Change We Can Believe In: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Adds Cheaper RWD Model

From Car and Driver

Alfa Romeo launched its first ever SUV, the Stelvio, with all-wheel drive as standard equipment. For its second model year, though, the Stelvio will get a slightly cheaper base price thanks to the addition of a new rear-wheel-drive variant. Starting at $41,440, the 2019 Stelvio with rear-wheel drive is $2000 less than last year’s base model with all-wheel drive, while pricing for the rest of the lineup rises slightly.

The only key difference between the rear- and all-wheel-drive models, besides the obvious, is that the rear-drive models will weigh a claimed 100 pounds less. An AWD Stelvio we tested last year tipped the scales at 4037 pounds, so it’s likely that the RWD car will squeak in at just under two tons. There are no changes to the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which makes 280 horsepower and 306 lb-ft of torque, or to the one-choice-only eight-speed automatic transmission. We assume that the rear-drive models will be denoted by a Q2 badge like the one on the Giulia sedan (the AWD cars get Q4 emblems).

You won’t be able to option up a rear-drive Stelvio as opulently as an all-wheel-drive one, as the better-equipped Ti variants will still come standard with AWD. The rear-drive Stelvio will be offered with an $1800 Sport package, however, that adds 19-inch wheels, aluminum pedals, colored brake calipers, paddle shifters, and a few other bits. Other options include a Cold Weather package, a larger 8.8-inch infotainment display, and driver-assist technologies spread across a few packages.

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EPA ratings aren’t yet available for the 2019 Stelvio, but we’d bet that the rear-drive version will gain a few mpg compared to the all-wheel-drive model’s ratings of 24 mpg combined, 22 city, and 28 highway; the Giulia sedan on which the Stelvio is based sees discrepancies of 1 to 2 mpg in the government’s tests. Alfa said the 2019 Stelvio models are available to order now and will reach dealerships within the next few months.

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