Most crossover SUVs at least offer
all-wheel drive as an option. But not everyone who’s in the market for one
needs all that traction. So while the Alfa Romeo Stelvio was offered until now
exclusively with all-wheel drive, it’ll now be offered without it as well.
According to Car and Driver, Alfa’s
debut crossover will, for 2019, be offered in a new base version that does away
with the front driven wheels, reverting to rear-drive only and likely wearing a
Q2 (instead of Q4) badge. That’ll cut about a hundred pounds off the curb
weight – expected to drop just below the two-ton mark – and cut US$ 2,000 off the
price of admission to bring the base price down to US$ 41,440.
C/D reports that a Sport package will be
offered for US$ 1,800 (which almost covers the entire savings for the rear-drive
model), upgrading with 19-inch wheels, colored brake calipers, aluminum pedals
and such. The rear-drive Stelvio will only be offered with the base engine, a
2.0-liter turbo four, channeling 280 horsepower and 306 lb-ft of torque to the
rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The more budget-friendly proposition
will only come in base spec, with the sportier Ti and the Quadrifoglio, with
its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, sticking with AWD. Expect a slight bump in fuel
economy to result. Though the EPA has yet to release its official ratings, the
all-wheel-drive version returns 22 miles per gallon in the city, 28 on the
highway, and 24 on the combined cycle. The order books are already said to have
opened, with deliveries to commence “within the next few months.”
