Alfa Romeo Tonale review

The Alfa Romeo Tonale has a tough task on its hands: to keep Alfa fans happy while appealing to a new breed of buyers looking for an intriguing alternative to more familiar SUV models.

The first part could be tricky, because very few family SUVs are anywhere near sporty enough to satisfy the Alfisti (die-hard fans of the Italian car maker) – although if anyone can do it, it’s probably Alfa Romeo.

On the other front, the Tonale seems to have lots to offer, including eye-catching looks, a large dose of practicality and impressive efficiency, thanks to both versions getting engines with hybrid tech. In fact, one of them is a plug-in hybrid that promises over 30 miles of electric-only range.

Alfa Romeo Tonale walkaround video

So can the Alfa Romeo Tonale live up to Alfa’s sporting heritage and pull people away from the best family car rivals, ranging from the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 to the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Volvo XC40? Read on to find out...

The entry-level Alfa Romeo Tonale is the Hybrid 160. It's a mild-hybrid combining a 158bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine, an electric motor and a 0.8kWh battery to chivvy it along at low speeds.

The flagship Tonale is the plug-in hybrid (PHEV), which has a more potent 276bhp. A 1.3-litre petrol engine sends power to the front wheels while a beefier electric motor drives the back ones, giving you four-wheel drive.

The Hybrid 160 is our pick of the range, but it's quite a bit slower than the PHEV, and the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage have a lot more power and bigger batteries. Both can accelerate up to 62mph from rest in around 8.0 seconds, while the Tonale takes 8.8 seconds. Even the dynamically underwhelming Lexus UX hybrid feels peppier.

The Tonale PHEV drops the 0-62mph time to 6.2 seconds, and while its forward momentum is not accompanied by a particularly thrilling soundtrack, it does cover ground effortlessly. Alfa Romeo gives a predicted electric range of 38 miles, which is about the same as the Range Rover Evoque PHEV.

Both versions of the Tonale have an automatic gearbox with seven speeds on the Hybrid 160 and six on the PHEV. They shift gears quickly and smoothly, but the mild-hybrid is a little more responsive and eager to shift down a gear when you need a burst of acceleration. The PHEV tends to use the electric motor to build momentum before swapping down a cog.

In terms of driving dynamics, Alfa has sought to inject some dynamism into the Tonale, but it hasn't quite worked. The steering is quick and alert, like in the Alfa Romeo Giulia, but unlike the Giulia it doesn't have enough weighting. As a result, you're constantly making little corrections on country roads.

Combined with suspension that tends to lurch with every steering input, there's not much joy to be had from driving quickly. If you want a family SUV that's fun to drive, take a look at the BMW X1 or – if you can find room in your budget – the petrol Porsche Macan.

More positively, the Hybrid 160's ride quality on the optional 20in wheels and standard suspension is impressive, with low-speed shocks from potholes being absorbed well.

If you want the best ride comfort, the smaller 19in wheels are even better at isolating bumps and the adaptive suspension is superb. You get that combination as standard on Veloce models. We also love that you can ramp the driving mode dial up to Dynamic, giving you firmer steering and a more assertive gearbox, while leaving the suspension in comfort.

Wind and road noise are relatively well contained at motorway speeds, but a Range Rover Evoque is even more hushed. You will, however, notice a bit of whistling from the turbo and the engine note sounds rather gruff when pushed.

The brakes are good, with a firm and progressive feel. In the Tonale PHEV version, flicking from Normal or Advanced efficiency modes to Dynamic quickens up the response of the brake pedal as the regenerative braking effect becomes stronger. It takes a bit of getting used to but feels natural once you're familiar with it.

"In our real-world tests, the Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV managed to drive 28.2 miles on electricity alone, which is a decent way off the predicted range. Still, that's better than the 25.3 miles we got from the Range Rover Evoque plug-in hybrid." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo Tonale you get a comfortable driving position with plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel and seat.

Regardless of which trim you go for, the Tonale comes with adjustable lumbar support, firm seat padding that’s supportive over long journeys, and a generous amount of side bolstering to hold you in place. The driving position can’t match the lofty heights of a Range Rover Evoque or Volvo XC40 while the tall dashboard tricks you into thinking you’re lower than in a BMW X1.

Forward visibility is fine, but the chunky side and rear pillars, and tall rear headrests obscure what you can see behind you. Fortunately, you get parking sensors all round and a rear-view camera as standard (a 360-degree camera system can be added as part of the Techno pack).

It’s a pity the interior isn’t a bit more special. The dashboard looks smart from a distance, and the presence of easy-to-use physical controls for the air-con is commendable, but you won't be mistaking this for an Audi Q3 or Range Rover Evoque when you look at material quality.

The grainy soft-touch plastics aren’t as smart as those used in rivals, and there are hard, unappealing plastics lower down. Some rivals including the Hyundai Tucson, the Kia Sportage and the Nissan Qashqai all hide or disguise them much better.

Every Tonale has a 10.3in infotainment touchscreen with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. Unlike the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the Tonale doesn’t have a handy rotary controller to interact with it, hurting its ease of use on the move. You can use the Alexa voice recognition software to handle some basic commands.

