MOTORING REVIEW: Tonale begins a new era for Alfa Romeo

GETTING behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo is always an exciting prospect, given the Italian carmaker’s trademark heritage of building sporty cars for over a hundred years. The brand has participated in F1 races many times and also secured wins at the Monte Carlo Rally, so sportiness and performance are integral to its DNA.

Alfas have not been big sellers here in recent years but with the Irish Alfa Romeo franchise now held by the family-owned Gowan Auto, this is likely to change. Also because of a new Alfa launched here earlier this year, the Tonale.

Tonale is a premium compact crossover and is the first Alfa Romeo to offer hybrid engines. It uses the same platform as the Jeep Compass. The car looks sporty yet elegant when viewed from the side in particular, with its sloping roof, big alloy wheels, and red painted brake callipers. For me there is possibly too much going on in the front to distract the eye with the matrix headlights, the iconic Alfa shield logo, and big air intakes all vying for attention. At the rear, tail lights form a curve that wraps around the rear of the car and dual chrome exhaust pipes add to the sporty look.

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The dark interior sets a racy mood with black leather seats, materials and finishes. I would have appreciated some more contrasting trims to help brighten the look. I found seats, with smart embroidered Alfa logos, to be firm with hardly any give. The driver’s had lumbar support. But those seated in the back won’t have much legroom behind a tall person in front.

The recessed instrument cluster allows three different layouts including a Heritage one inspired by the brand’s iconic historic models. Negotiating the infotainment system screen was a bit confusing at first but it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, various widgets and Alfa Connect services, as well as Alexa voice service. There are traditional type air conditioning controls. Unusually, the starter button is on the steering wheel and not on the dashboard.

While there is a good reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors, visibility over my right shoulder was poor and there was no blind spot cover. The 385 litre boot in the PHEV is smaller than the 500 litres in the mild hybrid version, because of the larger battery. With flat rear seats this rises to 1430 in the PHEV, and 1550 litres in the MH. The car had a power tailgate.

The 285hp hybrid system comprises a 1.3 turbo four with a 6-speed automatic transmission driving the front axle and an electric motor powering the rear wheels. 0-100km/h can be done in 6.2 secs. You can choose from Dynamic or Normal modes selectable from a rotary switch on the central console. Alfa Romeo people rate the all-electric range at 56kms in the PHEV, expected to be the volume seller.

Standard features include 18ins alloys, heated side mirrors, dual zone air conditioning, and Adaptive Cruise Control. Trims are Ti, Veloce, and an exclusive Speciale Edition. Six exterior colours are offered along with three interior trim levels.

The car shone both on motorways and on country roads with lots of twists and turns where it held the road well with great grip. There was noise over some road surfaces and I found the steering a bit light but that was probably just me.

PRICES: MHEV prices from €49,995:my PHEV eAWD is from €55,495.