Space, comfort and a desirable badge. With Alfa comes a design aesthetic that most manufacturers dream of having. With Stellantis comes what Alfa needs most, a cost effective platform which will be updated every 4 years or so. It will also benefit from other brands under the Stellantis umbrella, their experience of what works and what doesn’t, based on a multitude of models within the group.
The Tonale has inherited the family genes in the way it looks inside and out. The steering is a little light & it would be great to see them add some adjustment here. We still have the DNA drive modes on the circular drive selector mounted on the transmission tunnel. You get the tightened suspension setting for b road fun and then when you’re left cruising on the motor always you can soften it up by putting it into comfort mode.
Powering the TI version is a 1.5-litre inline-four ‘mild-hybrid, which uses an 0.8kWh battery. Combustion and electric sources combine to produce 158 bhp and a family friendly 0-100 km/h time of 8.8 seconds. As is the want of some hybrids, there can be a delay between asking for acceleration and getting it.
The TI version comes with LED headlights, rear parking camera, powered boot, keyless entry and infotainment system.
The Veloce trim adds bigger 19” wheels, Alcantara interior, adaptive dampers, gorgeous aluminium shift paddles and it starts at €53k. Some of the optional packs include heated/cooled electric seats and a Harman Kardon audio system.
The Tonale is a great-looking vehicle which doesn’t yet do anything to break the SUV mould, it has beautiful design on its side and the Alfa mould was pretty stylish to begin with. The Interior is recognisable to Alfa owners and with that comes an easy sense of what is going on around you as a driver. There’s no marketing dept taking over with confusing and unnecessary gimmicks or features. The touchscreen is user friendly and easy-to-navigate.
The Tonale is far more entertaining down a twisty road than an Audi Q3 or Lexus UX, it gives more feedback through the steering and is agile and sharper to drive. The Tonale’s composure means it feels more like a slightly raised hatchback rather than a hulking big family SUV.
For the future, Alfa have envisioned a more family friendly Tonale concept where the boot contains an extendable baby changing tray / parcel shelf. They also have designs for a baby monitor which connects to a mobile device and can monitor front- or rear-facing child seats.
They’ve also come up with some particularly clever storage in the form of a bento box for holding snacks, and a spot for pens all incorporated into the back of the front seats within a leather embossed pouch. For longer journeys a tablet holder would keep children entertained once there’s a fully loaded iPad installed. There’s also included a space for toys in the middle of the rear bench.
It all remains to be seen just how many Alfas we’ll see on Irish roads in the coming years. There are currently three Alfa Romeo dealers in Ireland; Dublin, Cork and Waterford. That dealership network has plans to grow with demand.