Taken by the enthusiasm for the presence of the useful Amazon Alexa App on board the new premium Alfa Romeo C-suv, it is easy to get carried away and try to use it to establish a dialogue with the Alfa Romeo company.
After all, all car manufacturers have a soul and therefore, it is supposed, also their own 'voice'.
And Alexa could be the perfect tool for a user who is well impressed by this new model - as we were - to compliment Alfa Romeo, and above all for this interesting extension of the offer, now also hybrid, which will address the new needs. of customers.
We will never know, however, if Alexa's artificial intelligence is capable of enjoying this type of dialogue, or rather of comparison between the machine and man.
Being told about a pleasant experience behind the wheel of Tonale is not in fact part of the features provided by the Amazon voice assistant installed in the car.
With the voice commands addressed to Alexa it is instead possible to be constantly updated on the status of the car - even from home if you have the system - by asking questions about the fuel level, asking the last position of the Tonale, to operate the remote door locking and unlocking commands, and much more.
And of course use Alexa, even from inside the car, to search for a nearby restaurant, to adjust the lights or the air conditioning, all without distracting yourself from driving.
Look at the photos
Alfa Romeo Tonale Hybrid
However, one thing is easy to share: the commitment that Alfa Romeo has put into making life on board pleasant and functional, whether the driver wants to take advantage of the sporty DNA of this premium C-suv, or whether Tonale is used for mobility. daily, for work and also for leisure.
Once seated behind the wheel you will notice the presence (as standard) of the new infotainment system consisting of two large displays - in total they reach 22.5 inches, a record in the segment - and a sophisticated HMI (Human Machine Interface) fluid and intuitive to have all the features at your fingertips.
Furthermore, thanks to the customizable Android operating system and 4G connectivity with Over The Air (OTA) updates, the new infotainment system guarantees constantly updated content, features and services.
Beautiful and easy to read the characteristic 'telescope' instrumentation where the historical analog indicators are replaced, however, by the 12.3-inch TFT screen which can also be reconfigured in the Evolved, Relax and Heritage layouts.
Even the touch screen on the dashboard, inspired by the latest smartphones, allows it to be programmed according to the logic of widgets.
Everyone can thus create their own homepage, in which each feature is an application.
This facilitates access to the Alfa DNA (to select the driving modes), the radio, the telephone, the navigator, the air conditioning, the connected services and the ADAS customizations.
That of Tonale, in the latter area, is an innovative technology at the service of safety and comfort, which however is never invasive or preponderant with respect to humans.
There are new level 2 autonomous driving systems that combine the front camera by monitoring the car's surroundings longitudinally and laterally.
But also the Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC) and Lane Centering (LC) systems.
The Autonomous Emergency Braking with Vulnerable Road Users is really useful, which warns the driver of the danger due to the presence of a pedestrian or a cyclist and brakes Tonale until it stops to avoid or mitigate the collision.
On request, Blind Spot Detection is available, which monitors rear blind spots, signaling any approaching vehicles, and Rear Cross Path Detection, which identifies vehicles approaching from the side when moving in reverse.
But Tonale, like all Alfa Romeos, is above all a model that enhances the efficiency of electronic systems and connectivity, with its physicality, with a musculature that is the legacy of over a hundred years of sporting DNA.
In the Hybrid version subject of our detailed test on the roads of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany, the brand new 1.5 4-cylinder 160 Hp VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) engine makes its exclusive debut, which is equipped with a variable geometry turbocharger and direct petrol injection at 350 bar.
The car features front-wheel drive and the new 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in which a 15 kW and 55 Nm P2 48V electric motor is integrated that drives the wheels even when the turbo petrol is off.
This is a solution that translates into many EV features such as 100% electric starting, parking maneuvers with only batteries (even urban travel at low speed) and, above all, during the soaring phase.
that is the condition in which Tonale proceeds on the motorway by inertia and saves a lot of petrol.
The list of these features includes Silent Start;
Energy Recovery;
Boost & Load point shift;
Electric Drive;
e-Creeping: e-Launch;
e-Queuing and finally e-Parking.
This is why the Tonale Hybrid VGT 160, with a maximum speed of 210 km / h and a 0-100 sprint in 8.8 seconds, is approved for WLTP consumption of only 5.7 - 6.3 liters per 100 km in the combined, with emissions of CO2 which are contained in 130 g / km.
