ALFA ROMEO TONALE - FIRST DRIVE
Over 4000 orders for Tonale (of which over 1000 confirmed sales) were placed since the initial digital presentation earlier this year, up to the day we got to actually drive it for the first time on the beautiful winding roads surrounding Lake Como in Northern Italy. A high vote of confidence for what is a brand new product, in a new and untested segment for Alfa. It's almost as if the Tonale was long overdue: compact SUVs make up Europe's fastest growing market segment, and also the most competitive. Every brand that counts is a contender, and Alfa just couldn't forfeit the battle. After a 5 year long starvation, the product front is moving on with a renewed confidence. Sure the times we're living in are more complicated than ever, so the Tonale will have an uphill ride ahead - taking the Alpine-pass derived to another meaning.
There is however a silver lining to being the last arrival in this popular category: Alfa Romeo will have looked at what the competitors are doing, and do it better with the unmistakable and refined Italian touch. This renewed confidence and the acknowledgement that this time Alfa doesn't need to revolutionise anything comes also from the leadership of its CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato himself. He walks the walk and he talks the talk, and more importantly: he's proud to be an Alfista, sharing with the entire world fond memories of his childhood aboard his father's Giulia, from which he grew to an Alfetta and a GTV6. Under the big protective umbrella of the Stellantis group there's no pressure to pursue unrealistic sales numbers, focusing instead on the no-compromise quality that the group's only truly global premium brand needs and deserves. No headline grabbing powerpoint presentations dominated talks of the future, but rather the promise of a new product launch every year for the next 5. This will happen up until the total electrification of the range imposed by the ever more strict emission regulations on one side, and by the market shift towards renewable and sustainable energy sources on the other side. It's a huge responsibility, but there's one thing becoming clear after seeing him proudly presenting the Tonale in person: this is more than just a simple job for him. Nobody can ever predict the future, just as nobody could accuse Imparato of lack of dedication. Alfa has been dealt a good hand, how the rest will unfold remains to be seen.
The first step in embracing the future is my companion here in Como; the first Alfa Romeo electrified vehicle, boasting the best in cabin technology available in the segment, all at the service of its occupants. Without further adieu; the 160 HP 1.5 Tonale Hybrid in Turismo Internazionale trim and the luscious 1,800 Euros worth of a three layer Montreal Green paint job. A handsome car by any standards and to my eyes it is by far the nicest looking compact SUV: aggressive enough without being too ostentatious and signature headlights so striking it could become an Alfa feature across the range (and as a 159 owner and life long admirer of the SZ I would very much like to see it happening). Gorgeous 5-holes alloys line the corners while glancing towards the back end provides an allure that reminds you of the Stelvio, and the rear lights that will mimic a heart beat when closing or opening the car.
Assuming the driver's position, I firmly grip the flat bottom steering wheel, thick and assuring, complete with the familiar stop/start button straight from the Giulia. Behind it, the new 12.3-inch "cannocchiale" dash comes to life in retro style graphics. The central mounted infotainment system is reactive and intuitive. Not an iPad on wheels says Imparato, but the Android screen-mirroring infotainment system is as easy to use as any smartphone. The buttons are finished in hard aluminium and have a jewellery like finish to them, the dash is stitched in fabric (Alcantara for the Veloce version) and the general feel of the cabin is welcoming and accommodating. This is an embodiment of Italian hospitality at its best, quality and sophistication all around.
With the push of the starter button and the gear lever fitting perfectly in the palm of my hand… I begin to get the first inkling this is a different kind of Alfa: the car moves quietly, as if pushed by an invisible force. As good as the build quality must be, this is something else - at low speeds, moving slowly in traffic or during parking manoeuvres the Tonale is powered on electricity alone: the 48V P2 electric motor with its 15kw and 55 N/m comes to play, powered by a dedicated 0.77 kWh battery placed in the median tunnel between the front seats.
