UK Drive: Alfa Romeo electrifies its range with the Tonale PHEV

What is it?

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Alfa Romeo has set itself the ambitious challenge of being the quickest carmaker to go from ‘zero to zero’, meaning having zero electrified models whatsoever to being fully ‘zero emissions’ by 2027.

Its first piece of the puzzle is the Tonale, which arrived as its first compact SUV in 2022 with a mild-hybrid powertrain. But the real change happens now when Alfa Romeo introduces this crossover to its first plug-in setup which, in this case, is a hybrid. But against fierce competition with the likes of the BMW X1 and Range Rover Evoque, does the Tonale have what it takes?

What’s new?

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The Tonale is a pivotal model for Alfa Romeo and a car that takes this brand into unchartered territory, as well as into one of the fastest-growing car segments around. While it launched as a mild-hybrid, it’s this PHEV model that’s expected to account for the bulk of sales, especially to the fleet market – again, an area Alfa Romeo has largely vacated in recent times.

Using a vaguely similar powertrain to the Jeep Renegade 4xe, it’s the most potent version of the Tonale yet, while bringing a claimed 40-mile electric-only range that puts the Tonale into a low eight per cent company car tax bracket.

What’s under the bonnet?

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The two drive systems on the Tonale Plug-in Hybrid are a turbocharged 1.3-litre petrol engine at the front and an electric motor on the rear axle. Combined, these generate 276bhp – the most of any Tonale to date, and by more than 100bhp. It also means four-wheel-drive is included as standard.

Accelerating from 0-60mph takes on six seconds, and it’s able to keep going to a top speed of 128mph. Thanks to its 15.5kWh battery, Alfa Romeo claims it can travel around 40 miles on a charge, and there’s scope for some very low running costs if you plug it in regularly – Alfa Romeo claims up to 217.3mpg, while CO2 emissions can be as low as 29g/km.

What’s it like to drive?

We were left underwhelmed by the mild-hybrid setup of the regular Tonale, particularly with its gearbox, so we’re happy to report this new model is a significant improvement. On electric running, the Tonale is quiet and there’s a decent amount of zip to its performance too.

If you ask more from it, though, the Tonale PHEV starts to struggle. Our hilly route did the engine’s lack of refinement no favours, as it can be quite unpleasantly vocal at times, while it never feels quite as quick as its 276bhp power figure suggests, though it’s pleasantly more powerful than the standard car.

That said, by plug-in hybrid SUV standards, the Tonale handles impressively well, feeling far more nimble than its rivals. You really want to switch the ‘DNA’ drive selector into the ‘Dynamic’ setting, however, as this livens up the steering; we found it far too light in the regular mode.

How does it look?

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Alfa Romeo’s styling has always been one of the key selling points of this Italian brand, and the Tonale is no exception. This is a fantastic-looking SUV, to our eyes at least, and this really helps to set it apart from rivals.

We particularly like the ‘3+3’ lighting design, which is a nod to past Alfa Romeo models, while also using the latest Matrix LED technology that can automatically filter the light around other traffic without having to disengage the full beam. In high-spec Veloce trim, which gets darkened styling, and when painted in the fantastic Montreal Green, this is one of the best-looking SUVs on the market.

What’s it like inside?

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The Tonale helped to introduce a lot more technology into Alfa Romeos, being the first to use a full digital instrument cluster and a wide touchscreen. These touches help to give it a modern feel, but there are physical buttons for the climate and audio, which we certainly appreciate. The quality isn’t quite as good as the Audi Q3 or Range Rover Evoque, however.

It also scores well when it comes to interior space, and in fact, there’s hardly any less room in the Tonale than Alfa Romeo’s larger Stelvio SUV, with adults able to sit comfortably in the back seats and a decent-sized boot. There’s plenty of space to keep the charging cables under the boot floor, too.

What’s the spec like?

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All Tonale models come with lots of equipment, with the entry-level Ti getting both digital screens, integrated Amazon Alexa, Matrix LED headlights, keyless entry and a wireless smartphone charging pad.

The Veloce predominantly brings visual changes, including 19-inch alloy wheels and darkened styling, though it also gets black leather and Alcantara upholstery, along with adaptive suspension.

As for pricing, the Tonale Plug-in starts from £45,995 for the Ti and £48,495 for the Veloce. It works out as around £5,000 more than the standard mild-hybrid. However, with just a few choice options, it’s very easy to get the Tonale to cost north of £50,000, which suddenly feels very expensive.

Verdict

This plug-in hybrid version is certainly the pick of the Tonale line-up, though the powertrain is still the only aspect that slightly sets the side down, as it lacks the refinement provided by some rivals.

But though this might be the pick of the hybrid SUVs, there are still plenty of reasons to look at it, with its stunning design and agile handling really helping to distinguish it from rivals.