The operating system is quick to respond, with sharp graphics and a simple menu structure. There are shortcut buttons, but they run down the left of the screen and are a bit small, so the driver has to lean over and aim carefully to get to certain functions. That's not the case in the Audi Q3 and other family SUV rivals.

The driver gets a 12.3 digital driver's display, which is sharp to look at and has plenty of information available, but with fewer layout options than the Virtual Cockpit in the Audi Q3. 

"Music fans might be tempted to upgrade the stereo to the optional 14-speaker Harman Kardon system, which sounds very good, but the standard system is more than sufficient, so I wouldn’t spend the extra." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Head and leg room up front in the Alfa Romeo Tonale are fine for six-footers, but shoulder room is tight compared with rival family SUVs. Storage wise, it's fine, but doesn't have the cavernous hollowed-out door cards of the Volvo XC40 – which can handle big bottles of water and a laptop, for example.

The Tonale gives you enough head room for a 6ft 2in tall adult but not much more, so it might be wise to leave the option box for the panoramic roof unticked. There's less rear leg room than in the BMW X1 and the XC40 but there is some space to tuck your feet under the front seats. 

Trying to squeeze three passengers across the back seats will be a challenge, owing to the fact that there isn’t that much shoulder room for three adults. That said, at least the middle seat passenger will have a decent amount of foot space, with no central tunnel to straddle. 

The back seats split 60/40 to fold down to extend the boot space, rather than the more useful 40/20/40 split found in the BMW X1 and Range Rover Evoque. Still, to help negate that issue, there's a ski hatch behind the fold-down centre armrest that allows you to thread longer items through and keep the two outer seats in use.

The boot space in the mild-hybrid Tonale is a reasonable size for the class. With a volume of 500 litres, it’s bigger than you’ll find in the Evoque and XC40, and the same as the X1. It's also a useful square shape and has a height-adjustable boot floor to improve versatility. In its highest position, you end up with the floor being level with the load lip to ease loading, as well as a generous storage area underneath.

The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) has a smaller boot (385 litres) and the boot floor sits at a fixed height, with the batteries below it. There’s a storage space under the floor that's big enough for the charging cables. We managed to fit five carry-on suitcases below its parcel shelf – the same as the Range Rover Evoque PHEV.

"I find it a shame that you don’t get an electric tailgate on the Alfa Romeo Tonale unless you add it as part of the optional Techno pack, which is pretty expensive. At least that gets hands-free opening too." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Alfa Romeo Tonale’s starting price is pretty expensive when compared with the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, and is slightly more than even the Audi Q3, the BMW X1 and the Volvo XC40. The Tonale PHEV is even more pricey, commanding a 15-20% premium over the mild hybrid and more than the Range Rover Evoque PHEV. 

When it comes to depreciation, the Tonale is predicted to lose its value more quickly than most rivals. That can have an effect on how much you’ll pay as a PCP finance customer.

To make up for the price, every Tonale comes with plenty of standard equipment, and we think the entry-level Sprint is the one to go for. It keeps the price as low as it can be but still gets 18in alloy wheels, matrix LED adaptive headlights, keyless start, dual-zone air conditioning, adaptive cruise control and wireless phone-charging. 

Next in the range is the Veloce, which adds large 19in wheels, heated and ventilated front seats, heated washer jets, a heated steering wheel, some design tweaks and the adjustable suspension. The thing is, it costs a fair amount, making it hard to recommend – especially in PHEV form. 

The official fuel economy figures for the mild-hybrid Tonale Hybrid 160 – close to 50mpg – suggest that it should match the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage hybrids. That would probably require a lot of low-speed town driving in electric mode though, and our mixed test route yielded a figure in the mid-30s.

The Tonale PHEV looks impressively efficient on paper, with an official figure of up to 217mpg, but you’ll need to keep the battery charged up to get near that. When the 15.5kWh battery is depleted and the petrol engine is doing all the work, we saw an average of 32.5mpg on our real-world test route.

Emissions for the Hybrid 160 are lower than a similarly-priced petrol Audi Q3, BMW X1 or Volvo XC40, which should make the Tonale a more affordable company car. The PHEV emits more CO2 than the X1 xDrive25e PHEV, so it sits in the 12% BIK tax bracket rather than the 8% bracket the X1 sits in. A full battery charge for the Tonale PHEV and the X1 PHEV takes about two and a half hours.

The safety experts at Euro NCAP gave the Tonale the full five stars for safety – the same as all its family SUV rivals. It comes with adaptive cruise control that can read road signs and alter your speed accordingly, and lane-keep assist with lane centring that’s said to work even at low speeds in traffic.

In terms of reliability, we didn’t have enough data on the Tonale to include it in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Alfa Romeo as a brand performed poorly, claiming 30th place out of 31 manufacturers. Only MG did worse. For some peace of mind, the Tonale comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty, just like the one BMW gives you.

"Given Alfa’s reputation when it comes to reliability, it’d be nice if it offered a warranty that was closer to the five years that Hyundai offers or seven years from Kia." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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