Alfa Romeo SUV.

The fact that those words even exist tells you how much the automotive world has changed in the past several years.

An Italian company with a century of history built on curve-gripping sports cars and racecars wouldn’t have considered such a move before the SUV revolution took hold, but now they don’t really have a choice. With BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, Maserati, Porsche and others in the mix already, they can’t risk losing luxury buyers who have migrated up to larger vehicles. Hence the Stelvio.

So what did Alfa do? Essentially they took a sports car and put it into the body of a small SUV. Here’s my thoughts on the finished product, which I recently got to spend some time in.

LOOKS

Built off the platform of the award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulia, and fittingly named after a curvy mountain pass in Italy in the Eastern Alps, the Stelvio hits a home run in the looks department.

Your attention is immediately drawn to Alfa’s unique design up front, which I dubbed the “tri-grille” look. It’s got sharp-looking lines and curves, and for the record I have to say that the century-old Alfa Romeo logo (featuring a red cross and what appears to be a snake eating a man) is perhaps the best logo in automobiles.

Adding to the Alfa Romeo brand’s legendary racing history and the exciting experience of open-air motoring, the all-new 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider debuts with panoramic views complemented with a signature Alfa exhaust note, plus the essential sportiness of the award-winning 4C – handcrafted in Modena, Italy; groundbreaking and seductive Italian style; state-of-the-art Formula 1 inspired carbon fiber monocoque chassis that enables an incredible power-to-weight ratio; advanced technologies, including the all-aluminum 1750 turbocharged and intercooled engine with direct-injection and variable-valve timing that enable supercar-level performance.

“Spiders have always been at the very core of the ‘Great Alfa Romeos,’ and our all-new 4C Spider builds on the brand’s motorsport and technology heritage for an open-air experience that is pure driving exhilaration,” said Reid Bigland, Head of Alfa Romeo North America. “From its track-proven 1750 turbocharged engine, to its hand-laid carbon fiber monocoque chassis, the 4C Spider takes the innovation and ingenuity of the 4C and delivers an open-air experience without sacrificing any of its supercar-level performance and capability.”
The 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider arrives at U.S. and Canadian dealerships this summer with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $63,900 (excluding $1,595 destination).