Slowly sliding into the morning Como traffic, cocooned by the leather seats and ordering Alexa to play me some Italian music, liking this technology at my service. The central city area where we crawl in stop-start movements (or e-creep in Alfa language) is quickly surpassed to make way for other urban roads where I bring the car up to the 50 km/h limit. It's nippy and responsive - the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine is enhanced by the new Variable Timing Geometry, specifically developed for the Tonale, making it an Alfa exclusive in this configuration. Further out of town is where I can start pushing a bit more. The official stats quote 8.8 seconds for 0 to 100 km/h, but in between short bursts of acceleration and catching up with the cars in front, the Tonale feels quicker. The route becomes a dual carriageway and since it's completely free I proceed to floor it without giving it a second thought, revealing the capital sin of all modern cars: the Tonale will bring you into driving-licence suspending speeds with ease. I back off because I don't want to put the respectable Polizia Stradale's hospitality to the test.
From here we take the scenic route overlooking the lake, the route of the old Circuito del Lario, where a Tourist Trophy type of motorcycle racing. A veritable hill sprint with bends and chicanes is convincing me that Tonale's ace up its sleeve is its steering wheel input: the handling is fluid and intuitive. It boasts the most direct steering ratio in its class (13.6:1) and it feels just that: precise and accurate. The Active Suspension (operating according to the DNA mode selected) and the electronic differential plus the Frequency Selective Damping technology from Koni work cohesively together. Cocooned, but still in control and aware of what the road is throwing at you. Which brings me to the brakes: the second ace up its sleeve, but by no means second rate in terms of quality. The brakes are indeed one of Tonale's strengths, with constant stopping power. They also work as a means of regenerating energy for the electric motor battery, but they're doing that seamlessly without its occupants noticing how the wizardry takes place.
We reach the summit, cool off and head down back again. A drawback becomes apparent, but it's something also common to Giulia and Stelvio: the view upfront is somewhat obstructed when looking forward/left by the A-pillar. Something to get used to and easy to adapt to after all. More unsettling to me is the apparent turbo lag, as I'm getting more confident with the car and I want to push it (rigorously set in Dynamic mode) whenever the traffic and road conditions allow it. Unsure if it's my driving style or just over optimistic acceleration bursts, I need to mentally remind myself, probably just as anyone else out there looking at any brand new Alfa, that this particular one is not thought to be the epitome of sportiness, but a sort of stylish yet accessible Jack of all trades for young families. After all, with a sophisticated interior, ultra-modern design and the latest in software developments it sums up those characteristics brilliantly.
Re-entering Como we stop at a few selected photo locations, but each stop turns into a challenge for our photographer, Luca, to take clean shots of the car. It's the talk of the town and an unequivocal crowd magnet. There‘s not a single person passing-by not smitten by its allure, enticing all to come forward and ask us a myriad of questions. I knew Tonale has been highly anticipated since the seductive prototype broke cover but I wasn't expecting this level of interest from all passers by. From the senior citizen, up to date with the latest automotive developments and driving a Toyota hybrid of sorts who is glad that the love of his youth will also be offering plug-in derivative in the near future, to the gentleman at the Aero Club working on his seaplane who admitted that after his Giulia Veloce, Tonale will be next and finally to the well-to-do lady in matching green jacket happy to see a car in her favourite colour.
After spending the better part of a day with Tonale I have to applaud the design team that transformed an eye catching concept into reality and the engineering team for giving substance to the premium notion. What you're paying for offers you the class top level, in terms of build quality, technology available and probably even residual value (this is where the digital certificate encrypted in blockchain attesting to the car's mileage and maintenance will prove its worth). Tonale ticks all boxes, and brings to the table the bonus of the unmistakable Alfa styling - meaning that yes, even this Alfa will have a bigger impact and will appear more beautiful once it's seen in real life. I for one would very much see myself and my family in a Tonale - only I would take it in red and with the optional panoramic sunroof coming in autumn.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Alfa Romeo team for choosing the evocative location of the Alessandro Volta's Temple as the venue for introducing us to the Tonale. In a time when the benchmark brand of electric cars bears the name of another pioneer of electric research, this is a subtle reminder that indeed an Italian man is the inventor of the electric battery, the groundwork on which even the automotive industry will develop from now on. A reminder that the Italian genius creativity was there all along, been there done that, and now it needs not a revolution, but the perfecting of what's already known and tested.
Photos by Luca Danilo Orsi.
