As the old saying goes – as one door closes, another one opens.
Alfa Romeo is closing the door on the internal combustion engine and opening its future to electrification. By the end of the decade (or sooner) the famous and very old brand will have transitioned to an all-electric line-up.
But before that happens, Alfa Romeo had one final send-off for the internal combustion engine that coincides with the 100th anniversary of its Quadrifoglio performance sub-brand.
The brand has given both the Stelvio and its sedan stablemate, the Giulia, a minor update, with new Matrix LED headlights and a new 12.3-inch digital instrument panel across all Stelvio Q models.
More significantly, the suspension and steering has been re-tuned for improved handling, taking lessons learnt from the track-tuned Giulia GTA project.
It has also produced a 100th Anniversary special edition, which gets more power (388kW), a mechanical limited slip differential, Akrapovic exhaust and gold interior contrasting stitching (which includes a ‘100’ on the top of the dashboard) and 3D carbon-fibre trim.
But these are limited to just 100 examples worldwide and it’s not clear if Australia will receive any of that allocation.
CarsGuide was invited to France to sample the final petrol-powered Stelvio Quadrifoglio on road and track, lapping the Montlhėry circuit just outside Paris, before they arrive in Australian showrooms towards the end of the year.
Keyword: Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2024 review: Q - family test