2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale

In some ways, the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale is to its larger Stelvio sibling as Verdi is to Puccini. Verdi, born in 1813 when Italian Opera was very technical, favored simple musical arrangements and intellectual subjects. Puccini, born in 1858, was free of those earlier constraints and brought simple stories to life with lush, expressive orchestration. Here, the younger of the pair is the brainier one. The aging Stelvio is all passion while the Tonale, the brand’s first plug-in hybrid (PHEV), is efficient and pragmatic. It’s still an Alfa, but it brings new songs to the brand’s repertoire.

All-new this year, the Tonale closely resembles the strikingly pretty 2019 concept SUV of the same name that previewed it, though the interior isn’t as bold as the outside. Alfa’s second-ever crossover, it’s the brand’s first new vehicle since the Stelvio bowed in 2016. Several different Tonale powertrains are available abroad, but for now, the U.S. gets only one: the PHEV. It packs a turbocharged 1.3-liter gas engine and a 90-kW electric motor, good for 285 horsepower and fuel efficiency that puts both competitors and previous Alfas to shame.

Slightly smaller than the Stelvio, the attractive Tonale is aimed at a highly competitive set of premium small crossovers like the BMW X1, Audi Q3, Lexus UX and Volvo XC40. Among the smallish premium crowd, only the Lincoln Corsair offers a similar PHEV, but it costs more and isn’t as quick. All this makes the Tonale a strong player among its peers, but there is a thorn in its side: the Dodge Hornet. Added late in the Tonale’s development, this slightly cheaper corporate cousin isn’t as pretty but it shares much with the Alfa.

While the Stelvio leans hard into sportiness, the Tonale feels more like other small crossovers. The 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine drives the front wheels, which are boosted by the electric motor driving the rears, for standard all-wheel drive (AWD). A high-voltage Belt Starter Generator (BSG) also smooths transitions from electric to gas. There’s plenty of juice. But like other electrified vehicles, it’s geared towards providing low-down torque rather than Alfa’s traditional rev-happy mania. It handles well but doesn’t necessarily encourage hooliganism. It’s sporty, but a less exciting experience than the Stelvio.

On the other hand, no Stelvio will ever deliver 31.6 mpg combined, the figure we saw in our testing. This actually outperforms its 29-mpg combined EPA estimate, which itself beats virtually all of the Tonale’s competitors. The 33-mile rated electric range also seems accurate. It’s reasonably roomy inside for its size, comparing well with its peers and even the Stelvio, though it does fall a little short on cargo space. Like the other Alfas, the Tonale’s pretty screens run the easy-to-learn Uconnect5 infotainment system, with connectivity features aplenty and over-the-air update capability.

Alfa Romeo also includes driver-assist gear that costs extra on its German competitors, like adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring. Some things are still optional, but we’re glad the basics don’t cost extra because this Alfa isn’t cheap. PHEVs usually cost more than gas-only vehicles, and the Tonale starts at $44,590. That’s much less than other premium PHEVs but more than most gas-only rivals. No, it isn’t as sporty as the Stelvio, but the Tonale has plenty to offer luxe crossover buyers. And remember, Verdi’s operas get played more often than Puccini’s.

Performance: 12/15

In Europe, you can buy several different versions of the Tonale including gas-only, diesel and mild-hybrid variants, but only one powertrain is currently offered in the U.S., the 1.3-liter four-cylinder plug-in hybrid. The little turbocharged 1.3 can make 180 hp all on its own (delivered via a six-speed automatic transmission), but it’s supplemented by the 90 kW electric motor that powers the rear axle. Together they can belt out up to 285 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque, good for zero-to-60 sprints in just under 6 seconds. (Alfa Romeo quotes 5.6 seconds.)

There are three driving modes, Dynamic (which sharpens throttle response and leaves the gas engine on all at all times), Natural (the default state, where the Tonale acts much like a conventional hybrid) and Advanced Efficiency, which is essentially fully electric mode until the battery runs out of juice, at which point it’ll default to running the gas engine. The SUV will do up to 84 mph in electric mode and often supplement electric power in highway cruising.

Even in electric mode, the Tonale is quick around town and a competent driver. It handles well even if the steering and suspension aren’t organically communicative as the Stelvio’s, and few will be disappointed with its around-town manners. When the engine comes on it’s on the noisy and growly side, but it’s reasonably quick and the electric motor’s zero-rpm torque feels good. Up to around 75 mph all is well, but above that the Tonale feels like it struggles. Still, we did do some two-lane country road passing at speed and it didn’t feel scary. 

