Alfa Romeo Stelvio arrives fashionably late

Months late to market

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio has been a long time coming, and it has been worth the wait, but the reason for its delayed local launch is shrouded in mystery.

Local distributor FCA Australia launched the Stelvio to the media here on June 14 in two basic variants – a $65,900 entry-level model with a turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine or $67,900 for a four-pot diesel.

But the launch is about six months later than the on-sale date originally planned for the local market – with media told previously that a small batch of the new SUVs would trickle through to Aussie buyers before the end of 2017. That didn't happen. The first locally-delivered Stelvio was registered in February, according to VFACTS, and 51 more were registered in March. This first batch of cars was built in November/December, FCA Australia advises.

According to the importer, the on-sale date was March 20, but the media launch date was never going to be that early. The Stelvio was finally launched to the media nearly three months later, the importer stating that the delay was necessary to build up local stock first.

Sources have indicated to motoring.com.au that the distributor and its dealer network have delayed the Stelvio's Aussie media launch to rectify manufacturing defects in the locally-delivered cars.

These include leaky tailgates, sunroofs and even windscreens for the first 15 vehicles that arrived here in March. FCA Australia reportedly held back the introduction of the Stelvio until the defective parts were replaced and the factory at Cassino in Italy reconsidered its production process for the new SUV.

Indeed, the Stelvio has been recalled in the USA for water leaking past the windscreen seal at the base of the A-pillars and water leaks in the tailgate and tail-lights.

According to a media report by autoevolution.com, the vehicles affected were built between March 2017 and February 2018, which is coincidental timing for Australian-delivered cars.

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Production priorities

Steve Zanlunghi, FCA Australia's CEO, told motoring.com.au during the launch of the new SUV that Stelvio production for Australia has also likely been delayed by Alfa Romeo's production plant at Cassino in Italy building cars for Europe first.

The 'EMEA' region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) takes priority over the three other global regions, including the Asia/Pacific region in which Australia sits.

"EMEA is very key for us..." Zanlunghi explained. "Clearly, the biggest markets that we have for Alfa right now are EMEA – basically Europe.

"They launched as a European region, with all markets [including the UK] launching at the same time. And we launched as [part of] the Asia/Pacific region with Stelvio..."

That explains why the RHD Stelvio has been introduced in the UK ahead of either Australia or Japan, and has been on sale in Italy for something like 11 months, drawing level with the Giulia sedan for sales in its home market.

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First Edition models

While the Stelvio's local release has been protracted, it's here now, and FCA's formal marketing activities are beginning in earnest.

In addition to the two powertrain variants available from launch, FCA is also offering Aussie buyers 300 units of Stelvio First Edition models, featuring a significantly higher equipment level for not much more ($71,900 for the petrol model or $73,900 for the diesel).

As standard, the Stelvio comes equipped with 19-inch alloy wheels, an 8.8-inch colour infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, an eight-speaker audio system, leather upholstery, a powered tailgate, power-adjustable front seats, tyre pressure monitoring and bi-xenon headlights.

Safety kit comprises six airbags, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic detection, lane departure warning, front/rear parking sensors and a reversing camera with dynamic gridlines.

First Edition models move up to an exclusive style of 19-inch alloy wheel, aluminium interior trim/sports pedals, black roof rails, Koni 'Frequency Selective Damping', heated front seats, heated steering wheel, power seat bolsters, red brake calipers, sports front seats, sports steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and privacy glass, all for $6000 above the price of the entry-level Stelvio.

The First Edition Stelvio is only available in five colours: Alfa Red, Alfa White (Solid), Vulcano Black, Vesuvio Grey (Metallic) and Stromboli Grey (Metallic).

Buyers wanting many of the features fitted to the First Edition models, but not the panoramic sunroof, 14-speaker Harman Kardon system and privacy glass can specify the base-grade Stelvio with a $5000 'Veloce' pack.

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Staggered launches for Ti, QV

Keeping the Stelvio marketing campaign rushing along at breakneck speed, the 206kW Stelvio Ti will arrive in the third quarter of this year.

This model produces an extra 58kW and 70Nm for a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds. As with the other four-cylinder Stelvio models, it drives through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels.

Complementing the extra engine output, the Stelvio Ti rides on 20-inch alloy wheels, and features many items of the First Edition kit plus a rear limited-slip differential and adaptive cruise control.

Only the 14-speaker audio system is missing, the Stelvio Ti making do with 10 speakers, while an option for the Stelvio Ti is Alfa Active Suspension (AAS), which costs $2860 extra.

And there's some good news for prospective buyers of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio – the variant powered by the same engine as the Giulia QV. That variant will arrive before the end of 2018 – hopefully – after the launch of the Stelvio Ti... also hopefully.

How much is the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio?
Stelvio 2.0T – $65,900
Stelvio 2.2TDI – $67,900
Stelvio 2.0T First Edition – $71,900
Stelvio 2.2TDI First Edition – $73,900
Stelvio Ti – $78,900I

Prices exclude on-road costs