The new Alfa Romeo Tonale - a car to fall in love with?

Test drive reveals it

Created: 05/06/2022 11:39 am

By: Rudolf Boegel

Curve car - although the engine and transmission are lame.

But is the new Tonale a real Alfa beast?

© Ph. Alberto Giorgio Alquati / Alfa Romeo

Finally a new model from the cult brand Alfa Romeo.

With the Tonale, the Italians are sending an SUV into the race.

• Alfa Romeo wants to attack the BMW X1, Mercedes EQA and Audi Q3 with the Tonale.

• The Italian-French driver relies primarily on a hybrid system with 160 hp.

• Mamma mia: Ironically, the Italians make a real mistake when it comes to the engine.

"Resurrection in Italian" - that's what we were looking forward to after the first but purely static encounter with the

in Munich.

After Stelvio and Giulia, finally a new model.

The rebirth of a highly emotional brand that is over 100 years old and has written racing history(s).

A curiosity on the side: the Milan-based company was initially the subsidiary of a French manufacturer before Italian investors took it over.

It was the "Società Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili" - the name Alfa is derived from the first letters of the last four words.

The later Neapolitan owner Nicola Romeo added the Romeo.

French born, Alfa is now in French hands again.

The Italians belong to

, which in turn is dominated by

and

.

By the way, you can find more detailed driving reports here.

The red cross in the Alfa emblem is the ancient symbol for Milan, the green dragon comes from the family crest of the Milanese Visconti family.

© Mattia Baruffaldi / Alfa Romeo

So much Jeep is in the new Alfa Tonale

This is not only a curiosity, but also says a lot about the

.

It is built on a technical platform that has already seen a few years and a few other models.

For example the

.

That doesn't have to be bad per se, after all, the Volkswagen Group has been pursuing this strategy quite successfully for years with its model brands

,

and

.

Despite similar technology, the individual vehicles still have their own character and an unmistakable soul.

Sporty and chic - this is how the interior of the Alfa Romeo Tonale presents itself.

At least here a real heartbreaker.

© MAX SAROTTO / Alfa Romeo

The Tonale is reminiscent of these Alfas in terms of design

This is defined above all by pure external appearances.

And at least the voices are correct with the new Tonale, which, like its big brother, was named after a pass.

Via the Passo Tonale (1882 meters high) you come from Trentino to Piedmont, the home of Alfa.

And because it's very close to Milan - special attention is paid to the stylish appearance of a car there.

Visually, the tonal poached in its own glorious past.

The three curved

are reminiscent of the legendary Brera, the side line of the Disco Volante and the rear lights of the

racing machine .

Not to mention the rims, which, in good Alfisti tradition, look like vintage telephone dials.

The new Alfa Rome is definitely stylish – after all, it comes from Milan, the capital of the Alta Moda.

© MAXSAROTTO / Alfa Romeo

This detail is even reminiscent of Maserati

So far - so bello.

But the Italian also knows how to please on the inside.

Here and there there are small visual gags like the embossed Italian flag.

The interior is dignified and solid, the screen landscape is digital and the same as with all other manufacturers.

A

that can be designed with different layouts (we liked the retro version with the round instruments best) and a central infotainment screen that manages the most important vehicle functions as a touchscreen.

The menu navigation is simple, even if it's a little cluttered and presents too much information in too little space.

Nevertheless, you can deal with it immediately.

At least here Alfa has made a technological leap.

The

is sporty and has a good grip, the start-stop button for the ignition is unusually stuck to the left spoke and two silver shift paddles arch towards us behind the steering wheel, which one – correctly – already knows from another car.

From the Maserati Grecale, which is also produced by the Stellantis Group.

Unfortunately, whether Alfa or Maserati, they are too oversized, so that you get tangled up on the way to the turn signal and windscreen wiper levers behind them.

Crisp statement.

From the rear, the Alfa Romeo Tonale shows what it really is.

