The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce PHEV comes with 285 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
My brother-in-law wanted to tell me all about his Toyota RAV4 Prime, the plug-in hybrid version of the best-selling compact SUV that he’d just bought that week. And then I brought home the Alfa Romeo compact plug-in SUV and he felt totally eclipsed. The Toyota is practical and capable, but it doesn’t have the Italian flair of the sporty Alfa, with its sleek silhouette and racing heritage.
The Tonale Veloce is the sportier of the two Tonales. Both the Sprint and Veloce have the same power and torque (285 horsepower and 347 lb-ft), but the Veloce, which costs $4,000 more and starts around $60,000, has 19-inch wheels, paddle shifters and an adaptive suspension. It also has the distinct “Verde Fangio Metallic” green paint of the test car in the photos, and allows you to buy additional packages for driver’s assistance and an upgraded interior.
The tester was fully loaded, even including 20-inch wheels for an extra $2,000. My brother-in-law’s sensible Toyota never stood a chance.
I enjoyed driving it, but probably for all the wrong reasons. For one thing, I didn’t see another Alfa on the road during the week I spent with the Tonale. Alfa Romeo sold only 1,106 vehicles in Canada last year, according to Automotive News Canada, which – with the exception of Fiat, also a Stellantis-owned brand – was less than any other non-exotic and established automaker. Even Jaguar sold a dozen more units. In comparison, Toyota sold more than 196,000 vehicles, led by the RAV4. Alfa’s sales were up by more than 20 per cent from the previous year, however, mostly thanks to finally having a compact SUV on the market.
The paddle shifters, only available on the Veloce, don't revolve with the steering wheel.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The Tonale really does feel compact. The front seats are comfortable, if well-bolstered for side-to-side support, but there’s not much space in the rear seats. That sexy sloping silhouette means the roof drops at the rear and removes some of the cargo space behind the seats, but this is part of the appeal more than a criticism. A similar shape hasn’t hurt sales for the BMW X4 and X6 SUVs.
The main draw for the Tonale is its sporting aspirations, and my brother-in-law liked the way it made him feel while driving in the car, even if the Alfa really isn’t all that quick. It’s no faster than the 302-horsepower RAV4 Prime, though the Veloce does have an adaptive suspension that stiffens at the touch of a button and makes it delightful to carve through the corners. Those big aluminum gear-shift paddles, which attach directly to the steering wheel and don’t revolve with it, work well enough and add a touch of Euro appeal, though smaller, better-integrated paddles are more common and generally simpler to use.
The Alfa Tonale is also sold in Canada with a conventional two-litre gasoline engine, which provides all the style for about $11,000 less, if not as much horsepower and considerably less torque (268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft). However, the PHEV qualifies for the $5,000 federal rebate, bringing the final price much closer, and if you live in a province that offers additional subsidies, the difference is reduced further still.
The sloping roof cuts into cargo space, but is part of the appeal.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce PHEV
- Base price / as tested: $59,995 / $70,935, plus $2,095 for freight and predelivery inspection, plus fees and taxes
- Engine: 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with a 15.5-kilowatt-hour battery and a 90-kilowatt motor
- Horsepower / torque (lb-ft): 285 / 347 lb-ft.
- Transmission / drive: Six-speed automatic / all-wheel drive
- Energy consumption (claimed): 3.1 litres equivalent per 100 kilometres for the electric motor / 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres (regular gas)
- Electric range in kilometres: 48 (claimed) / 39 (observed)
- Alternatives: Lexus NX, Audi Q3, Volvo XC40, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLB, Mini Countryman
Looks
The Tonale looks great for a compact SUV. I’d even say it’s the best-looking vehicle in its class, with shallow triple LED headlights and squiggly “sine curve” tail lamps. Apparently, it echoes the looks of various iconic Alfas, including the 1960s Giulia GT Junior and the 8C Competizione.
Interior
The cabin is busy and focused on the driver.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The cabin is busy and focused on the driver, and I liked that the slim centre display screen complemented the controls rather than just took them over. The Veloce has additional readouts for power and handling, and everything falls well to hand. I never did get used to the starter button being on the left side of the steering wheel, but this is an Alfa quirk; if you do actually get used to it, it’s kind of satisfying to start the engine with a jab of the thumb instead of a deliberate poke of a finger.
Performance
The Veloce PHEV has a 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 15.5 kilowatt-hour battery and a 90 kilowatt motor.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
There are three drive modes, which Alfa calls its “DNA”: Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency. Other automakers would call them Sport, Normal and Eco, but this is Alfa. The Tonale’s focus is always on having a sporty drive, so while Advanced Efficiency turns off the gas engine to use only the electric motor, it will fire up the engine as soon as you press the throttle hard enough for more power. You cannot lock out the gas engine completely, though you can lock out the electric motor to save its charge.
The motor, which provides 180 horsepower of the total and 184 lb-ft of the total torque, is attached to the rear axle, making the Tonale a rear-wheel-drive SUV until the gas engine kicks in to make it AWD.
The power starts to drop from the electric motor when it falls below an 80-per-cent charge, which means you only have maximum power for a relatively short distance. I didn’t notice any deficiency, though. It’s still plenty quick when you want it to be.
There are three drive modes, which Alfa calls its 'DNA': Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Technology
The Tonale’s claimed range on all-electric power is at least 48 kilometres. I drove it in the single-digit temperatures of early spring and could get no more than 39 kilometres. The electric range lasted much longer on “Natural,” when the gas engine took on most of the driving duty.
Even so, the focus for this car is on usable power rather than saving fuel, and finding the best combination of gas and electric to give you the best driving experience. If you just want to save gas, then buy an all-electric car or a sensible PHEV with a longer range, like the Toyota RAV4 Prime.
Once the battery was drained, the 1.3-litre engine consumed gas at just 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres, which was an improvement on the claimed average consumption of 8.1 litres. There’s always some power in reserve, even when the battery shows itself to have no charge, and it will recharge itself on the fly. When plugged in, a totally drained battery will take about 10 hours to charge from a 120-volt household socket, or a quarter of that time from a 240-volt Level 2 charger. Strangely, the cord will not lock in place while charging and the vehicle is locked – anyone can remove it if they’re so inclined. This would always be a worry at a public charger.
Cargo
The trunk has 648 litres of space behind the rear seats, expanding to 1,430 litres when those seats are folded flat.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
There’s 648 litres of luggage space behind the rear seats, expanding to 1,430 litres when those seats are folded flat. That sounds good, but the low roof means it’s relatively long and wide but not tall. Owners probably won’t care.
The verdict
There’s not much competition for a sporty, compact plug-in hybrid SUV. Most vehicles this size are either fully electric or traditional gas, and focused on frugality. Mainstream PHEVs like the RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson cost $5,000 to $10,000 less, but the Alfa Romeo Tonale adds some zip and character to the drive.
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