First Drive: Does the Alfa Romeo Junior bring Italian flair to the EV market?
The Junior is Alfa’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, but is it any good? Jack Evans finds out.
What is it?
But for Alfa Romeo, that poses an even greater problem. The Italian firm has been behind some of the most iconic petrol-powered cars ever made, so how do you go about transferring that passion and flair into a battery-powered vehicle? It all starts with the Junior – the car that we’re looking at here.
What’s new?
New name in place, the Junior sits on a platform which is shared with all manner of Stellantis-made EVs, such as the Peugeot e-2008, Fiat 600e and Jeep Avenger. Differentiating it is tricky, therefore, but it’s what is needed to help the Junior to stand out.
What’s under the bonnet?
You can also get the Junior with a more powerful electric setup in the range-topping Veloce model. Here, you get 278bhp and a revised suspension system though this car’s range does drop back to 215 miles.
What’s it like to drive?
The brakes do let the side down. Whereas the steering has some pleasant sharpness to it, the brakes offer little in the way of feel and – at times – don’t seem to be bringing the car to a stop as effectively as you’d like. Some extra bite from the brakes would be much appreciated, that’s for sure.
How does it look?
It feels as though the design is less successful at the rear, mind you, but that’s down to personal preference. Finished in ‘Brera Red’ our test car certainly looked the part and gave a good indication that Alfa will be able to transfer its historically good-looking designs onto its new EVs.
What’s it like inside?
Rear-seat space isn’t too bad but it’s not as roomy as cars like the Kia EV3, mainly due to the Junior’s large central tunnel hump at the back. In terms of boot space, the Junior offers up 400 litres – and though that’s more than you’ll get from a Volvo EX30, is less than you’ll find in the mechanically-similar Peugeot e-3008 which has 434 litres of boot space.
What’s the spec like?
Step up to Speciale trim like our test car and you’ll find the price rise to £35,695 while adding premium six-way power-adjustable and heated front seats, and a greater suite of driver assistance systems such as lane centring assistance and an upgraded automatic emergency braking setup. In truth, the basic specification fits the bill – it’s still got all of the features that most drivers would need.
Verdict
The Alfa Romeo Junior is a great start for this Italian brand in the EV world. It’s got looking and has enough dynamic poise to differentiate itself from the other cars within the Stellantis group with which it shares a platform.
It’d be nice if the interior shared some of the flair of the exterior – and we’d appreciate some extra bite from the brake pedal – but keep to lower specifications and the Junior could prove to be an enticing option. It’s certainly one of the best from the current crop of Stellantis EVs.
