6 minute read
Alfa Romeo Tonale
FORECOURT ALFA ROMEO TONALE
Under the bonnet
THE KNOWLEDGE
Alfa Romeo Tonale
Starting price (est): £35,000-£36,000 Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance
Power: 158bhp
Torque: 240Nm
Max speed:
130mph
O-60mph:
8.8 seconds
MPG (combined):
44.8-49.6
Emissions:
130-144g/km CO2
The Tonale has been a long time in the making, but what’s it like now it’s finally here? Jack Evans went to Italy to get the answers.
WHAT IS IT?
The Alfa Romeo Tonale was first revealed at the Geneva Motor Show way back in 2019 where it arrived as a new addition to Alfa’s SUV range, slotting underneath the Stelvio. However, it has taken up until now for it to reach the public road.
WHAT’S NEW?
On top of the usual Alfa Romeo styling – which looks even better in the metal than it does in pictures, in our opinion – there aims to be even greater driver involvement through tuned dynamics, as well as good levels of practicality and standard equipment. It’s capable of receiving over-the-air updates, too, while Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant has been fully integrated to allow you to communicate with other compatible devices in your home. For instance, you could ask your home smart speaker to tell you the fuel level.
WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET?
For now, there’s just a single engine option coming to the UK that combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a compact electric motor and battery for improved efficiency and the ability to run on EV-only power at very slow speeds, such as when parking or in traffic. Soon, Alfa Romeo will add a full plug-in hybrid setup to the Tonale range, which will be capable of returning around 37 miles of electric-only range. All cars are front-wheel drive, sending power through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
Moving off, the Tonale does well to maintain that silent electric-only propulsion that you get from larger-battery hybrids, which makes town driving very pleasant, as well as quiet. Of course, the engine soon cuts in, but the transition is reasonably smooth, with the 1.5-litre unit producing a surprisingly pleasant engine note when asked to provide more power.
It feels reasonably brisk, too, and is backed by pleasant steering that feels accurate. On twisty roads, the Tonale is really composed and impressively level, in fact. However, the seven-speed gearbox lets the package down, as it’s dim-witted and at times feels a little lost in its own ratios.
WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?
Space isn’t an issue, with great levels of room for those sitting up front and in the rear, too. It’s the latter that is particularly impressive, with loads of headroom and good kneeroom making this a practical carrier for passengers of all sizes. The 500-litre boot has a variable floor and is square and really easy to access. More of a disappointment is some of the material choices. We can’t fault the leather-type surface applied to the top of the dash, but further down are vast swathes of cheap-feeling plastic, particularly around the switchgear area, with the same story in the back. It’s a shame, as the general appearance of the cabin is good but it’s let down by these poor materials.
WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?
Official pricing hasn’t yet been announced but Alfa says the Tonale will start from around £35,000. That puts it in the region of key rivals such as the Mercedes GLA and Volvo XC40, but the Alfa definitely competes in terms of standard equipment, with its new 10.2-inch infotainment screen being a core part of this. It gets Alfa’s latest system and is a cut above those in the Giulia and Stelvio, with better responsiveness and more features, too.
Equipment highlights on the entry-level Ti include wireless smartphone charging, matrix LED headlights and a reversing camera. Meanwhile, the Veloce grade adds 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and adaptive suspension.
WHAT DO THE PRESS THINK?
Auto Express said: ‘We love the Alfa Romeo Tonale’s style and the way it handles on a good road. But there are some elements clearly holding it back from being a real threat to the best premium compact SUVs out there.’
Autocar said: ‘The Tonale is a decent car, but it lacks the home-run ability or just the oldschool charm to give us full confidence in the future of the brand.’
WHAT DO WE THINK?
It’s a case of peaks and troughs. The engine is noteworthy for its efficiency and decent EVrunning ability but is let down by the gearbox. The cabin looks good and is spacious but can’t hack it when it comes to material quality. In truth, it adds up to a car that feels a little muddled. Then there’s the question of rivals. Just going off the indicative starting price, the Tonale falls in the middle of other options that do things a little better and seem a little more rounded. It feels as though the Tonale is hamstrung by a series of issues that stop some key attributes from coming to the fore. It’s by no means a bad car, but with premium aspirations come premium requirements and that’s something it doesn’t quite nail.
Style
The design of both the front and rear sections looks great and is a real head-turner.
Interior
The quality of some materials used is disappointing but there’s plenty of space in the front and rear.
TARGET BUYERS:
Those who want a little bit of flair from their family-sized SUV.
THE RIVALS:
BMW X1 Volvo XC40 Mercedes-Benz GLA
KEY SELLING POINTS:
1. Strong looks. 2.Good handling 3.Decent interior space.
DEAL CLINCHER:
The Tonale will definitely charm those drivers who want character above all else.
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