Tonale debuts as Alfa Romeo's first PHEV
Alfa Romeo has added a new SUV to its lineup – the Tonale. While it marks Alfa's entry into the compact SUV space, it is also the brand's first PHEV and the first step to Alfa's electrified future.
By Karan Singh
The Tonale will sit under the Stelvio in Alfa Romeo’s SUV lineup.
Alfa Romeo isn’t one to jump the gun with new technologies and now, when the world is moving to all-electrics, it has showcased its first ever plug-in hybrid ever. As petrolheads, we're not complaining though. The Tonale joins the Stelvio as the second SUV in Alfa's lineup. For perspective, it will compete against SUVs like the Audi Q3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLA when it goes on sale internationally. Let’s quickly run you through the interesting bits.
Alfa Romeo Tonale: Styling
The Tonale’s styling is typically Alfa with an edginess and an overall profile that should make it stand out from the German crowd. There are LED headlights upfront with three distinct elements, the taillights are all-LED too and are connected by a lightbar.
It has quite a swooping profile and the bonnet curves downward to meet the headlights, which gives it a sporty stance. The Tonale fits in well with the rest of the Alfa Romeo family.
Alfa Romeo Tonale: Powertrain
Under the hood of the Tonale will be one of two powertrains — either a 2-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder or a 1.3-litre turbo petrol paired with e-motors. The former produces 256bhp and 400Nm while the latter has a combined power output of 272bhp and an all-electric range of 48km. Both powertrains feature all-wheel-drive and automatic gearboxes though the 2-litre unit gets a nine-speed ’box while the 1.3-litre PHEV gets six cogs.
Alfa Romeo Tonale: Features
The Tonale will be level two autonomous driving capable and will also get features like adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, and more.
Inside, there’s a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment display as standard, running the latest Uconnect 5 software which also supports OTA updates. It also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Interestingly, every Tonale will come with its own NFT which will contain information about the vehicle and also act as a digital record of the vehicle’s history, including when it was serviced and what colour and options it has.
Alfa Romeo Tonale: Price and rivals
Pricing for the Alfa Romeo Tonale has not been announced and we don’t expect it to make it to India either. In international markets, it will compete with compact SUVs like the Audi Q3, Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X1.
Also read:
Mercedes-Benz GLA vs BMW X1 vs Volvo XC40: Spec Comparison
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