The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale premium SUV is Alfa Romeo’s first compact SUV and plug-in hybrid. It’s built at the Giambattista Vico Stellantis plant in Pomigliano d’Arco, Naples, Italy.
PREFACE: I’m a sucker for all things Italian. My only regret in life is that I’m not Italian. And so, one look at the bellissimo Tonale with the exquisite heraldic Alfa Romeo logo at center stage on the grille, and I was weak in the knees. Objectivity is going to be a struggle here.
There are three trim levels of the Tonale: Sprint, Ti, and Veloce. Pricing starts at $44,590 for the Sprint. The mid-range Ti is $46,590. The top-level Veloce goes for $49,090. These figures include the $1,595 destination charge.
I drove the Tonale Veloce, which would be my choice if I were in the market for this new Alfa Romeo, not because of standard features or pricing or anything sane, but because its name sounds the most Italian. “Toe-NAH-lay Va-LOW-chay.” I was saying it out loud all week.
Alfa Romeo’s heraldic logo is featured prominently on the 2024 Tonale steering wheel. (Alfa Romeo)
Every Tonale has all-wheel drive and the same powertrain: a plug-in hybrid with a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, and 90-kW electric motor with an electric-only range a bit more than 30 miles (48 kilometers). Its engine partner is a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. In tandem they produce 285 horsepower.
My Tonale Veloce tester’s EPA rating is 77 MPGe.
Tonale doesn’t match the high performance and sporty handling characteristics typically associated with Alfa Romeo. As a plug-in hybrid compact SUV, it’s built more for comfort and practical purposes such as around-town driving, commuting, medium-length road trips and so on, all with fuel efficiency as a primary consideration. This sounds like “damning with faint praise” but only to people who treat driving like a blood sport.
Every Tonale has a 10.25-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, navigation, voice recognition, AM/FM/HD radio, Bluetooth, rotary controller, and wireless phone charger.
EPILOGUE: Sorry, gotta go now. Time to make minestrone.
With back seats upright, rear cargo volume is 22.9 cubic feet inside the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale. (Alfa Romeo)
2024 ALFA ROMEO TONALE VELOCE
Base price, including destination charge: $49,090
Price as driven: $57,450
Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.
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