Alfa Romeo

When you're Alfa Romeo, and a decent chunk of your appeal is that you're not the mainstream option, building an SUV like the 2018 Stelvio presents a tricky balance to strike. After all, Alfa drivers may not want a predictable car in their garage, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles shareholders want mainstream sales. The Giulia sports sedan may have found favor among passionate drivers, but crossovers and SUVs are where the widest wallets are. Alfa Romeo had a choice, therefore, and the Stelvio is the answer, born of the Giulia but out hunting mutineers from the mainstream.

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When is 'more' simply 'too much?' That's the question I found myself asking again and again from behind the wheel of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, a luxury sport sedan seemingly so intent on occupying extremes that I wouldn’t be surprised if its Italian masters came out with a Vanilla Ice Signature Edition further down the line. Chugging Mountain Dew and challenging horses to straight-line tests of speed from the back of a sport bike might not be in the Quadrifoglio's repertoire, but this sultry turbocharged weapon alternately frustrated or frightened me nearly every time I picked it up, no matter how longingly my eyes caressed its outrageous curves.

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I'm fortunate in that I have the opportunity to drive almost every new car that makes it to the market in any given calendar year. With roughly 100 steering wheels passing through my hands over that period of time, you might be surprised to learn that very few cars, trucks, or SUVs make it onto my 'naughty' list - that is to say, automobiles have become so universally competent that it's fairly difficult to buy one that's objectively 'bad' in any meaningful way.

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Alfa Romeo may not be the first automaker you associate with an SUV, but the crossover craze waits for no-one and the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio is the result. Launched today at the LA Auto Show, the luxury SUV takes the styling of the Giulia sedan and inflates it for the elevated driving position crossover fans lust after. Of course, since this is an Alfa we're talking about, there's a performance option for those with speed in mind.

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The 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider has a secret. It's not particularly good at keeping it either. You see, this is a car that honestly doesn’t care if you have a problem with its 'lack' of power steering (demanding strength beyond strength when parking), or its ultra-wide door sills (that require you to fold your body like a jackknife to slide behind the wheel), or even its miniscule trunk (truly just a plastic bin tucked behind the motor that's barely big enough to store the fussy fabric roof that you need to snap-and-tug on and off all on your own).

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Look out, Germany: storied Italian automaker Alfa Romeo is coming for your 5 Series, E-Class, and A6 with a bigger version of the Giulia sedan. The new car isn't likely to show up until 2018 at the earliest, but it may very well be worth waiting for over the usual midsize luxury options from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.

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Italian car-maker Alfa Romeo has just unveiled a special edition of its latest 4-door sedan: the 2017 Giulia Quadrifoglio (QV). But not just anyone will be getting behind the wheel of this hot ride, no matter how deep their pockets are. Alfa Romeo has given two of these QV models to Italy's Carabinieri, the country's national and military police force. Not only does the sedan get 505-horsepower from a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo six-cylinder engine, but it comes with a manual transmission. Oh be still my heart.

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Lamborghinis, Ferraris, BMWs, and Fiats, with every slice of exotica in-between. Amelia Island Concourse d'Elegance might feature some of the rarest, most expensive autos in the world, but Cars & Coffee opens the weekend with a far broader slice of four-wheeled entertainment. You can never quite predict what will be rubbing shoulders with bonafide supercars.

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Some cars you suspect want to maim you when you get behind the wheel; the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio telegraphs that intention right from the parking lot. Intensely aggressively styled, Alfa's new sports sedan dips a greedy paw into stablemate Ferrari's parts bin, and it's well worth it: the flagship Giulia Quadrifoglio musters a heady 505 HP.

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SUVs are some of the most popular vehicles on the road today and just about every automaker big and small either have a complete fleet of SUVs or are working hard to bring them to market. Alfa Romeo will have an SUV soon with Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne saying that the Alfa SUV will land next year.

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What happens when you give a skunkworks team of engineers, designers, and stylists the chance to create an Italian sports sedan? The new Alfa Romeo Giulia is the answer. Unveiled today, the compact four-door packs up to 510 HP from a turbo V6 borrowing tech from stablemate Ferrari, a choice of rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and an aggressive - and distinctive - body with plenty of carbon fiber and aluminum to keep curb weight down.

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It's the price-tag fans of droptop Italian exotica have been waiting for. Alfa Romeo has finally slapped a sticker price on the windshield of the 4C Spider, the convertible version of the aggressively-styled two seater shown off back in January at the Detroit Auto Show. Whimsical European-style motoring doesn't come cheap, though, with the 4C Spider carrying a hefty $10,000 premium over its hardtop sibling.

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