Overview
WITH the likeable and delightful Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatch left to fade away in the direction of the top of its life – with out direct substitute – you may rightfully argue that its oblique successor, the Tonale SUV, is the automotive tasked with returning the model’s gross sales to a sustainably stage.
The brand new-generation Giulia sedan (2016) and Stelvio SUV (2017) have already confirmed that they aren’t the panacea for Alfa Romeo’s fortunes – regardless of their apparent skills – that means the hybrid-engined Tonale carries the expectation of being the model’s ‘metamorphosis’ car, making its debut as probably the most technologically superior Alfa Romeo ever.
Launched in Europe a yr in the past, however solely simply arriving in Australia, the Tonale achieved round 10,000 European gross sales throughout the rest of 2022 – properly under the Giulietta’s better of 78,911 models on the peak of its skills (2011) – so the stress is already constructing on the Tonale to introduce the Italian model to a broader vary of consumers.
Meant to compete at a better worth level than the Giulietta in opposition to the likes of the Audi Q3, BMW X1/X2, Mercedes-Benz GLA and Volvo XC40, the Tonale debuts in Australia with a single mild-hybrid turbo-petrol drivetrain in two front-wheel-drive variants – the Tonale Ti ($49,900 plus on-road prices) and Tonale Veloce ($56,400 +ORC) – earlier than being joined by an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid model later in 2023.
Relying closely on its ‘hybrid’ effectivity and putting design detailing to draw image-conscious consumers from the premium small SUV phase – moderately than the fantastic thing about its form just like the still-gorgeous Giulietta – the Tonale’s speedy attraction is its measurement.
At 4528mm lengthy, over 1.8m extensive and 1.6m tall, driving on the identical 2636mm wheelbase because the Jeep Compass it shares platform components with, the Tonale is actually a smaller medium SUV moderately than a real small providing – to the advantage of passenger house and doubtlessly additionally worth for cash.
Normal tools in all fairness complete, headlined by adaptive matrix LED headlights with sequential indicators, full-width LED taillights, traditional ‘telephone-dial’ styled alloy wheels, a ten.25-inch infotainment display screen with navigation, wi-fi Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wi-fi telephone charging, a 12.3-inch configurable TFT instrument cluster and ‘Alfa Join’ providers with Amazon Alexa compatibility.
The pricier Veloce goes a step additional with adaptive damping, purple four-piston Brembo entrance brake calipers, Alcantara/leatherette seating (as an alternative of material/leatherette) with purple stitching, and aluminium shift paddles… although the entry-level Ti requires an non-obligatory $2500 Know-how Pack to share the Veloce’s clever adaptive cruise management with traffic-jam help, lane-keep help, blind-spot help, rear cross-traffic alert, aspect parking sensors and a 360-degree digicam with dynamic traces.
Each variants could be optioned with a $4500 Lusso pack that brings heated/ventilated entrance seats, a heated steering wheel and windscreen washers, perforated leather-faced seating with gray double stitching, eight-way electrical entrance seats with driver’s reminiscence and a 14-speaker, 465-watt harman/kardon stereo (as an alternative the inventory six-speaker set-up), in addition to metallic paint ($1600), sunroof ($2500) and, completely on Veloce, tri-coat paint ($2500) and 20-inch alloys ($1500).
So, there’s positively sufficient out there tools to influence premium consumers that the Alfa Tonale is certainly premium.
However does it even have the dynamic expertise and the drivetrain pizzazz to lure not solely new consumers to the model but additionally the Alfa Romeo devoted?
Driving Impressions
Regardless of sharing the core construction of its ‘Small Broad’ platform structure with the Jeep Compass, Alfa Romeo claims the Tonale’s {hardware} and set-up are distinctive, incorporating a strut front-end, impartial rear suspension by way of struts with three hyperlinks per aspect, and two damping varieties – Koni frequency-selective models within the Ti and adaptive dampers within the Veloce – plus dynamic torque vectoring.
Each set-ups largely carry out to expectation. Driving on 235/50R18 Continental tyres, the Tonale Ti produces loads of tyre rumble on coarse-chip surfaces however impresses with its agency but properly damped trip, respectable physique management and satisfying dynamic rhythm.
The 235/45R19 Goodyear-tyred, adaptively damped Veloce feels extra subtle and finessed, and might even stand up to being pushed in Dynamic mode on lumpy nation roads with out shedding its composure.
The Veloce’s ‘DNA’ drive-mode set-up additionally affords a softer damper setting when in Dynamic by urgent a button within the centre of the dial – thereby combining much-improved steering weighting and sharper drivetrain response with Pure’s suspension absorbency – although the Tonale’s steering by no means communicates real really feel. It has zero slack at straight forward and turns in with eagerness, however all the time feels electrical.
