When Ferrari was spun off from Fiat, many wondered if the independent company would need to build highly profitable and highly in-demand SUVs to stay afloat. I don’t know if Ferrari will build an SUV (company brass insist it won’t), but now I know what that mythical Ferrari SUV would look like: the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, unveiled today at the LA Auto Show.
It’s part three of the Alfa Romeo reboot that began a few years ago with the incredible 4C sports car and was followed with the Giulia sports sedan. Alfa says it’s the fastest SUV in its class, with an estimated 0–60mph time of 3.9 seconds in the top-level Quadrifoglio trim. The company went so far as to claim that it will be the fastest SUV ever to traverse Germany’s famed Nürburgring — it’s the fastest in company simulations, but it apparently hasn’t yet made the journey to Nürburg for an on-track record attempt.
510 horsepower and 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds
The Quadrifoglio Stelvio, which is named after Stelvio pass in Italy, sports a 510-horsepower Ferrari-inspired 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, with sister-company Maserati’s Q4 all-wheel drive system distributing the power to all four wheels. The base-level 280 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder unit should give plenty of pep, though, and is aimed right at the Porsche’s new entry-level Macan.
If Ferrari isn’t interested in building an SUV, it may not matter. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio could satisfy the SUV-desires of prancing horse fans around the world.