Alfa Romeo Tonale brings fun and flair to crossover segment
Sporty Italian is a fresh breeze in a crowded class; Alfa just needs to convince more buyers, writes Denis Droppa
Iam fascinated by the interest shown in Alfa Romeos being so out of kilter with how many are sold. Drive almost any of the Italian brand’s cars and you’re routinely greeted by smiles and thumbs-ups as you drive past.
It’s the kind of admiration usually reserved for more exotic machines with prancing horses in their badges. Yet look at the sales charts and Alfa appears near the bottom. Last month, Alfa sold exactly nine cars in SA, comprising three Stelvios and six Tonales — the latter the subject of this road test.
Evidently most buyers, when it comes to actually laying out money for a car, are ruled more by their heads than their hearts. They may like dreaming about
Alfas but they end up buying the safe-bet Toyota, BMW or Volkswagen, and these days also the ever-improving Chinese brands.
Do a straw poll about this and the usual long-held reasons surface: Alfas break down after-sales support isn ’and t great. the Translated: she may be a fun dalliance but you don’t want to actually marry your hot, temperamental mistress.
The reality belies the perception and Alfa performs well in independent reliability studies. For instance, in the 2022 JD Power Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) in the US the Italian brand ranked highest among premium brands, ahead of Porsche and Lexus.
I won’t hold my breath that this feat might prompt an instant jump in Alfa sales; perceptions can be heavy ships that take time to turn around.
To the Tonale, then, which was launched in SA recently to slot below the Stelvio in the marque’s crossover SUV range.
Its seductive styling I’ve already touched upon, and the thumbs-ups it left in its wake attested to its pleasing facade. The design references Alfa’s storied past with distinctive “3+3” LED headlights that are a tribute to the SZ Zagato model of the 1980s, while the rear window pays homage to the 8C.
The mid-tier Speciale test car priced at R815,900 ramps up the visual appeal with 20-inch alloy wheels and matte black body detailing. The other models are the entry-level R754,900 Tonale Ti and the flagship R835,900 Tonale Veloce.
In terms of driving character, the first time I turned the steering it was clear that Alfa’s newest car stays true to the brand’s sporty ethos.
Unless you were told this vehicle is a crossover/SUV, you wouldn’t know by driving it. Despite its raised 152mm ride height the Tonale feels like a sports hatch with its very direct steering and pressed-down feel when you slice through fast corners.
Alfa has achieved this driversatisfying prowess without resorting to ultra-stiff suspension and the Tonale has a reasonably comfortable ride, helped by Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) shock absorbers that adapt to driving conditions for a balanced mix of handling and comfort.
If you want to really push the pace through tight turns, an electronic torque vectoring system reduces understeer.
Where this Alfa Romeo has gone off-piste is in its powertrain. It is the first hybrid Alfa and the three-model range is exclusively powered by a 1.5l petrolturbo engine paired with a 48V electric motor.
With total outputs of 118Nm and 240Nm it’s no hot performer (a 0-100km/h time of 8.8 seconds is claimed along with a top speed of 210km/h), and frugal fuel consumption was the main mission. Perhaps the straight line performance doesn’t quite live up to the car’s sporty handling and styling, and it could do with a touch more power, especially as the more powerful 162kW VW Tiguan 2.0
TSI 4Motion R-Line is available at a similar price.
That said, it has enough thrust for real-world driving, especially in the most sporty of its modes selectable on the DNA controller. Here, it feels appealingly swift and the power comes on song without lag.
There is a clear drop in pace when you select the normal or fuel-saving modes. The hybrid system doesn’t allow for long cruising ranges using electric power, but switches off the combustion engine when pulling away from a standstill or creeping in slow traffic.
It’s all impressively smooth, and the car switches between electric and petrol power imperceptibly, with no lurches.
The hybrid system delivers the promised fuel savings and the test car averaged a satisfactory 7.3l/100km in a combined town/freeway cycle, though it never threatened the sub-six litre figure claimed by Alfa.
It’s a refined car with a solid feel and good noise suppression. The smart-looking cabin has a qualify feel in line with the premium price, with soft-touch surfaces and metallic accents, and the gadgets are plentiful. The touchscreen infotainment system is intuitive to use and there are user-friendly physical buttons for the climate control.
At 4.53m long the Tonale swallows four adults in reasonable comfort though rear legroom is a little tight. Rear seat passengers get their own air vent and two charging ports, though the seats can ’ t be adjusted for backrest angle or legroom. They can be flipped down to expand the boot, however, which is a good 500l size to start with partly because there is no spare wheel.
The Tonale has a five-star Euro NCAP crash rating and its comprehensive list of safety features includes forward collision warning, lane-keeping aids, traffic sign recognition and emergency pedestrian braking.
With the automotive world becoming ever more copycat and homogenised, Alfa Romeo is a brand that still stands out with its strong styling character and sporty driving personality.
From its early sales the Tonale looks destined to become another good Alfa that will be admired from a distance but not bought in the numbers it deserves, and that’s a pity.
IT IS A BRAND THAT STILL STANDS OUT WITH ITS STRONG STYLING CHARACTER AND SPORTY DRIVING PERSONALITY