2017 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV revealed in LA | video

The first Alfa Romeo SUV in the brand's 106-year history has finally shown its face, with the long-promised Stelvio Quadrifoglio making its debut at the LA Auto Show overnight.

It's been a long time coming, but our first look at the all-new Alfa Romeo Stelvio suggests the brand's performance-focused SUV might just have been worth the wait.  

The second in a promised fleet of all-new cars, and built off the Giulia's "Giorgio" platform, the Stelvio is named for one of the world's most iconic driving roads; Italy's infamous and switchback-packed Stelvio Pass. 

If that feels like a slightly weird fit for a SUV that measures 4.6 metres long and 2.1 metres wide, that's because it is. But Alfa Romeo is promising its Ferrari-tinkered and Giulia-inspired Stelvio will be up for the challenge - at least in Quadrifoglio (they've dropped the 'Verde' part of the name) guise - with the brand's global chief boasting that it would "challenge two-door sports cars on the track".

Stealing the all-aluminium 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 from the fastest Giulia, the Q model will produce 375kW and 600Nm, enough to push the Stelvio to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 285km/h. The V6 also has a cylinder deactivation function, shutting down three cylinders when not required to save fuel.

It's hard to miss the family resemblance in Alfa Romeo's newest models, with the Stelvio a bigger, bulkier twin to the Giulia QV sedan.

Its power is channeled through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox before being fed to all four wheels via a clever Q4 all-wheel-drive system. In normal conditions, the system sends 100 per cent of the engine's torque to the rear wheels, but it will quickly divert up to 60 per cent of the power to the front wheels when its digital brain senses a loss of traction.

It's hard to miss the family resemblance in Alfa Romeo's newest models, with the Stelvio a bigger, bulkier twin to the Giulia QV sedan. The same flared guards, same Alfa shield design and same prominent body creases mark the exterior, while the unique Alfa alloys match, too.

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While the QV will sit atop the Stelvio tree in Australia, it will be joined by an entry-level Stelvio and a mid-spec Ti model, both of which will adopt Alfa Romeo's turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, producing 206kW and 415Nm, also paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Both models will arrive internationally with 18- or 19-inch alloys, twin-exhaust tips and a flat-bottomed steering wheel as standard.

While every model will be equipped with Alfa Romeo's D.N.A adjustable drive mode system, offering Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency options, only the QV gets an extra Race mode which will reduce gear changes to 100 milliseconds, along with delivering sharper steering, acceleration and braking. A torque vectoring system, the same performance suspension set up as the Giulia QV and optional Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes complete the performance package.

Stelvio is uniquely engineered to challenge two-door sports cars on the track, without sacrificing any of the characteristics you would expect from a premium SUV.

Detailed Australian specifications are yet to be announced, but expect the top-flight Stelvio to adopt a similar specification level to the Giulia QV in Australia, which would mean leather-and-Alcantara seats, a Harman-Kardon stereo, a quad-tipped Monza exhaust and a navigation-equipped, 8.8-inch colour infotainment screen will be among the standard inclusions list. A comprehensive standard safety suite, including AEB and lane keep assist, arrives as standard, too. 

"The all-new Stelvio, named after one of the greatest driving roads in the world - The Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps - sets a new benchmark for the segment," said Alfa Romeo's global chief, Reid Bigland.

"Stelvio is uniquely engineered to challenge two-door sports cars on the track, without sacrificing any of the characteristics you would expect from a premium SUV."

Alfa Romeo is yet to confirm Australian pricing or arrival dates, but we'd expect it some time in 2017.

Has Alfa Romeo built a better F-Pace? Tell us what you think in the comments below.