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Form and function in fairly equal parts | 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio First Drive

Alfa Romeo, a brand synonymous with sports cars that combine beautiful Italian design with historically dodgy reliability, now makes a crossover. The Stelvio is named after what is quite possibly the best driving road in the world, and the automaker would have you believe that it is the most purely focused driver's ute in the world. To that end, the Stelvio boasts a perfect 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution, a fast 12.0:1 steering ratio, and an all-wheel-drive system that's tuned to send 100 percent of the engine's power to the rear wheels whenever possible. All of those bits add up to an SUV that's genuinely fun to drive on winding roads. Think of the Stelvio as an Alfa Romeo Giulia with a suspension lift kit that puts you 2.5 inches higher off the tarmac. Yes, those stilts mean the crossed-over Alfa isn't quite as sharp as the Giulia, but the Stelvio isn't at all dimwitted. It's a true Alfa Romeo, in spirit and in execution, right down to its standard carbon-fiber driveshaft. The Stelvio shares its 111-inch wheelbase and its double-wishbone front and Alfa Link rear suspension systems with the Giulia. That's not to say that the Stelvio drives as well or looks as good as the Giulia. The crossover is 2 inches longer and 8.9 inches taller than the sedan from which it was born. We got the feeling that we were sitting on top of the car's chassis instead of within it, which is due entirely to the high seating position that American drivers are so fond of. And whereas the Giulia wears its sheetmetal like a slinky little black dress, the Stelvio's Scudetto front fascia and Trilobo air intakes are stretched over a much larger frame and its sides are sculpted in a more masculine way. Still, the Stelvio is an attractive beast, inside and out. It's unmistakably Italian, which is to say well-tailored with an impeccable form that influences but begrudgingly follows function. Leather seating surfaces are standard. From the driver's seat, the dashboard is dominated by two binnacles housing the tachometer and speedometer. In between is an LCD display that shows a bunch more relevant information. A second screen in an exaggerated widescreen format houses the bespoke infotainment system from Magneti Marelli. That LCD's unique shape makes it look smaller than the Stelvio's competitors, especially as its pinched height makes the backup camera image appear pretty small.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio caught hiding under ugly black camouflage

The vehicle you see here, bedecked as it is in camo-shaped warts and baubles, is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Behind all that ungainly black plastic hides a jacked-up crossover based on the bones of the upcoming Gulia sedan, which, painfully, we're still waiting to officially launch. Suffice it to say that we're not expecting to see a production version of the Stelvio until much later in 2016. Up front, the well-established rounded-triangle grille that marks the Alfa Romeo marque comes through loud and clear... though it looks a little bit sickly covered in all that cladding. We're sure it'll be appropriately prettied up for production, and we're equally certain the slit-like headlamp cutouts are hiding stylish swept-back lighting units. We can't make out much of the Stelvio's bodysides, but we see some nicely aggressive rolling stock to go along with what appears to be a pretty steeply raked greenhouse. View 10 Photos That incongruously shaped chunk hanging off the back glass was likely tacked on to hide the shape of the actual tailgate, and perhaps there are some sensors or computers hanging around inside the box to feed more data to engineers. There's no telling what's powering this Stelvio mule, but it could be a version of the 2.9-liter, 505-horsepower, twin-turbo V6 that we can't wait to sample in the Guilia Quadrifoglio Verde. For production, expect four- and six-cylinder options, in both gasoline and diesel flavors, depending on where the car is sold. We can clearly see the Stelvio is out on the road, generating test miles ahead of a hoped-for release in early 2017. The next logical question, then, is this: Will Alfa Romeo actually launch the Stelvio on time? Related Video: Image Credit: Brian Williams/Spiedbilde Spy Photos Alfa Romeo Crossover Future Vehicles alfa romeo stelvio

Touring dresses its Alfa Disco Volante in green and gold for Geneva [w/poll]

If you watched the latest episode of Top Gear, you'll have seen Jeremy Clarkson driving a red version of Touring's Disco Volante around Italy, then showing off a silver-finished one in the studio back in the UK. But when the doors open at the Palexo for the 2014 Geneva Motor Show this week, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera will have another version to show off. Pictured here, this version of the Disco Volante has been done up in dark green with gold accents for a treatment that looks decidedly less Italian and more British – something Colin Chapman (not to mention Green Bay football fans) would appreciate. We're not sure it's our favorite treatment of one of the most stylish cars money can buy (particularly with the rosso corsa grille and tailpipe inserts), but then we're not the one buying it. This example was likely produced for a specific customer. The Disco Volante, for those unacquainted, is essentially an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione – already a looker in our books – that's been rebodied by reborn Milanese coachbuilder Touring. The carrozzeria was established back in 1926, went under in 1966 and was reborn in 2006, adopting the Superleggera moniker that its forebear coined when pioneering lightweight monocoque construction techniques. Since its revival it has worked its magic on Maseratis, Bentleys, Gumperts and more. The Disco Volante is made to order at what you can bet is a not unsubstantial price. Featured Gallery Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera in green & gold View 38 Photos News Source: Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera Design/Style Geneva Motor Show Alfa Romeo Coupe Performance 2014 Geneva Motor Show touring alfa romeo 8c competizione carrozzeria touring superleggera