No mainstream manufacturer line-up is complete these days without an electric family-sized SUV. There’s the gaggle of VW MEB cars (including those with Ford badges on them), the Blue Oval’s own Mustang Mach E, the Hyundai-Kia-Genesis triplets, the Nissan Ariya, the Peugeot E-5008, the Ren… you get the idea. Before even thinking about BMW’s next iX3, previewed by the Neue Klasse X concept. So the electric Alfa Stelvio won’t be short of a rival or two when it arrives in 2026.
This is the first we’ve seen of the new SUV built on the STLA-Large architecture, in the form of official winter testing snaps from Alfa. The prototype cars, assembled at the Mirafiori facility (production cars will come out of Cassino), are in Arjeplog at minus thirty to fine-tune longitudinal and lateral dynamics when it’s slippery.
Certainly the Stelvio looks to oversteer like a thoroughbred, but then ice is a very flattering surface for silliness. And batteries down in the belly of the beast has made for quite a few smart handling family buses of late. Alfa says that each test car will be subjected to 1,000 hours of this real-world assessment, following on from virtual and sim testing.
That’s just for low-grip handling; after Arjeblog will come blatting around Balocco and on-road figuring in more temperate climes. Plus, encouragingly, 1,000 hours dedicated purely to the ADAS software. So maybe it won’t be a total irritant. We can but hope.
The Stelvio will then be off for ‘mileage accumulation’ in hot weather ahead of being officially unveiled at the end of the year. Lots to pack in, then, but also the kind of investment required to be competitive in this sector. Alfa may well have the new Porsche Macan in its sights as well, for example, because this Stelvio is almost certain to be more expensive than its predecessor - currently from £46k-£57k with the normal non-Quadrifoglio petrol and diesel. The electric Porsche is from £68,500.
As for design, Alfa Romeo isn’t saying anything for the moment From here it looks like the new Junior may influence the front end design, and the silhouette is perhaps a little more coupe-esque than the outgoing Stelvio. Aerodynamic performance will of course be even more of a priority with range a primary concern. What can be seen of the rear looks more familiar from the Stelvio we know, though again it would be daft to draw any firm conclusions just yet. Expect to find out more as that debut date at the end of ‘25 nears.
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