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The plug-in hybrid Tonale small SUV is the next step in a long Italian journey for Alfa Romeo in North America. Though the company sells few cars in the U.S. and Canada compared to deliveries in Europe, the Stellantis division sees the market as important as it begins to round out its portfolio.
The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale is designed to fit in rather than stand out, but with a certain Italian je ne sais quois. On the roads of bustling downtown Milan, Italy, where Alfas are parked streetside on nearly every block, it does just that.
On U.S. streets, the trick with the Alfa is to stand out. It needs to if the company will grow on the continent and beyond. There's some level of success already, with Alfa profitable in 2021, doubling 2021's profit in 2022, and on track to double 2022's profit in 2023.
The fast track to the Italian's success may also come down to the current incentive offer on the SUV – up to $7,500 when the car is leased through a Stellantis Preferred Lender. Additional state and local incentives may also be available.
Though it wins on looks thanks to sharp paint colors like Verde Fangio Metallic and striking head- and taillight design, the Tonale also has to win on power and performance, even if it's primarily used for commuting or grocery getting.
Tonale is sold globally, but U.S. versions have been specially tuned with different acceleration, braking and handling characteristics. North American versions of the Tonale are heavier than European versions, owing to more stringent crash test requirements. Alfa has installed more protection at the rear for those buyers.
Only the global model was available for test drives.
Don't let the SUV's engine size fool you. It has a turbocharged 1.3-liter four-cylinder under the hood. Pair that engine's power with a 15.5-kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery and 90-kilowatt (kW) electric motor, and the car achieves a best-in-class 285 horsepower (hp) and 347 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque.
The setup is about 60 percent what Jeep has in its vehicles, but with a completely different motor, energy allocation and software. Alfa didn't comment about how like the new Dodge Hornet, the model's fraternal twin, the SUV is.
The heft of the battery proves too much to make the SUV seem sporty or dynamic, producing enough bob around corners to prevent it from being finessed to any real degree, even in the Dynamic drive mode, which tightens up the steering, chassis and acceleration inputs. On roads without twisting and turning, the Tonale is far more of a pleasure to drive.
Battery power enables the car to travel 33 miles only using electricity, before it switches to hybrid power. With a full battery charge, the Tonale can go 360 miles between stops at the gas pump.
Alfa says that the SUV's battery takes 6.5 hours to fully charge from empty using a common 240-volt household outlet. Charging via a faster connection can fill it up with electrons in around 2.5 hours.
Tonale's interior is a solid offering from Alfa. There's plenty of style to sex up the low-rent bits keeping buyer noses in check as they peruse this entry-level offering. Add in "best-in-class roominess" as they call it, and there's solid reasons for North Americans to cross-shop this SUV with other premium products.
A 12.3-inch driver information screen is matched with a 10.25-inch infotainment touch screen that cleanly displays widgets in the same vein as how other Stellantis (namely Jeep and Chrysler) products do. Amazon Alexa, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all available for use.
The Tonale arrives in the U.S. at a time where there is little direct competition. The offerings from Infiniti are larger and Volvo's small SUV has wholly different design characteristics. That means that the Alfa stacks up most directly against the Lexus NX and Lincoln Corsair, both of which are formidable offerings that come in plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) variants.
But, the Lincoln has priced to start its Corsair PHEV at $53,885 and the NX PHEV starts even higher, at over $58,000. While both are a better drive, for the average consumer, the Alfa Romeo Tonale, which starts at $42,995 and tops out at $47,495 is a perfectly acceptable choice over the competition, especially with the $7,500 leasing incentive offers kicking in.
About the writer
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull leads the Autos team at Newsweek. She has written extensively about the auto industry for U.S. News & ... Read more