Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio tames Nürburgring

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio has claimed the title of world’s fastest production SUV, setting a new benchmark lap time at Germany’s legendary Nürburgring.

A Stelvio QV lapped the 20.6 km Nordschleife (north loop) in a record 7 minutes 51.7 seconds. This new benchmark time is a full eight seconds faster than the previous production SUV record.

The Stelvio QV record was established by Fabio Francia, the same driver who set the track record for the fastest four-door sedan in the world on the Nürburgring with the Giulia Quadrifoglio in a time of just 7 minutes and 32 seconds.

The first SUV in the over one-century-long history of the brand embodies the most authentic Alfa Romeo spirit: distinctive Italian style, state-of-theart and innovative engines, perfect weight distribution, unique technical solutions and excellent weight-to-power ratio.

Infused with Italian passion, craftsmanship and innovation, the all-new Alfa Romeo Stelvio is designed to conquer the winding pass after which it is named.

The Stelvio QV extensively integrates lightweight materials that deliver the perfect 50/50 weight distribution, segment-leading torsional rigidity, class-exclusive carbon fiber driveshaft and the most direct steering available.

The heart and soul of this ultra-high performance SUV is an all-aluminium, direct-injection 2.9-litre 24-valve Twin-Turbo intercooled V6 engine, delivering 375 kW and 600 Nm of torque, to which the standard Q4 all-wheeldrive system is paired for the first time.

The eight-speed automatic transmission shifts in just 150 milliseconds in Race mode.

Designed to enhance the allnew lightweight Alfa Romeo architecture, the all-aluminium 2.9-litre V6 Twin-Turbo engine features a compact 90-degree layout and was holistically designed for a low centre of gravity within the chassis.

Advanced technology features unique to the Stelvio QV include a four-mode Alfa DNA Pro selector with Race mode, torque vectoring differential, Quadrifoglio-tuned adaptive suspension and cylinder deactivation system to maximize fuel efficiency.

Ultra-high performance options for Stelvio QV include ultra-lightweight carbon fibre shell Sparco racing seats, providing maximum lateral support during extreme cornering as well as ultra-high-performance Brembo carbon-ceramic material (CCM) brake system.

The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio arrives in South Africa in the first half of 2018.