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Yet another one of Alfa Romeo’s rebirths, the Tonale was engineered to drive sales in the popular premium small SUV segment.
Available in petrol and plug-in hybrid variants with pure EV rumoured to be down the track, it’s a niche alternative to the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.
The line-up currently starts at $50,900 for the Tonale TI Mhev and ranges through to $79,000 for the range-topping Tonale Tributo Italiano Phev.
The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale's interior features plenty of Alfa Romeo design elements and features, notably the same steering wheel as the Giulia and Stelvio, dramatic but sleek dash shaping, and a retro-inspired digital dash layout option.
Dark colours for its leather and Alcantara trim are joined by contrast stitching, while the top-spec versions get racy red highlights.
While the mild-hybrid 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale (in both Ti and Veloce variants) makes use of a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which provides 118kW/240Nm to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, it's also aided by a 48-volt electrical system which features a 15kW/55Nm electric motor mounted in the transmission.
The plug-in hybrid Veloce variant however has a smaller 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that alone makes 132kW and 270Nm, aided by an electric motor that not only drives the rear wheels but produces 90kW and 250Nm, creating a total 208kW output, Alfa claims.
With a 55-litre fuel tank and a claimed 5.6L/100km fuel efficiency, the mild-hybrid 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale should theoretically be able to travel more than 1000km on a single tank, though this is unlikely in real-world conditions.
The Tonale Veloce PHEV has a smaller 42.5 litre tank, with a 60.5km claimed range from its electric-only drivetrain powered by a 15.5kWh lithium-ion battery.
Alfa Romeo claims an official consumption figure of 1.5L/100km for the Tonale PHEV, though testing methods don't reflect real-world long trips and getting anywhere near the theoretical 2833km range the figure suggests would be impossible without stopping to recharge the battery every few dozen kilometres.
A few of Alfa Romeo's standards can be found in the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale, from the 'DNA' drive mode selector to the Stellantis Uconnect operating system in its 10.25-inch multimedia screen.
Standard features include wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay via multimedia screen, a wireless device charging pad, cloth and 'leatherette' synthetic leather seat trim, 18-inch wheels and automatic LED matrix headlights with adaptive high beam.
Notable features for specific Veloce variants are the 19-inch wheels, red contrast stitching for the upholstery, aluminium shift paddles, tinted privacy glass, dual-stage suspension and the Technology Pack which adds side parking sensors, surround-view parking cameras, blind-spot monitoring, and level 2 driving autonomy.
The PHEV gets the Lusso Pack standard which includes heated and vented black electrically adjustable leather seats, a heated steering wheel and a 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, plus it features a sunroof, chrome exhaust exits, and the required charging paraphernalia.
The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale is a five-seat small SUV with a 60/40 split-fold second row, fitted with ISOFIX and top tether points for child seats.
Depending on variant, the front seats are electrically adjustable as well as heated and/or cooled.
The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale boasts an impressive 500 litres of boot space in its mild-hybrid variants, with 1550L once the second row is folded down.
The space required for the hybrid battery in the plug-in version takes up a significant 125L, leaving just 385 litres of space. That becomes 1430L with seats down.
Mild-hybrid versions of the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale have a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 8.8sec before reaching a top speed of 212km/h, while the more powerful plug-in hybrid boasts a 6.2-second claim and a 206km/h top speed.