearing such lap times being flung back and forth, it cannot be denied that a sub-eight minute lap around that place is extremely fast for a high-riding 4x4.

Designed and developed by the same team that brought us the rather wonderful Giulia Quadrifoglio sports saloon, the high-performance Stelvio is dripping with genuine sports car hardware. Its 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 and eight-speed automatic gearbox are borrowed from the Giulia QV - with specific calibration and ratios - but here drive is sent to the road by Alfa Romeo’s Q4 four-wheel drive system.

In normal driving, 100% of torque is sent to the rear wheels. Only when they begin to slip is drive shunted forwards, and even then, no more than 50% can be sent to the front axle.

The rear differential incorporates a pair of clutch packs that split torque between the rear wheels. This active torque vectoring makes the Stelvio more nimble, Alfa reckons. The car is suspended by double wishbones at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear, with adaptive damping.

The engine is mounted mostly behind the front axle line to aid weight distribution, while the use of carbonfibre and aluminium panels keeps weight to a minimum. Even so, at 1830kg, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio is no featherweight.

There are various drive modes, including an Eco mode that reduces fuel consumption by shutting off three of the engine's cylinders - although this can also happen in Normal mode - and a Dynamic mode that sharpens the throttle response, reduces gearshift times, tightens up the dampers and adds weight to the steering. Race mode turns everything up another notch while standing down the stability control system. It's possible to switch the dampers back into an intermediate setting within Race mode. 

 

What's it like?

There are several very powerful SUVs on the market that are colossally fast in a straight line and just about composed enough in bends to keep a hold of the Tarmac, but there aren’t many that are genuinely entertaining to drive. The Stelvio QV is undoubtedly one of those few.

Inevitably, its high ride height, chunky kerb weight and lofty centre of gravity mean it’s nowhere near as planted or as responsive as the Giulia QV, but it does have a remarkable level of precision and body control and a usefully neutral cornering balance.

The steering is direct, quick and very intuitive, while the front end finds reasonable bite on turn-in. The car will push on in understeer when you really chase it, but there’s enough front-end grip to carry proper sports car-rivalling pace along a winding road.

The four-wheel drive system makes light work of transferring all that power and 443lb ft of torque to the road. If you’re really clumsy with the throttle, you’ll make the car slide ever so slightly away from a corner or understeer if you open it too early in the bend, but with a little care, you can hook all four tyres up perfectly and slingshot the car away from the apex without a hint of waste.

There isn’t the on-throttle adjustability or playfulness of the Giulia QV, but thanks to the torque vectoring, the Stelvio does have very positive drive and a level of agility that seems at odds with its raised seating position. The chassis is poised enough that you can actually adjust your line slightly mid-corner, whereas many SUVs are stuck to a trajectory the moment you turn in to a bend.

The Stelvio QV’s ride was settled and composed on the very smooth Emirati roads of our test drive, but given that chassis engineers often resort to hefty anti-roll bars and plenty of rebound damping - both of which have a habit of knackering ride quality - to make SUVs handle, we’ll have to wait and see how well this car deals with a properly challenging British B-road. Alfa's engineers assure us it rides bumps with the same remarkable fluidity as its saloon sister.

 

Just as it is in the Giulia QV, Alfa's 2.9-litre turbo V6 is a sharp, responsive and rev-hungry unit that delivers massive straight-line performance. And the soundtrack is even quite evocative, which is unusual for a turbocharged unit.

The auto' 'box, meanwhile, is plenty quick enough - in Race mode, it’s almost as snappy as a twin-clutch unit - and it’s smooth and refined at low speeds.

Where the Giulia QV falls short of its competition is in its interior, and the same is true of the Stelvio QV. Some of the plastics are a touch brittle and the switchgear looks and feels very mainstream, rather than premium, although there’s nothing offensive about it.

The seating position is very good, though, while the optional carbonfibre-shelled sports seats offer plenty of lateral support.

 

Should I buy one?

The Stelvio QV is genuinely fun to drive along a demanding road. It's perhaps the most rewarding performance SUV you can buy, in fact.

But if that sort of engagement really matters to you, you’d be much better served by a sports saloon. The Giulia QV is more engaging still, it’s prettier and it’ll even stand up to the odd trackday. But, if you really must have a hatchback boot and lofty driving position, the Stelvio QV would make a very fine substitute. 

 

Per le foto, andate sul link.

http://www.evo.co.uk/reviews/20441/new-alfa-romeo-stelvio-quadrifoglio-review-alfa-wades-into-the-fast-suv-fight

 

Cita

by Stuart Gallagher

 

VERDICT:Alfa Romeo’s first performance SUV is also one of the best

 

4 stelle su cinque

 

The small SUV with the performance of a super saloon is a peculiar beast. Some miss the target (Audi SQ5), others get close (AMG’s GLC 63 model) and one scores a direct hit: Porsche’s Macan Turbo. It’s the latter car that Alfa Romeo set its sights on beating when developing its first performance SUV, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. 

 

Taking a regular Stelvio, itself one of the few SUVs with some character a driver can engage with, Alfa Romeo’s engineers, led by Roberto Fedeli, whose CV includesFerrari’s 599, F12 and 458 Specialie, and the Giulia Quadrifoglio, set about developing not only a rival to Macan Turbo, but the class leader. With 503bhp, a sub four-second 0-62mph time and a 7min 51sec lap of the Nürburgring, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio has all the ammunition it needs to take down Porsche’s junior SUV.

