With the Mito and Giulietta now put out to pasture, Alfa Romeo is pinning its hopes on this new SUV to reclaim some ground in the compact premium market.
Remaining relatively faithful to the concept car of the same name, the Alfa Romeo Tonale also introduces a new and evolved design language for the company, with a return to more rectangular ‘3+3’ headlights that flow into the grille and full-length taillights.
At the lower end of the line-up, you’ll find a 1.5-litre Miller Cycle turbopetrol engine paired with a 48-volt electric motor that can propel the car on its own in limited circumstances. In these models power goes to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and buyers can choose between output levels of 97kW and 120kW. These FWD variants come with an electronic self-locking differential and Alfa Romeo also claims to have given it the most direct steering ratio in the segment.
At the other end of the scale you’ll find a plug-in hybrid Q4 model featuring all-wheel drive and the ability to cover up to 80km of city driving on electric power alone. In this version the front wheels are powered by a 1.3-litre MultiAir turbopetrol engine while the back wheels are motivated exclusively by an electric motor. When everything is working in sync, the range-topping hybrid can sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.2 seconds
Alfa Romeo Tonale buyers can also look forward to a highly digitised cabin, and this is also said to be the first vehicle in the world to feature an NFT (non-fungible token) certificate. The central command centre in the Tonale is a smartphone-inspired 10.25-inch touchscreen featuring customisable widgets and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto as well as built-in Amazon Alexa voice assistance.
The Tonale is also the first Alfa Romeo to feature a digital instrument cluster, but thankfully it has been incorporated into traditional curvy cowls of the kind you’d expect from the brand and drivers can also choose between different layouts, including a Heritage display that emulates traditional instrumentation.
