Even if Alfa Romeo’s Giulia turns out to be the commercial success the Italians hope for, the brand cannot survive on it alone, especially at a time when SUVs are eating away on traditional saloons.
Alfa Romeo is one of the few brands left without an off-roader of any kind in its range. The upcoming Stelvio is about to change that and, although we’ve been seeing test mules for quite some time, now we have a clear picture of its cabin.
Perhaps, given the close connection between the two and Alfa’s plan to launch the SUV by the end of the year or early 2017, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Stelvio’s interior is lifted wholesale from the Giulia.
So much so, that putting a sticker on the steering wheel to cover the Alfa badge is redundant. Said steering wheel is identical to the Giulia’s, with all the controls, down to the start button and the large aluminum paddles, being exactly the same. The same stands for the rest of the dashboard and the console with the gearlever, electronic parking brake and controls for the infotainment and the DNA systems.
The new saloon will also “lend” its 2.0-liter petrol and 2.2-liter diesel engines to the Stelvio and, if previous reports are confirmed, the Ferrari-engineered, 503 HP 2.9-liter twin turbo from the QV, should the Italians choose to go head to head with the Audi SQ5, BMW X3 M and Merc GLC AMG.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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