First Drive: Alfa Romeo Tonale
A New Plug-in Hybrid Says Hello World
We are in the home of Alfa Romeo, at the proving grounds in Balocco, Italy, an hour’s Drive from Milan, a region rich in history for fashion, design, and crafting elegant sports cars. In contrast to other proving grounds, the area is tree-covered and spring flowers bloom. The courtyard is open and inviting, the Italian charm omnipresent.
To introduce the Alfa Romeo Tonale, a woman’s voice over plays over symphonic tones on a promo video. “You can’t take the Italy out of an Alfa Romeo,” she says, an affirmation of the vibes I feel. A pair of jewel-toned red and green Tonales appear on the screen, distinct by the trefoil, a triangular shaped design on the grille on the vehicle, five round circles in the wheels, and a flourish of a line as a reference to the 1960s era Giulia sports car.
Engine sounds screech from the racetrack in the background. The company’s chief executive Jean Philippe Imparato takes the stage and delivers impassioned remarks about the intentions for the company and the stakes to get this car right and how he plans to shift the perception on quality. An emerald tone Tonale sits polished and primed to his left. Tonale is an essential stepping-stone for Alfa Romeo as it makes its case for its intended electric future, offered only as a plug-in hybrid, which means that it also qualifies for the current $7,500 federal US tax credit tax credit, when financed. (I am told most Alfa customers will lease their vehicles.)
I am here with a group of international journalists who traveled to Italy for the first opportunity to drive the Tonale, a car based on a 2019 concept. Half of the guests in my North American group are women, gender parity that’s intentional, because Alfa hopes to sell the majority of Tonales to women, a divergence from its current core customer group made up of mostly men.
The Tonale is Alfa Romeo’s first vehicle to be introduced in five years, and even more critical, a partially electrified entry that in the industry is known as the luxury subcompact SUV. Its essentially the smallest vehicle in the sport utility portfolio, which adds elevated seating and cargo space to convey that it can do-it-all. The Tonale is one of only two plug-in hybrids made in its price point that starts at roughly $45,000. It’s a space where Alfa competes against the likes of the Lexus NX, the Audi Q3, the BMW X1, and the Lincoln Corsair — the only other plug-in hybrid in the segment.
Let’s start with the ins and out of the charging experience. The Tonale has a range of 30 electric miles and 320 miles reliant on fuel for a combine 370 miles. It takes 2.5 hours to charge the 90-kW electric motor on a 240-volt public level II charger. It’s equipped with a home charging cable for standard 120-volt charging at home, which will take 8 hours, or owners can opt to install a 22kw domestic wall box and use an additional Type 3 charging cable to gain a faster home-charging option. Note that the vehicle does not work with Level III DC fast-charging capabilities found at many public charging stations. An Alfa app can help manage charging output and thresholds. Fuel economy is still to be determined.
Alfa Romeo President Larry Dominque says Alfa Romeo is working on a system to serve up customer information on accessible public charging networks through its branded app. This network will be essential to Alfa’s future product line when the brand goes all electric over the next five years.
The infotainment system is the Stellantis-guided Uconnect 5 that shows up on a 10.25-inch center touchscreen and 12.3-inch driver’s cluster screen and its straight forward to operate. Some controls are still handled by switches below the center screen. Tech branded features such as Amazon Alexa, allow Alexa users to double check their charging power or to pop the trunk from the comfort of the couch. It has over-the-air software updates, which are now part of the Stellantis offering.
“Alfa Romeo driving isn’t subtle.”
Safety and technology work hand in hand, including traffic sign recognition, forward collision warning with full stop, active blind spot assist, driver attention alert, and lane keep assist.
The all-black leather interior on the model I test had a simple, clean no-frill cabin design. The interior cabin has a decent amount of space for my 5 foot-8 frame. It’s made in three editions as the TI, the Spring and the Veloce.
Alfa Romeo driving isn’t subtle — and the Tonale lives up to the brand’s ethos that harkens back to its motor sports roots. Known for dynamic handling and spirited performance, the Tonale produces 285 horsepower and 295 pound feet of torque. The characteristic quiet of a battery-powered motor greets the driver as a push of the start button to the left of the steering wheel.
A tap of the pedal means that Alfa thrusts forward, buoyed by the boost of torque from the electric motor. As the car gains speed, it has a lightness to it that make handling feel agile. Tonale dual power mode is geared for the driver that likes to have a little pep behind the wheel, and fun to use when dynamic mode is selected. Brakes are there at a clip and I had some fun cornering in the Tonale. Driving Tonale felt like the car was there to serve me, an enthusiastic compatriot.
The Tonale has a just-right feel for a category that will likely continue to grow as automakers transition to all-EV portfolios. It’s one that we recommend as a solid leasing option until a consumer is ready to make the jump to all-electric power that’s just around the next corner. The impressive part about Tonale is its willingness to be all the things — a drivercentric hybrid crossover with a zesty personality for the customer who wants to dabble in a little bit of fun.