Bite-size 2024 Tonale SUV meaty Alfa Romeo appetizer
Heading downhill on Route SP338 though the Italian countryside, the road narrows to a single lane on the way to Bollengo, a ribbon of fast curves and 180-degree hairpins ahead. I floored my Alfa Romeo tester’s throttle and the steel stallion surged through the tree-lined curves.
I admired the classic Italian scenery in the crib of Lombardy province where Alfa was born 113 years ago. But I am not driving a classic, low-slung Alfa sports car.
I’m piloting a highriding Tonale SUV aimed squarely at the U.S. market.
Yes, SUV. For its latest act, the revered Italian brand is leading with an electrified, all-wheeldrive, tech-tastic, subcompact Tonale SUV. Though half-electrified, the Tonale is hardly half-baked. This is a compelling entry.
It’s the best looking SUV in segment.
You had me at the five-hole, phone-dial wheels. Alfa’s Trilobo grille is recognizable but not garish. It’s graced everything from the 1955 Giulietta to the 4C, and Tonale gives it a 21st century interpretation with thin, triple-beam headlights framing the beaklike grille. It looks like a sparrow hawk cruising for prey.
The Tonale’s flanks are toned, simple. Unlike the look-at-me Lexus NX, the Alfa (wrap it in any of Italy’s national, red/white/ green colors) knows it’s handsome.
The beauty is hardly skin deep.
The Tonale is the only plug-in hybrid in segment along with NX. That means that, under a loophole in federal law, the $44,590 plug-in is eligible for $7,500 tax credit if leased, giving it a huge sticker price advantage over its competitors.
And Alfa expects 80% of Tonales will be leased.
I motored through Candelo and Biella on battery power alone, using all but 9 miles by the time I hit the SP338 twisties.
I rotated the dial to D (Dynamic) and the Alfa noticeably stiffened. Dynamic mode puts all systems on full alert: turbo-4 driving the front wheels, e-motor driving the rears, six-speed transmission, shocks. Andiamo!
The steering column bears the brand’s trademark bat-wing paddle-shifters, but they went unused thanks to the silky transmission — and all that torque at the end of my right leg. The Tonale is not tuned as aggressively as the Hornet and falls short of the best-in-class BMW X1.
Of more interest to daily users is the SUV’S usable rear seat (Tonale claims best-in-class interior room) and significantly upgraded electronics. A remote Alfa app and wireless Apple Carplay/ Android Auto are standard, as are twin digital displays, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot assist.
The latter pair are must-haves, and on Italy’s narrow streets they came in handy time and again. Alfa has taken pains to improve its quality — “I don’t want to make any trade-offs on any items related to quality,” emphasized CEO Jean-philippe Imparato at Tonale’s media launch here. Time will tell if Alfa can shrug that monkey off its back. It’s crucial to the brand’s success. But Tonale is instantly recognizable inside as well as out when you press the steeringwheel-based ON button.
Alfa hasn’t changed, and everything is changing.