By Otsile Kadiege

The compact SUV segment is hotly-contested with many automakers hopping onto the bandwagon in a bid to get a slice of the tasty pie. Alfa Romeo is one of the latest premium car makers who recently introduced the new Tonale range to South Africa. The newcomer boasts the Italian brand’s unmistakable design. It’s also brimming with new technologies, a hybridised powertrain and three model derivatives to list a few.

Unmistakably Alfa Romeo

Back in early 2019 Alfa Romeo revealed a sexy concept version of the Tonale at the Geneva Motor Show and we’re happy that Alfa Romeo carried over much of the concept Tonale’s design cues. Up front the Tonale boasts an aggressive stance thanks to Alfa Romeo’s signature ‘Scudetto’ shield which no longer forms part of the bumper. It’s flanked by new ‘3+3’ full-LED adaptive matrix headlights with dynamic turn signals. Its side profile features an extended curve below the waistrail, known as the ‘GT Line’, which runs from the rear to the headlights. It’s fitted with new teledial alloy wheels with wheel sizes ranging between 17 to 20-inches.

At the rear the Tonale’s LED tail lights are a reworked copy of the headlights with a similar ‘3+3’ design and an Alfa badge nested in the centre of the light strip. Alfa’s stunning baby SUV has a length of 4.53m, a width of 1.84m and a height of 1.6m.

The Tonale Speciale definitely looks the business thanks to a bunch of vibrant colours, large 20-inch wheels, black detailing and typical Alfa styling cues both inside and out.

Premium, sporty interior

Inside, we are greeted by a well-appointed cabin with a traditional Alfa Romeo look and a driver-centric cockpit. Highlights include a new customisable 12.3-inch telescopic instrument cluster called “Cannocchiale”. There’s also a 10.25-inch touchscreen with an infotainment featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. It also features Alfa’s DNA drive mode selector on the centre console, an Italian flag badge, mood lighting, leather seats and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

The Tonale Speciale’s interior is well appointed and comfortable thanks to supportive leather seats. More highlights include its amazing Harman Kardon sound system, large metallic paddle shifters and displays with decent graphics.

New ADAS suite

In the driver assistance systems department, the new Tonale is equipped with Alfa Romeo’s ADAS suite which enables level 2 autonomous driving and assistance systems like intelligent adaptive cruise control, lane centering, traffic jam assist, blind spot detection, 360-degree view camera, lane control, emergency breaking, drowsy driver detection, TSR and ISC, and rear seat reminder.

Performance

At the heart of the Tonale range is a hybridised 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that is paired to a 48V electric motor adding an additional 15kW to generate a total system output of 118kW/240Nm. It also features a 0.8 kWh battery with 22kW power output and the engine is paired with seven-speed Alfa Romeo TCT dual-clutch transmission.

Driving impressions

Throughout our short launch stint with the Tonale Speciale, the newcomer impressed us with it’s commendable ride quality which kept us comfortable throughout the day. Its steering is direct and it remains planted when driving spiritedly. The engine is quite peppy, however it’s a tad bit slow to respond to throttle inputs and feels like it will be more enjoyable with a more potent displacement.

The ever-growing C-SUV segment is the gift that keeps on giving and the new Tonale is the latest gift from Alfa Romeo. Our time with the sexy Italian newcomer in Special guise left us impressed with the Tonale, however it has a few creases which need ironing out. We look forward to spending more time with it.

Model grades and pricing

Model grades and pricing are as follows:

Tonale Ti – R739,900

Tonale Speciale – R799,900

Tonale Veloce – R819,900.