Alfa Romeo Tonale plug-in hybrid family review

Italian brand Alfa Romeo has added some excitement to the realm of hybrid efficiency with its Tonale Veloce Plug-in Hybrid Q4.

The Alfa Romeo Tonale Plug-In Q4 costs nearly $90,000 once on-road costs are settled.

There’s something special about Italians when it comes to cars.

Passion and emotion emanates from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati.

Alfa Romeo also trades on a reputation of sporting prowess, but the brand has begun to evolve from sports cars to SUVs under the Stellantis group which also houses Italian cousin Fiat, as well as a range of other marques including Jeep, Peugeot, Citroen and Opel.

Walking the line of luxury and athleticism, Alfa has battled for sales in Australia over the past five years. Popularity peaked off the back of success with the Giulietta hatch 10 years ago, but has since been in steady decline with a lack of offerings (see table below).

Yet the Tonale signifies a refresh as Alfa heads toward an all-electric future starting in 2027.

The Tonale compact SUV is available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid offerings, ahead of the Junior’s arrival next year which will have an all-electric option – and could also be the last Alfa with a petrol engine.

With a drive-away price approaching $90,000, the Tonale plug-in hybrid requires some serious buyer passion and deep pockets. Our family put it under the microscope to see whether it could lure buyers in the prestige realm.

What do you get?

Competing against the luxury brands like Audi, Mercedes and BMW, this Alfa sets itself apart with the plug-in hybrid option.

Compared to the standard Tonale hybrid variant, it’s nearly $20k more expensive – yet it also gains more kit.

Among the features are a 14-speaker Harmon Kardon stereo, 12.3-inch TFT driver instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sunroof, 19-inch alloys housing slick red Brembo brakes, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, along with electric driver and passenger seat adjustment.

White is the standard colour, with red, black, grey and blue adding $1600, while the hero green is $2500 more.

It’s a classy looking cabin, boosted by the black leather seats featuring the embroidered Alfa logo, aluminium door sills and pedals, as well as some of the biggest steering wheel paddle shifters ever created.

Warranty coverage is solid at five years and unlimited kilometres, but the big inclusion is roadside assistance for the same period. Most manufacturers limit that time frame.

Capped price servicing costs are at the upper end of the scale, varying between $500 and $1000 for the first five with a total cost of $3100.

Inside the Alfa Romeo Tonale Ti variant.

How was the drive?

Using a turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine to drive the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission, power is also sent to the rear via a single electric motor mounted between the wheels.

When fully charged the small battery can provide about 60km of pure electric range.

With a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.2 seconds, the sprint is brisk yet doesn’t possess the same punch of a pure electric vehicle.

Nor does it deliver the trademark engaging Alfa performance. Instead, it’s a fine daily driver which feels more akin to efficiency over dynamism.

Various drive modes offer varying personalities, a console dial offers Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency variations. Dynamic is the most “Alfa” of the lot, but when the battery dwindles and the engine has to do all the work the power is lacklustre and overall performance is pedestrian.

Some longer highway trips saw the average fuel consumption rise to 4.5L/10km. Like all plug-in hybrids, they do their best work in metropolitan confines, and had we not had the extended trips that figure would have been closer to 2L/100km.

Boot space in the Alfa Romeo Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4 is compromised compared to the petrol models due to the underfloor battery.

Would you buy one?

Kel: With beautiful looks inside and out, the Tonale isn’t your typical compact SUV. While there is reasonable space in the cabin, the boot is too small for my liking. The drive was fine yet nothing astounding. Paying nearly $90k puts it up against some really strong competition and that means I would probably stick with one of the big luxury brands if I was chasing badge kudos.

Grant: Alfa has the ambition to be a zero emissions manufacturer by 2027. The new Junior certainly looks the goods, and hopefully it comes with a more alluring price tag. The Tonale is a good-looking offering which attempts to pull at the heartstrings, but the overall performance doesn’t match the bottom line. If I was desperate to have an Alfa, I’d wait to see what the new all-electric breed delivers.

Alfa Romeo sales over two decades chart.