All Tonales have a fully independent suspension and the Veloce gets special adaptive dampers, but there’s still a fair bit of roll and uneven pavement can upset the ride. The brakes are grippy too, but it doesn’t feel like a track day warrior. That might be because the Stelvio is just so adept at being that kind of SUV that it’s hard to live up to, but the Tonale holds its own with the X1 and many of its peers.

AWD is standard, but we wouldn’t take this SUV beyond a gravel road. The tires and lack of ground clearance wouldn’t make that fun.

Fuel Economy: 14/15

Since there are no PHEV premium crossovers this size other than the slightly larger Corsair, the Tonale enjoys a strong fuel economy advantage over many of its peers. In our testing, it also outperformed its EPA estimates, which were only recently made official. The EPA says the Tonale will achieve 29 mpg combined and deliver up to 33 miles of electric range. In a week of driving in various conditions, however, the Tonale returned 31.6 mpg combined and easily met its electric-range expectations.

This result makes the Tonale one of the most fuel-efficient premium small crossovers on the market, topped only by the conventional hybrid Lexus UX, which can manage an astounding 42 mpg combined (43 city, 41 highway) but which isn’t nearly as roomy, fun or stylish as the Alfa. The Corsair and BMW X1 aren’t too far behind the Tonale’s published estimate of 29 mpg combined, but again, the Alfa overachieves in the real world.

The Tonale is an “electrified” vehicle but its 15.5 kWh battery pack can only use Level 1 (a household outlet) or Level 2 (a home charging unit) charging. Level 1 is an overnight affair but Level 2 takes only two-and-a-half hours at most, and charging is easy.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 10/15

Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have yet evaluated the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale. However, the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP), an EU entity that performs tests similar to IIHS, gives the Tonale a top five-star rating.

Alfa Romeo’s standard advanced driver assistance tech is above average for this class. While the Italian brand offers fewer standard features than rivals like Lexus (or Genesis on the one-size larger GV70), it includes much more than Mercedes-Benz or BMW. The standard gear includes forward automatic emergency braking and collision warnings, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings with lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic alerts, traffic sign recognition and a driver attention monitor.

Active Driving Assist (an upgraded adaptive cruise system with stop-and-go and lane centering), surround view monitoring and parallel parking assist are part of a $1,850 package, but you’ll pay almost that to get some of the Tonale’s standard gear BMW or Mercedes-Benz. The systems work well with one exception. The lane-keeping system is a busybody and tends to work the steering wheel more than it should in trying to keep you centered in the lane. It’s a discordant note an otherwise a good setup.

Comfort & Room: 13/15

Although its front seats could stand to be a little more supportive, the Tonale offers plenty of room for its size. Front-seat passengers get more legroom than in the X1, Q3 or XC40 and nearly as much as the Mercedes-Benz GLB or GV70, both of which are larger vehicles overall. Many previous Alfa Romeos have had questionable ergonomics, but the front seat isn’t bad and there’s nothing to accidentally bump into or any switches that are too far away. It’s fairly comfy but with the demerit of never having quite enough lumbar or thigh support.

In back, the Tonale is also reasonably capacious. On paper, the numbers are much better than the Stelvio (38 inches of legroom to 31.9), although that SUV has more room than those dimensions suggest. Still, the Tonale feels more spacious than its big brother and its legroom dimensions have many other vehicles its size beat. In the real world, it feels about the same back there as in the X1 and GLB, but Alfa has much more rear seat space than the Volvo XC40 or Lexus UX.

The Tonale’s doors aren’t the biggest, which makes loading kids a little harder than some potential rivals, but most of the small to subcompact crossovers aren’t much different.

Infotainment: 12/15

Every Tonale gets a 12.3-inch digital driver display and a 10.3-inch central infotainment screen running Stellantis’ Uconnect 5 software. The software isn’t hard to learn although the wonky controls for the drivers’ display might have you digging out the owner’s manual the first couple of times you want to reconfigure it. 

There’s no all-powerful digital assistant as at BMW, but the system is easy to use. If you don’t like Alfa’s native software, wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard and the system can simultaneously connect to two phones. Amazon Alexa is also integrated, and there’s a mobile app for monitoring the car and other functions.

