The Alfa Romeo Stelvio isn’t really in need of a
facelift (yet), but the Italian carmaker has started working on one with our
spies spotting the first prototypes on the road, which included both regular
and Quadrifoglio variants.
Visually, the red Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
tester spied doesn’t look any different than the current model. Of course, its
front and rear fascias are covered in camouflage, so there’s a chance
something’s hiding under there. Either way, by the time the updated Stelvio
does launch, we do anticipate to see minor tweaks made to the front and rear
bumpers and possibly even the lighting units on both ends.
The cabin of the facelifted Alfa Romeo Stelvio will
also be tweaked and our spy photographers were able to snap some photos of one
of prototype’s interior before engineers could cover them up. The most apparent
changes made to the cabin are focused on the redesigned lower center console.
Look closely and you’ll notice a slightly different
gear selector and surround, as well as the separate button for the electronic
parking brake to the left of it. The chrome trim then slopes away from the buttons and dials and
nicely meets up with the redesigned foldable, and possibly slidable armrest. Elsewhere, the cabin looks much
the same with identical climate control buttons and dials, a large infotainment
system, flat-bottomed steering wheel, and large paddle shifters.
It’s important to point out
that this is an early prototype and more styling changes could be made to the
interior and exterior before the SUV hits the market. We will see other updates
and tweaks too, including to the engine range, chassis and tech and comfort
features.
According to Alfa Romeo’s most recent product plan,
both the Stelvio and the Giulia are scheduled for a facelift, which the
Italians call “MCA” for mid-cycle action, that will include long-wheelbase
versions for the Chinese market in 2022. There is a (small) possibility that
Alfa might introduce some of the interior and trim revisions seen here as part
of a minor model year update for 2020, but to date, we haven’t heard any
chatter on that from our sources.