2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Rated At 28 MPG Highway

Things are moving along quickly with the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The Italian brand launched the online configurator for its first crossover SUV a few weeks back, and ahead of our first drive next week, the EPA released its official mileage estimates. Fitted with the base 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, the Stelvio returns up to 28 miles per gallon on the highway.

That same model nets 22 mpg in the city for a 24-mpg combined rating. The EPA hasn't gotten around to assessing the high-performance, 505-horsepower Stelvio Quadrifoglio, yet, but if the Giulia Quadrifoglio is any indication, the 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 will be much less efficient.

Compared to the all-wheel-drive Giulia, the Quadrifoglio variant is down six mpg city, four mpg highway, and four mpg combined. If we apply those differences to the Stelvio's EPA estimates, we can expect the speedy version to return 16 mpg city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 20 mpg combined – aside from the city figure, that's broadly similar to the Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Compared to its main rivals, the Stelvio shapes up quite well, matching the fuel economy of the 2.0-liter, turbocharged, all-wheel-drive versions of the 2018 Audi Q5, 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC300, and 2017 BMW X3 across the board (give or a take a mile per gallon). Compared to the BMW and Mercedes, the Stelvio is one mpg thriftier around town. The Alfa isn't as efficient as the Q5 in the city or in the combined estimate, but it's up a point on the highway. These are all broadly negligible differences.

What isn't is the performance Alfa Romeo packs into the Stelvio. Its 2.0-liter produces 280 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque – that's more than the comparable engines in the Q5, GLC300, and X3.

The Stelvio holds up well against some alternative competitors, too. See, the Stelvio – like the Giulia – takes a more dynamic, driver-oriented approach than Germany's luxury entries. Combined with its handsome exterior, Alfa Romeo's first crossover won't only serve as an alternative to mainstream premium SUVs, like the Q5, GLC-Class, and X3, but models like the Jaguar F-Pace and even the pricey Porsche Macan.

The Stelvio easily returns better fuel economy than the F-Pace V6's 18 city, 23 highway, and 20 combined estimates. Selecting the Jaguar with its 2.0-liter, turbodiesel four-cylinder predictably flips the script – it scores 26 mpg in the city, 33 highway, and 29 combined. The Macan, meanwhile, is really only comparable in its base form, both in price and in terms of performance. Its standard 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder is down quite a bit on the Stelvio, though, with 20 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway, and 22 combined. The Alfa is more powerful than either Jaguar or Porsche's 2.0-liter, as well.

All of this is to say that Alfa's first crossover SUV delivers fuel economy that's average for the class while offering consumers more straight-line verve. Or at least, that's what we hope. We'll find out next week when we take the wheel of the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio.