Whether the Alfa Romeo Tonale plug-in hybrid is expensive depends on how you frame it. For a small SUV, it’s fairly pricey, but for a premium PHEV, it’s on the more budget-friendly end of the scale.
At $78,500 before on-road costs for a Tonale Veloce PHEV, the plug-in is nearly $20,000 more expensive than the Veloce ‘mild-hybrid’ (MHEV) at $58,900. The test car (pictured) for this review also has two cost options, the Alfa Red paint being $1990 and the 20-inch grey alloy wheels for $1500.
So, $81,990 is a lot for a small SUV, but it’s still about the same price as a Peugeot 508 PHEV and less than a top-spec Mazda CX-60 PHEV.
Alfa Romeo says the difference in price between the Veloce MHEV and PHEV isn’t as broad as it seems just due to the drivetrain, as the PHEV scores a ‘Lusso pack’ as standard rather than being a $4500 option for the MHEV.
That pack is where a few of the goodies in this Tonale come from, such as the black leather seats adorned with Alfa-badged headrests - eight-way electrically adjustable with heating and cooling in the front - plus a heated steering wheel and a 14-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system.
A couple more features are exclusive to the Veloce PHEV, however, like the sunroof and the chrome finish on its dual-exit exhaust tips.
Standard across the range, however, is the 10.25-inch touchscreen for the multimedia system, running Stellantis’ Uconnect 5 operating system with an Alfa-specific skin, as well as the 12.3-inch ‘Cannochiale’ TFT driver display, plus wireless phone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a wireless device charger.
Other functional standards are the ‘3+3’ LED Matrix headlights, visually inspired by past models like the rare Alfa Romeo SZ coupe, plus adaptive ‘driving beam’ and dynamic indicators.