Alfa Romeo’s Tonale Veloce – MALE CARRIER

Alfa Romeo’s Tonale Veloce

MALE CARRIER

The confusion surrounding gender goes well beyond politics or education;  you might even find it discussed automotively…which is why we’re here. Throughout virtually all its postwar history, Alfa Romeo has been known for overtly masculine drivetrains clothed in decidedly (or overtly!) feminine bodywork. Alfa’s Duetto spider – with its boattail – both sounded (DUETTO!) and looked feminine, the Alfa GTV coupe was perhaps as sensual as a 4-seater is gonna’ get, and even Alfa’s much more recent 4C, with its abbreviated footprint, looked not unlike a female gymnast – all 4’10” of her! 

All of which brings us to the revised Alfa Romeo Tonale, introduced as a plug-in hybrid and now available with a completely conventional – as executed by Alfa Romeo – drivetrain. Our first look at the Tonale was a test of the only available Tonale in the U.S. market at the model’s launch, a plug-in hybrid. And if you – like many consumers – are environmentally sensitive and want to maximize efficiency, the plug-in hybrid nicely splits the difference between today’s sometimes thirsty drivetrains and the range anxiety induced by true EVs. 

The kicker with the plug-in Tonale was that with the introduction of electronic tech to the Alfa platform the product team seems to have thrown out what has traditionally made Alfa’s attractive – the visceral connection between man (in the figurative sense) and machine. The Tonale PHEV was what I’ll call gender neutral, a mix that you can more easily get from your Toyota dealer. The whole plug-in package seemed to have been targeted toward an audience that not only did not know Alfa Romeo, but didn’t care to know Alfa Romeo.

The plug-in is still in the lineup, but augmented by what the Italian suits should have done in the first place. In short, they’ve given us the drivetrain which the Tonale’s cousin, the Dodge Hornet, came with in the first place. 

The heart of the platform is its motor, and here we have 2.0 liters of turbocharged four delivering 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque; that torque comes in at just 3,000 rpm. The power is communicated to all wheels via a 9-speed automatic, and if necessary, with get you to 60 from 0 – according to the right feet at Car and Driver – in just 5.6 seconds. Better than the already good performance is the visceral vibe. The package is most certainly compact (the EPA categorizes it as a small SUV), and the Tonale is credibly nimble – helped in no small part by almost 500 fewer pounds compared to the PHEV – and genuinely fun.

In a near-luxury segment populated by BMW’s X1, Mercedes GLA and Audi’s Q3, the Tonale’s sheetmetal is a bit more organic, and – of course – fronted by Alfa’s iconic front fascia. The attention-getter on our test example was its Verde Fangio Metallic exterior paint, a $2200 option. In our week with it we enjoyed several unsolicited comments on the color – all complimentary! – and as one that often forgets where I’ve parked, the bright metallic green is well worth the additional cost. Trust me. Although the $2200 bump seems steep, as your friend behind the F&I desk can tell you, it’s no more than $40/month…

In its role as a dual-purpose crossover, the Tonale sits higher than if it had been spec’d as a hatch, but getting in is easy, and getting out is just stepping out. Once inside you’ll enjoy leather-trimmed seating, 8-way power adjustable driver and front passenger seats, heated front seats, 12.3 inches of instrumentation and 10.25 inches of touch screen display. The overall impression is upscale, while admitting that if you have children aiming for the NFL, NBA or WNBA you should probably keep the Tahoe. Or get a second Tonale.

With entertaining on-road behavior, reasonable versatility and a price point  – between $38K and $47K – right in the middle of the new car market, there’s a lot to like here. Its corporate cousin, the Dodge Hornet, is worth a look, if only by virtue of its lower starting point. But if you enjoy driving – and driving something different – the 2.0 liter Tonale checks those boxes. Man.