MATURITY EXAM
Table of Contents
Three and a half years after its launch on the market, theAlfa Romeo Tonalethe brand’s first medium SUV, is renewed. And it does so in more depth than it might appear at first glance. The element that immediately catches the eye is the movement of the targa front from the left side of the bumper to the center: a bit of personality and historical identity is sacrificed (the first to have it was the Giulietta Spider of 1955 and then, without interruption, almost all the models from the 156 of 1997 to today), but this requires the normative European Union for approval.
THERE’S MORE BEYOND THE PLATE
The designers have also worked on other details, but first it’s worth talking about roadwaysthat is, the distance between the centers of the wheels on the same axle: both front and rear, they are increase by 1 cm. The wheels are therefore further apart from each other and give the sensation that the Alfa Romeo Tonale is more “solid” and ready to attack curves. Beyond the result in driving dynamicsthe wheels that are too close together have always been the least convincing aspect of this car. And at Alfa Romeo they wanted to remedy this.
A REDESIGNED SHIELD
With the license plate returning to the center, Alfa Romeo designers had to “shorten” it scudetto. However, since it is the true distinctive sign of the brand, how can we continue to give it importance? A concave shape was chosen three-dimensionalwhich draws inspiration from the historic 33 Stradale and GT 2000.
Always in front, the air vents lower ones are based on those of the Alfa Romeo Junior; the sides are instead a tribute to the Giulia GTA and GTAm. Unchanged side and the part rear of the bodywork. The Alfa Romeo Tonale can have rims up to 20″ in diameter: in this case they have holes, as per the brand’s tradition, except for the fact that here there are three instead of four.
INSIDE IT CHANGES LITTLE
The Tonale’s interior changes only in the details: there are new combinations of colors e finisheslike the new ones seats “cannelloni” upholstered in red leather with coordinated passenger compartment stitching, or in two-tone black/white Alcantara; the latter are combined with the band in the dashboard covered in Alcantara and with contrasting stitching.
HYBRID ENGINES HAVE BEEN REVISED
The Alfa Romeo Tonale 1.5 Hybrid and 1.3 plug-In have also been updated in mechanics (not the 1.6 Multijet) to comply with anti-pollution regulations Euro 6e Bis. The Hybrid earn 15 HP, for a total of 175 CV. L’ibrida plug-inwith all-wheel drive (with the 128 HP electric motor moving the rear wheels) instead loses 10, from 280 to 270 CV. Both benefit from the refined Hybrid Control Processor, thanks to which – according to the company – delivery is quicker, linear and continuous, with less noticeable transitions between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor.
THE RANGE IS MORE COMPREHENSIVE
The new one basic versioncalled Tonale, comes as standard with full front and rear LED headlights, 17-inch diamond-cut wheels and a 12.3-inch digital dashboard, a multimedia system with a 10.3-inch screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as connected services.
One step higher Sprintwith external details in glossy black and contrasting inserts in matt Dark Miron dark grey, tinted windows and 18” wheels.
The Ofon the outside it stands out for its glossy black window frames and the dedicated badge on the fenders; Inside, there are red or black leather seats, eight-way power adjustable with electric lumbar support, heated and ventilated, along with the steering wheel and heated windshield washer nozzles.
At the top of the range is the Fast: new 19-inch Stile rims, specific badge on the fenders, LED matrix headlights, red Brembo brake calipers, double chrome exhaust pipes in the Plug-in Hybrid version and black Tonale logo at the rear. The suspensions are electronic with double valve.
LAUNCH VERSION
The launch version of the new Alfa Romeo Tonale is the Milan Cortina 2026which celebrates the partnership with the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Externallythe launch version stands out for the silver-coloured inserts in the side skirts and rear bumper, the Brembo brake calipers with glossy black color and white Alfa Romeo writing. Withinhere are seats in black and white Alcantara, the band in the dashboard in Alcantara, the contrasting white and ambient light stitching with specific graphics on the dashboard.
