ALFA ROMEO CROSSWAGON Q4

Introduction Safety Services Mechanicals
A short History of Alfa Romeo 4x4 The Contribution of Fiat Group Companies Images: Crosswagon Q4 on the road Equipment, Options & Colours
Style Sportwagon Q4 Technical Specification  

THE CONTRIBUTION OF FIAT GROUP COMPANIES

A sports coupé of decided personality and flair, yet also a cutting-edge car in terms of equipment, power units and mechanicals.

This was the brief given to the Alfa Romeo engineers and technicians.

To achieve its goal, Fiat deployed its best resources and ensured that maximum quality and reliability standards were applied throughout the product development and construction process.

It also developed a profitable co-operative relationship with its outside suppliers and some Group Companies including Magneti Marelli, Comau, Elasis and the Fiat Research Centre.

Out of this cooperative venture came the many innovative solutions that make the Alfa Crosswagon Q4 and Alfa Sportwagon Q4 the new benchmark in their category.

Magneti Marelli

Magneti Marelli's contribution is mainly in the fields of design, comfort and safety. Firstly, Magneti Marelli's Automotive Lighting engineers developed the design and technology of the front light clusters. The penetrating, wraparound shape of the headlights complements the car's powerful, aggressive front end while confirming its family relationship with other new Alfa Romeo cars. The tail-lights add extra poise to the rear end.

The control panel, infocenter and check control are also built by Magneti Marelli and fit remarkably well into the on-board facia to allow easy consultation and fast access to information.

Safety and high comfort standards are also assured by a fully redesigned suspension produced by Magneti Marelli that includes both front and rear systems.

Comau

The production plants equipped with H4 hollow wrist robots that Comau used to produce the Alfa 156 and Sportwagon bodies were so flexible that the Pomigliano assembly lines could be quickly reconfigured for the Crosswagon Q4 and Sportwagon Q4 models. It was therefore possible to assure the same quality standards already achieved on tried and tested Alfa Romeo products from the outset.

Elasis

A shielded anechoic chamber measuring 23m x 11m x 9m was set up the EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) laboratory at the Pomigliano d'Arco centre that is unique in Italy and at the forefront of European technology. This was used to perform a set of extremely tough tests that involved subjecting the Alfa Crosswagon Q4 and Alfa Sportwagon Q4 models to electromagnetic stresses 25 times as intense as the maximum EM pollution levels permitted by Italian legislation.

A 4x4 roller bench was used to ensure the transmission - a component with a high impact on sound and vibration perceived by the customer - was up to NVH standards.

This bench is located in a semianechoic chamber and can be used to reproduce most of the manoeuvres normally carried out on the road while ensuring test repeatability at all times. It also allows a vibrational map of the propeller shaft and half-axles to be acquired by means of a laser velocimeter located beneath the car. This is used to set the dynamic dampers or mounting pads as necessary to reduce vibrations and noise.

Static and dynamic characterisation rigs were used to adjust and optimise the main systems that affect interior noise (body, facia and trim elements) (acoustic comfort). In particular, subjective and objective measurements were performed on a dynamic characterisation rig (Four Poster rig) within a semianechoic environment where the car tyres were subject to vertical excitation using plates. Acoustic performance was also checked by putting the Alfa Crosswagon Q4 through ageing cycles on a road simulator located in a climatic cell (cobble cycle).

Fiat Research Centre

Innovative procedures are required to build cars that offer extraordinary no-holds-barred performance - or any successful car for that matter. We allow our sporty Alfa customers to guide the design of their dream car, hand in hand with the designer and tester.

The outcome is a brand new car concept that offers considerably more dynamic performance, driving satisfaction and comfort than its competitors under all service conditions and for all drivers - along with the greatest safety, quality and reliability.

The Fiat Research Centre customised its own innovative design procedures to the distinctive traits of the Alfa Romeo brand and conveyed them to the team that designed and produced the new model. Some of these are described below.

For the vehicle
 

  • First and foremost, the car's extreme dynamic performance qualities (super-handling). These allow outstanding performance in terms of car handling and stability, features peculiar to Alfa cars and fundamental to the Driving Satisfaction they offer. These traits, also achieved through the application of the most recent objective on-road simulation and testing methods, allowed the suspension and controls (steering, brakes) to be carefully designed for a satisfying, predictable drive under all speed, manoeuvre and grip conditions.

  • The Alfa style cockpit and interior appointments are the result of rigorous interpretation and customisation of the physical ergonomic criteria that underpin the design of the main controls (steering wheel, pedals, gearbox), driving position, car access and proper use of space, including optimisation of seats to ensure postural, hygrothermal, vibrational and dynamic comfort.

  • To underscore Alfa's distinctive nature and custom features, cognitive ergonomic devices were used to guide the design of communication interfaces (secondary controls, control panel, display) so that Alfa customers could be put behind the wheel of the new car from the design stage through the use of Virtual reality laboratories.

  • We are all aware of the importance of aerodynamics to sports performance: computed dynamic flow methods allowed us to optimise the vehicle's exterior aerodynamics for improved performance and less aerodynamic noise while also allowing interior comfort and wellbeing to be optimised in terms of climate and air quality by improving air flow inside the passenger compartment and helping to develop the specifications of single and dual-zone air distribution systems.

  • Last but not least, noise levels: not all noises are unpleasant: Music is not, for example, and the sound of an Alfa Romeo engine certainly is not. NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) reduction methods aim in this case to minimise interference (to alleviate stress and help driving alertness) while also enhancing the characteristics that allow you to communicate with and mange the power of a true GT.

    For the engines

    The basic design layout of the 1.9 JTD 16v M-Jet engine and its subsequent distinctive high-performance customisation are determined by innovative technologies and computing procedures that allowed the development of:

  • multipoint injection systems for Diesel engines that inject fuel directly into the combustion chamber (Multijet);

  • engine control strategies and calibrations designed to optimise performance, emissions, fuel consumption and comfort simultaneously;

  • direct petrol injection to ensure a stoichiometric mixture;

  • thermal dynamic flow simulation of the combustion process in petrol and Diesel engines;

  • structural analysis of critical power unit components with the aim of improving reliability and acoustic/vibrational comfort.

    For telematic functions

    These are clearly aimed at safe, environmentally-sound mobility:

  • the Navigation System and Mobile Phone Test procedures used to determine telematic system design standards assure quality and reliability;

  • development of a communication protocol for access to services;

  • design of a man-machine interface for in-car telematic functions, to facilitate use by the driver and to supply information in a non-distracting manner;

  • design and definition of voice command system specifications;

  • EMC Engineering procedures and Anechoic Chamber Tests to ensure that the on-board electronics operate correctly in the presence of electromagnetic interference and that electromagnetic pollution standards are met.