Technical highlights

Beneath the Stelvio QV’s aluminium bonnet is the 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6 as found in the Giulia Quadrifoglio. Power is the same at 503hp and the eight-speed ZF gearbox has been recalibrated to suit both the increase in kerb weight over the saloon and the four-wheel drive transmission. It’s the first time this engine and gearbox combination has been offered with Alfa Romeo’s Q4 driveline. 

 

Default mode for the Stelvio QV is rear-wheel drive and it’s only when the system detects an angle of slip or a loss of traction that it will direct up to 50 per cent of the engine’s torque to the front wheels through a carbon-fibre propshaft. There’s a rear differential, active torque vectoring and Alfa’s Pro-DNA switchable drive mode system as standard.

The car comes fitted with cast iron brakes although ceramics are optional. The 20-inch wheels are fitted with a Pirelli P Zero tyre as default but the Giulia’s standard P Corsa tyres another cost option.

Aluminium features extensively through the Stelvio QV. The double-wishbone suspension at the front and the four-and-a-half multi-link rear set-up are forged from the metal, so too the bonnet, doors, brake carriers, wheel arches and the engine. The resulting 1830kg kerb weight is a useful 170kg lighter than Porsche’s Macan Turbo.

Engine, transmission and 0-60mph time 

Taken from the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the Stelvio’s 2.9-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 produces 503bhp at 6500rpm and 442lb ft of torque between 2500 and 5000rpm. Driving through a revised eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, Alfa’s performance SUV will reach 62mph in 3.8-seconds and crack 176mph – that’s a full second quicker than Porsche’s claim for the Macan Turbo and 11mph faster, too.

With this being the first time Alfa has mated its turbocharged V6 with a four-wheel drive drivetrain, the development’s focus was to secure a considerable performance advantage to offset the weight increase. With the aforementioned acceleration figure and that 7min 51sec lap of the Nürburgring, Alfa is confident it’s ticked that box. 

What’s it like to drive? 

Pretty darn good as it goes. From the get go it feels light and responsive and benefits from the quick and direct steering enjoyed by the Giulia QV, giving it a Golf R style of response rather than that of a tallish SUV weighing the wrong side of 1800kg.

The 2.9-litre V6 loses none of its brio in the Stelvio, although it doesn’t rev as quickly below 3000rpm due to the four-wheel drive system and associated hardware. As the tacho sweeps beyond 3,000rpm the Stelvio QV takes off like a Turin taxi driver mainlining double espressos. Left in automatic mode the ZF delivers each ratio with an instant seamless shift, but as with the Giulia, you’ll want to use the beautiful aluminium paddles fitted to the column and change gear yourself. 

You’ll also want to select Dynamic or Race mode on the Pro-DNA system. Not only does the throttle’s response and the ZF’s shifts sharpen up, but the ESP loosens its reigns, too (it switches off all together in Race mode) and the exhaust valves open to turn the volume up. The result is rabid performance as the Stelvio bursts from corner exit to the next entry, devouring straights at a rate Audi RS, BMW M and Mercedes-AMG owners will recognise.

On the impeccable tarmac of our Middle East test route there was little need to switch the dampers to their soft (Dynamic) or mid (Race) setting, but we suspect you would in the UK. What the race track’s smooth tarmac did highlight was the standard front Pirellis’ eagerness to relinquish their grip. While it’s satisfying to feel the rear edge wide as the Stevlio drives itself out of a corner, the sensation of the outside front tyre giving up very early during the turn-in phase of a corner is less appealing and requires a very controlled right foot. The optional Pirelli P Corsa tyre would be a must for us.

Overall the Stelvio QV is an impressive piece of kit. Steering, brakes, chassis and that engine combine to deliver an unexpected but welcome slice of enjoyment. It masks its weight well, has impressive body control and only a heavy-handed approach will see it run out of ideas. If an SUV is unavoidable in your garage, and until now only Porsche’s Macan Turbo was on your radar, you’d be missing out by not adding Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio QV to your list.

Price and rivals

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio won’t go on sale in the UK until the summer of 2018 and at the moment there is no price confirmed for the UK market. As a ballpark we expect it to cost in the region of £5,000 more than the £61,000 Giulia QV. 

Alfa Romeo benchmarked the Stevlio QV against Porsche’s £62,540, 394bhpMacan Turbo but we’d also expect Mercedes-AMG’s £66,905 469bhp GLC 63 to also be in the mix.

 

Modificato 4 Dicembre 2017 da pennellotref

[AleMcGir]

Instagram

[__P]

48 minuti fa, AleMcGir dice:

Instagram

La “mia” versione definitiva!!! ??

[pixhell]

On 03/12/2017 at 23:31, Pierpa dice:

Video stampa girato a dubai e d'intorni... Molto bella la sera pata in uscita di curva al Minuto 0:49 e poi l:esemplare blu Misano, che in movimento per strada non avevo ancora visto.
 

 

☏ ONE A2003 ☏
 

 

Bel video, ottime le riprese, valorizzano moltissimo le proporzioni di Stelvio.

[CarBreathing]

A me sinceramente tutti questi spezzoni di sound (rumore di scarico) buttati a caso senza seguire le immagini - tecnica già usata per presentare giulia - HA ROTTO! Basta!! Risulta solo fastidioso

[__P]

[AleMcGir]

https://www.instagram.com/klausbusse/

Modificato 7 Dicembre 2017 da AleMcGir

[andrea.bello]

proposta cromatica

 

Modificato 7 Dicembre 2017 da andrea.bello

[passionealfaromeo]