While all-screens-all-the-time may be all the rage these days, Alfa Romeo has retained many physical controls for various functions including volume control and the HVAC system. That’s good, because the touch inputs on the screen can be laggy sometimes, and the navigation’s pinch-and-zoom can be imprecise. There are USB-A and USB-C ports (one each) front and rear. Ti and Veloce trims get a wireless charging pad, but the tray is annoyingly small and won’t fit some larger phones.

Cargo Space & Storage: 11/15

With 22.9 cubic-feet of cargo space behind its rear seats and 50.5 with them folded, the Alfa Romeo Tonale has enough space to serve a couple or a very young family, but not much more. The Alfa has considerably more cargo room than the Lexus UX and also compares favorably with the Q3 and XC40, but larger compact crossovers and even the smaller BMW X1 (25.7 and 57.2 cubic-feet in those same stats) simply offer more.

Small item storage space in the cabin is okay but not remarkable, but not too much different from the competition. Alfa Romeo says a roof rack is coming soon, but roof rails are not standard on the Stelvio, which might make fitting a cargo box or roof rack more difficult than on some competing models.

Style & Design: 8/10

From its delicate “3+3” LED headlights and trademark V-shaped grille to the pretty “Tonale” script on the tail, this is a very attractive machine. It’s at once clean and muscular and full of nice details. One example of those is the little plug-in hybrid riff on the traditional Alfa logo snake which adorns the glass on the aft edge of the rear doors. The exterior is a triumph, and from the front much more distinctive than Dodge’s Hornet. It’s a pity though, that the Hornet uses the same doors and roofline.

It’s also unfortunate that the Dodge borrows so much of the Tonale’s interior. The Tonale and Hornet are not identical inside and the Alfa definitely looks more tasteful and sophisticated, but if you sit in both of them the resemblance is very clear. 

It’d be nice, too, if the Tonale offered some interior color. All of the trims get a black interior although white contrast stitching and dark red inserts on the seats are available. We couldn’t get some cream or brown in here? The Tonale’s cabin isn’t bad, but it isn’t quite as fancy feeling as those from Audi, BMW or Volvo.

Is the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale Worth it? Which Tonale is the Best Value? 

Plug-in hybrids generally cost more than their gas-only equivalents, and the PHEV-only Tonale is correspondingly more expensive than the gas-only small premium crossovers it battles against. That can make it seem like it should be in a more expensive class, but remember, other SUVs this size (apart from the Corsair) don’t offer this powertrain. There’s also the problem of the Hornet, which did not offer a similar PHEV powerplant at first but now does, albeit with a slightly smaller 12 kWh battery pack, at a price about $2,000 lower model for model. The Alfa is nicer, but that’s awfully close.

There are three trims starting with the $44,590 Sprint (all prices include a $1,595 destination fee). That’s almost $4,500 more than the BMW X1 and about $3,000 more than the Mercedes GLB or Volvo XC40 base models, but more than $10,000 less than the Corsair PHEV. You’ll make up the difference in time with the Tonale’s stellar fuel economy, but you’ll certainly have to be diligent about charging overnight.

Even though the Sprint is fairly well equipped, it doesn’t offer many of the Tonale’s nicest options. Upgrading to the luxury-themed Ti ($46,590) is probably the best bet for value as it brings more equipment (including a hands-free liftgate, a wireless charging pad and fancier 18-inch wheels) and opens up all of the option packages. 

These include a $2,500 Premium Interior and Sound package (adds ventilated front seats, leather upholstery, memory seats and a Harman Kardon audio system), a $1,500 Premium Interior package (the same minus audio and memory seats) a high-performance driving package ($1,500, paddle shifters, painted brake calipers and fancy pedals) and a $1,200 panoramic sunroof. We’d probably skip them other than the sunroof and add one of the fancier extra-cost colors.

The top-trim Veloce ($49,090) begins to run into opposition from larger machines like the BMW X3 and if you load it all the way up it can soar to almost $57,000—as much as a V6 GV70 3.5T. That’s probably too much, but if you skip the optional extras the Veloce does give you some things the other trims don’t. That includes an adaptive suspension, Alcantara interior bits, a sport exhaust and upgraded Brembo brake calipers. 

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale?

The Alfa Romeo Tonale costs a little less to insure than its peers, but it’s also brand new so data is thin on the ground. According to our research, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium of $1,790, though this averages all 50 states. That compares to $2,144 for the Lincoln Corsair, $2,173 for the BMW X1 and $1,974 for the Volvo XC40. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.