Brian Douglas
You’ve got to love a vehicle whose full model name has so many vowels. If the entire moniker was written in chrome across the trunk, it would be as wide as the taillights. Of course Alfa Romeo kept its design principles intact and simply stated Tonale in a stylish script under the Alfa Romeo logo.
While we’re on the subject of design, Alfa’s new Tonale has nailed it pretty well, creating an SUV that has some glamor in a marketplace that’s fully populated with utilities from nearly every brand. At press-time, McLaren had not yet succumbed to the trend, but I hold my breath for an announcement from the British sportscar builder.
Alfa Romeo’s heritage leads up front with its trademark grille in black chrome between triple headlamp assemblies that make a purposeful scowl. Prodigious air vents, an attribute that we find often these days, sit below and are also finished in black. Down the flanks, side sculpturing lends just the right look, highlighting 20-inch Grigio five-hole wheels that allow the red Brembo brake calipers to bask in the light.
Inside, the nicely bolstered, perforated leather seats were comfortable with memory adjustments and the driver faces an instrument cluster with big hooded gauges that display road and engine speed along with other important data. The leather-wrapped steering wheel contains the start-stop button on the left and suspension tuning on the right. And if that’s not enough of a performance cue, the big “elephant ear” shift paddles are easily at hand and available for controlling cornering mischief.
A 12.5-inch color display is mounted in the center of the dash to display all the infotainment functions from mapping to music along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto if you bring along your smartphone. Does anyone not have their clever phone with them these days? While the screen is big enough to see most functions, time of day was provided in tiny typeface. Perhaps a nice analog looking clock would fix that issue with style.
When not making merry, perhaps simply cruising down the road, this is a useful utility for motoring. And you don’t have to light the engine’s petrol wick since all Tonale models are Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PHEV) and can get around our little island for up to 33-miles on a modest charge that you can do at home or at a charging station. It’s not quite as much electric range as I’d like, the new Mercedes GLC 350e can travel 54-miles on electricity, but our Alfa is within today’s current benchmark. And with all PHEVs, you can always travel without worrying about when or where to fill up.
I didn’t expect much from the modest 1.3-liter engine under the hood, but it’s turbocharged for added oomph and four-cylinders for a bit of smoothness that just three might not provide. Add the 121 HP (90 kW) electric motor driving the rear wheels, and this Alfa provides grin inspiring fun. You won’t leave Alfa’s Stelvio Quadrifoglio in the dust, but 0-to-60 arrives in “under 6-seconds” according to the spec sheet with a top speed of 125MPH, enough to earn you orange coveralls if you go that fast on public roads.
I enjoyed my week in the Tonale and Mrs. Douglas concurred. Our normal trepidation might be the service record of flamboyant Italian machines, but these days Alfa’s Tonale gets reasonably high marks for quality and has a four-year, 50,000-mile warranty. That helps it make the candidate list for fun SUVs. Other rivals include the Mercedes mentioned above and Volvo’s XC60 Core model. Or if your budget doesn’t reach the $50 to $60-grand level, the Dodge Hornet R/T Plus delivers the package for $10-grand less. But you’ll miss some panache, warranty length and quite a few vowels.
THE FINE PRINT
2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale Tributo Italiano EAWD
TYPE: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive PHEV
ENGINE: 1.3-liter I-4
HORSEPOWER: 285
TORQUE: 347 lb.ft.
BASE PRICE: $51,995
AS TESTED: $59,590
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 29-MPG gas 77 MPGe electric
Brian Douglas has driven everything with wheels during his career in automotive technical, marketing and journalism professions. If you have a question or story to share, he can be reached at brian@autoeditor.com
Automotive Events Calendar
12/07 1-4 p.m. Christmas Cruise In
Culvers Restaurant 463731 SR200 Yulee
AMELIA CRUIZERS CAR CLUB
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12/14 7:30-10:30 a.m. Caffeine & Octane
10300 Southside Blvd., Jacksonville
HIGH OCTANE EVENTS
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12/28 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cars & Cannons Show
Vintage Cars and Motorcycles at Fort Clinch
Auto Legends and Friends of Fort Clinch
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