Five things to know about the new Alfa Romeo Tonale

The new Alfa Romeo Tonale has rolled into South Africa. A smaller, sleeker version of its Stelvio stablemate launched locally in 2018, here are five things you should know about it.

1: A choice of three models 

With its compact proportions (4.53m long, 1.84m wide and 1.6m high) and alluring Italian styling, the Tonale is available in three distinctive models.

Kicking things off is the entry-level Ti that comes with a raft of standard features including a 12.3-inch TFT digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone mirroring and integrated satellite navigation with voice control.

There's also a convenient wireless charging pad to keep your mobile juiced as well as a pair of USB A and C ports for front and rear passengers. A dual-zone air conditioning system with rear vents and a purifying air quality system is also standard, as is a leather sports steering wheel and four-way electric lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat. 

Exterior highlights include a stylish set of 18-inch alloy wheels with a “teledial” design, full LED matrix headlamps with daytime running lights, LED tail lamps and a powered liftgate. Solid black mirror caps are standard, as is a rear spoiler and door handles finished in body colour. Another distinctive feature of the Ti is its satin chrome radiator grille bezel. 

Next up is the mid-tier Speciale model that differentiates itself visually with a larger set of 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels, aluminium door sills as well as a “Dark Miron” body kit that applies a menacing shade of matte black to the side and front inserts and skid plate. 

The flagship Veloce takes things to a new level of luxury with a cache of tasty upgrades, including manual six-way adjustment for the driver and front passenger seats plus a 60:40 folding rear seat with a ski-pass for accommodating longer, narrower items. This range-topper also benefits from stainless steel pedals, an exclusive set of 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and a matte black radiator grille bezel. 

2: A frugal but punchy powertrain

From launch all Tonale derivatives are equipped with a cutting-edge hybrid powertrain that marries a 118kW/240Nm 1.5l four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a 48-volt 15kW/55Nm electric motor powered by a 0.77kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This is sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Expect a 0-100km/h time of 8.8 seconds and VO2 Max of 210km/h. While the Tonale's hybrid system doesn't allow for especially long electric-only cruising ranges, it negates the use of the combustion engine when pulling away from a standstill, parking at low speeds or creeping through stop-start traffic. Alfa Romeo claims a combined fuel consumption of 5.4l/100km. Drivers are also able to toggle between three factory drive modes programmed into the standard DNA system. These are Dynamic, Natural and Advance Efficiency. 

3: Safe as houses

All three Tonale derivatives are equipped with a comprehensive list of safety features as standard. From the Ti model up customers can look forward to six airbags, forward collision warning, intelligent speed assist with speed limiting, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane keep assist. This is complemented by emergency pedestrian braking, automatic windscreen wipers, automatic headlamps (with automatic high beam assist), traffic sign recognition as well as front and rear park sensors. The Tonale received a five-star rating during rigorous Euro NCAP crash testing. 

4: A hoot to boot

The current batch of Alfa Romeo models have proven to be immensely fun to pilot and the Tonale promises to be no different thanks to a chassis that's been tuned to please keen drivers. This includes an ultra-direct steering rack that sports a ratio of 13.6 — apparently the quickest in its class — as well as a full set of bespoke Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) shock absorbers developed in collaboration with Koni. Alfa Romeo has also equipped the Tonale with electronic torque vectoring that effectively uses the braking system to mimic the effects of a mechanical limited-slip differential. This enables smoother and more effective power delivery, particularly when exiting tight corners at full throttle. 

The flagship Veloce gets a further boost thanks to the fitment of the Italian firm's “DualStage Valve” electronic suspension that allows drivers to switch between two modes: Comfort or Sport. The latter keeps body roll to a minimum and increases vertical rigidity.

5: Pricing

Pricing for the evocative new Alfa Romeo Tonale starts at R739,900 for the Ti model. The Speciale will set you back R799,900 while the range-topping Veloce comes in at R819,900. Pricing includes a five-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance plan as standard. 

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