Alfa Romeo Stelvio now here this year

Alfa Romeo's first SUV, the Stelvio, will become available in Australia earlier than previously scheduled, late this year.

When it was revealed at the Los Angeles motor show last November, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia boss Steve Zanlunghi said first local deliveries would not take place until early next year.

Speaking at yesterday's launch of the all-new Alfa sedan on which it's based, the Giulia, Zanlunghi said a lucky few Australians would now receive their Stelvios by the end of this year.

"Officially we're still saying early 2018 for the Stelvio launch here, but we're going to get a few earlier than we'd hoped, before the end of this year," he said.

As with the Giulia, FCA Australia won't say how many Stelvios it expects to sell, but it's in the process of streamlining its national Alfa retail network – including reducing the number of Alfa dealers from a current 48 to just 16 by the end of this year – in preparation for the Giulia and Stelvio.

As we've reported, FCA expects the Stelvio – Alfa's first direct rival for the BMW X3/X4, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Porsche Macan and Jaguar F-PACE – to become the Italian brand's most popular model Down Under.

All of those mid-size luxury SUVs except the Macan are priced from under $75,000 and the Stelvio is likely to follow suit – just as the Giulia narrowly undercuts the BMW 320i, Mercedes C 200, Audi A4 2.0 TFSI and Jaguar XE with a sub-$60,000 starting price.

Both mid-size Alfa models share the same new Giorgio platform, the same four-cylinder and V6 engines and the same dashboard.

Only the top-shelf Stelvio Quadrifoglio (QV) – complete with Ferrari-developed 375kW/600Nm 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 – and a 206kW/415Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol version were revealed in LA for the US market.

But on January 10, Alfa opened the European order book for the Stelvio First Edition (pictured), powered by the 206kW petrol four and matched as standard – as all Australian models will be – with an eight-speed automatic transmission and Q4 all-wheel drive, which Alfa claims makes it “100 per cent rear drive” by transferring up to 60 per cent of torque to the front wheels only when required.

Apart from sprinting to 100km/h in a class-leading 5.7 seconds, the First Edition will offer full-grain leather seats with electric adjustment and heating, genuine wood veneers, 20-inch alloy wheels, a luxury leather steering wheel with aluminum gearshift paddles and colored brake callipers.

In Italy, where it goes on sale in March, the Stelvio will also be available in 147kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and both 132 and 155kW 2.2-litre turbo-diesel forms

Like the Giulia, at base level the Stelvio will come with a flat-bottom steering wheel with integrated push-button starting, 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seat trim, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, a powered tailgate and 6.5-inch multimedia display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Also like Giulia, standard range-wide safety features will include autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and eight airbags.

Upstream models will add premium touches like 19-inch wheels and an 8.8-inch widescreen infotainment display, while the QV flagship bring a four-mode Alfa DNA Pro selector, 20-inch wheels, a sportier bodykit, firmer adaptive suspension, leather/Alcantara seat trim, 12-way power-adjustable front seats, exclusive leather steering wheel and instrument panel stitching, and carbon-fibre interior trim.

Of course, there's also a 90-degree twin-turbo intercooled 2.9-litre V6 that delivers a “class-leading” 375kW of power, making it Alfa’s most powerful production engine ever, and 600Nm between 2500-5500rpm.

That's enough for the Stelvio QV, which will cost well over $100,000 to hit 60mph (97km/h) in 3.9sec and a top speed of 285km/h – down from 305km/h in the Giulia QV.

As per the Giulia QV, Stelvio options will include lightweight carbon-fibre shell Sparco racing seats, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, seven wheel designs up to 21-inch, 13 exterior paint colours, a multitude of interior colour and trim choices and 900-Watt, 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound.

Watch this space for our first drive of the Stelvio – from the 20km, 75-bend Italian mountain pass after which it's named – shortly after the Geneva motor show on March 7, when Alfa will unveil its new Giulia Sprint coupe.