Drivetrain smart, the Tonale Hybrid is the primary Alfa Romeo to supply any form of electrification, although it’s primarily a 48-volt mild-hybrid with a gear-driven 15kW/55Nm e-motor linked on to the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a 0.8kWh lithium-ion battery mounted within the centre of the automotive, moderately than a real series-parallel hybrid.
Alfa Romeo claims that the e-motor’s direct mechanical connection permits the Tonale to function very like a full hybrid – providing silent start-up and take-off, and electrical motoring at speeds as much as 15km/h (or past at instances) – earlier than the brand new 1469cc turbo-petrol four-cylinder kicks in.
Producing 118kW at 5750rpm and 240Nm from 1500rpm, the petrol engine’s variable-geometry turbocharger makes itself recognized with distinctly audible turbo whistle round 2000rpm, however that’s concerning the extent of the Tonale’s drivetrain character.
Missing any form of conventional Alfa induction sportiness, it’s fortunate the Tonale Hybrid’s 1.5-litre turbo-petrol is effortlessly torquey and fairly punchy – Alfa claims 0-100km/h in 8.8 seconds, which is half a second faster than an Audi Q3 35 TFSI, and a high velocity of 212km/h.
But appreciable lag typically intrudes in Pure drive mode – notably when the throttle is stomped throughout rolling acceleration, the place the pause earlier than impact could be alarmingly lengthy – and the union of Tonale’s idle-stop system with its dual-clutch transmission lacks the unintrusive slickness anticipated in 2023.
Not less than the Tonale Hybrid’s official mixed gas consumption is a aggressive 5.6 litres per 100km, although we averaged 7.0L/100km in a briskly pushed Ti on flowing nation roads, and 11.2L/100km in a Veloce requested for all the pieces on some super-steep and tight roads within the Adelaide Hills.
Inside house can also be extremely aggressive, with adult-sized rear-seat room and a supportive rear bench that provides good under-thigh help within the outer two positions, however no overhead or door seize handles, and downgraded plastics in comparison with what’s on supply up entrance.
Not less than the Tonale has rear air vents, plus USB-A and USB-C retailers, and respectable baggage capability, regardless of Alfa’s 500-litre declare failing to account for the 17-inch space-saver spare lurking beneath the boot flooring of Australian-spec Tonales.
The entrance buckets with crank-handle peak adjustment and lever backrest adjustment are impressively comfy, although to get full-electric operation you will need to forego the fascinating fabric/gray stitching (Ti) or Alcantara/purple stitching (Veloce) trim centres with leatherette bolsters for dark-coloured perforated leather-based facings with heating/cooling.
The Tonale’s driving place is usually glorious, with Alfa’s good three-spoke steering wheel combining with a 12.3-inch TFT instrument display screen providing a number of view choices that embrace a cultured ‘heritage’ setting with flat-faced digital dials that fantastically mimic the large analogue gauges of late-’60s Alfas.
Switchgear is easy to make use of (such because the lane-assist button being on the top of the left column stalk, not buried beneath display screen layers) and in-cabin tech is bang on, with the ten.25-inch infotainment touchscreen combining with wi-fi Apple CarPlay/Android Auto for slick, seamless operation.
The Lusso pack 14-speaker harman/kardon stereo is impressively crisp and robust too.
However the Tonale’s decrease plastics are all laborious to the touch and really feel cheap – apart from the squidgy, closely grained sprint high – with the rock-hard centre-console edges urgent into the driving force’s shins being a relentless reminder that Tonale’s cabin in the end lacks consistency.
And in terms of the crunch, so does the Tonale itself. It’s a disgrace it doesn’t fairly ship on the sporting sizzle promised by its design detailing or Alfa Romeo branding, so whereas there’s an excellent automotive lurking right here, it finally ends up being a dichotomy.
On the one hand, from a dynamic perspective, the Tonale’s well-balanced dealing with, well-judged trip high quality and highly effective brakes largely compensate for its lack of true steering really feel (which is especially wanting in ‘Pure’ mode). However its often flawed and comparatively uninspiring drivetrain doesn’t gel with this dynamic competence, or the Italian sporting heritage the Tonale’s design cues are attempting so laborious to evoke.
Even after a calibration makeover (which the drivetrain in the end wants), you’re left with a torquey, environment friendly engine that is likely to be pleasantly unobtrusive in one other automotive however one which fails to understand the potential within the in any other case promising Tonale.
Not less than its sound packaging yields ample house and cozy seating mixed with spectacular in-cabin tech, and possibly it’s this side that may attraction most to the contemporary purchaser profile Alfa Romeo is so eager to draw.
However why can’t the Tonale Hybrid do each – coronary heart and head on the similar time – moderately than merely having the ability to crow about being the one hybrid-esque premium small European SUV?
Maybe that’s the job of the forthcoming all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid. For the Tonale’s sake, let’s hope so.