An SUV chasing the X1 and EQA.

© Ph. Alberto Giorgio Alquati / Alfa Romoe

Hybrid drive: We whisper quietly around the lake

It looks like a real Romeo on the catwalk - but can this Alfa also become an Alfa animal on asphalt?

We were allowed to try it out on the narrow mountain roads around Lake Como.

But first of all we have to maneuver our way through the trellis of interested locals.

Which is generally a knighthood.

At the annual "Concorso d'Eleganza Villa Este" the most expensive vintage cars in the world drive up here in their chic metal clothes.

Moltrasio, Carate Urio, Laglio - the old lake road is just as wide as the Tonale.

If we were to meet the Hollywood star George Clooney, who is known to live here, we would have to agree, like a gentleman, on who gives the right of way to the other.

We whisper softly around the lake.

Because the

.

Mild hybrid to be precise.

This means that the 1.5-liter turbo petrol engine is supported by an electric motor (system output 160 hp), which the car can also move a few meters itself.

Otherwise, it drives the Alfa gently in sailing mode or supports as a booster when it comes to getting the Italian up to speed.

Sounds good, but in theory it's a tedious affair in practice.

Even at the sharpest driving level D like Dynamic, the drive unit treats itself to what feels like a second of memory before the Tonale finally falls into a light trot.

There can be no talk of galloping.

Unless you drive with the shift paddles or give full throttle long before you actually accelerate so that the transmission shifts to a lower gear as a precaution.

That is, to put it bluntly,

not worthy of an Alfa.

The brand stands for sportiness and crisp acceleration.

The start and stop button is located directly on the steering wheel.

With the hybrid, the first few meters are automatically covered electrically.

© Juri Baruffaldi / Alfa Romoe

Too bad this engine doesn't exist

And that's really a shame, because the

and

are finely tuned and really put you in a good mood for the next bend.

The feedback from the road is pleasantly firm, the 50:50 weight distribution ensures that the

chases through the steep mountain roads like a sports car.

Unfortunately, the engine howls unpleasantly in the high speed range.

Here we would have wished for either a powerful combustion engine, such as the 265 hp petrol engine that is only offered in the USA and the Emirates.

Or, consequently, a purely electric car.

Because whether the top engine, which is to come at the end of the year, is so much better with 275 hp as a plug-in hybrid version - we dare to doubt it.  

The test roads around Lake Como were just wide enough for the new Alfa Romeo Tonale.

© Juri Baruffaldi / Alfa Romeo

Our verdict on the new Alfa Romeo Tonale

In terms of appearance, the new Tonale is definitely a real "Bellissimo".

A crisp Italian with an irresistible rear and a Latin lover look in the front view.

Curvy in shape, it also curves rapidly through the curves.

However, the fact that this Alfa is not necessarily a Romeo that you immediately fall in love with is due to the hybrid drive train: the engine and transmission react too timidly and hesitantly to take the hearts of drivers by storm.

Specifications Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce 1.5L Hybrid 

• Engine: four-cylinder turbo petrol engine

• Displacement: 1469 cc 

• max. power: 118 kW (160 hp) at 5,750 rpm

• Max. torque: 240 Nm at 1,500 rpm

• E-machine:

• max. power: 15 kW (20 hp)

• maximum torque: 55 Nm 

• Battery: 0.77kWh

• Drive: Seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, front

• 0-100km/h: 8.8 seconds

• Top: 210 km/h

• Standard consumption: 6.3 l/100 km

• CO2 emissions: 144 g/km 

• Length / width / height: 4.53 / 1.84 / 1.60

• Trunk: 500 - 1,550 l

• Empty weight / payload: 1525 / 535 kg

• Towing capacity (used): 1,500 kg

• Price from around 44,500 euros (basic model: 35,500)

What innovations does the car year 2022 still have to offer?

Here is a snippet.

Rudolph Boegel