Alfa Romeo Tonale Review: Sporty and Fun, if Not Unique

Alfa Romeo may be known for its luxury vehicles, but the Alfa Romeo Tonale is a little more of an accessible crossover than you might assume. At a starting price of $36,495, the vehicle actually approaches the realm of reasonable. New for this year is a change that wasn’t necessarily all that expected, though — the Tonale went from being a plug-in hybrid, to now also being available as a non-hybrid. The Alfa Romeo Veloce (which refers to the trim level, rather than the model of car itself) that I’m reviewing is one of those non-hybrid models.

The biggest benefit to the non-hybrid Tonale, of course, is probably its price, but there’s still a lot to love about it outside of its powertrain and lower cost. That’s despite the fact that it’s an incredibly close relative to the Dodge Hornet, which you might consider to be not quite as premium. Here’s a deeper look.

Exterior design

The Alfa Romeo Tonale is a crossover-sized vehicle with a relatively stylish design, but it doesn’t necessarily go out of its way to be overly unique. That said, there are still some different and interesting things about its design, and as a whole, it’s sleek and stylish.

On the front of the vehicle, you’ll get Alfa Romeo’s signature grille, which has a triangular shape and connects the front headlights with the lower grille. The headlights have a triple LED setup, which looks modern and sporty. On the rear, you’ll find a slightly more traditional look with another triple LED lighting setup and curved body shape.

My review model has the optional 20-inch five-hole wheels, which are perhaps the most unique-looking thing about the version of the car that I’m driving. Those wheels will run you an extra $2,000, but they certainly do look cool.

Again, the vehicle is sporty and attractive, without being over the top. I quite like its overall shape, and while it certainly looks tall, given its proportions, it’s not over the top, while still translating to a little more interior space.

Interior design

The interior of the vehicle borrows design elements from other Alfa Romeo cars, including things like the round air vents. It’s comfortable and spacious as a whole, with tech-forward design elements where appropriate and more traditional controls where it makes sense.

The seats are quite comfortable. My review model had leather bucket seats that looked quite premium and felt nice and plush. However, there were other interior design elements that didn’t necessarily feel all that premium, like some of the plastic components. To be clear, the vehicle certainly didn’t feel cheap, but it wasn’t quite the luxury that you might expect from the likes of Alfa Romeo. Note, many of the interior design elements I experienced were included given the fact that the Veloce trim comes with the Premium package.

The Tonale has two rows of seats, and both rows offer a decent amount of leg room. I wouldn’t necessarily call the Tonale the most spacious vehicle, but it doesn’t feel cramped, either. Behind the second row you’ll get 22.9 cubic feet of cargo space, which is fine, but not incredible.

One thing I did really like was the fact that there are plenty of physical controls, including for the climate controls. I prefer physical climate controls to digital ones, and in the Tonale you’ll get paddles for fan speed and temperature, with the driver and passenger each getting their own temperature control.

Generally, the interior of the Alfa Romeo Tonale is comfortable and premium with enough space for most scenarios.

Tech

The point of the Tonale isn’t necessarily to be the most tech-forward vehicle, but there’s still a decent amount of tech involved. At the front, you’ll get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, while in the center, there’s a 10.3-inch infotainment display. It runs Uconnect 5 software, which I don’t really love, as I find it to be generally confusing. Thankfully, the Tonale supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through wireless connections.

There are some helpful tech features, though: There’s a lane-keeping assistant with adaptive cruise control, and together they can combine into something that feels close to semi-autonomous when you’re driving on a highway, though you’ll still need to pay attention and keep your hands on the wheel.

If you’re anything like me, the most important feature for you is support for CarPlay, especially on a vehicle like this that you’re probably buying because you want to drive it, not because you want it to drive itself.

Performance

Under the hood, the Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce offers a 2.0-liter four-cylindar turbo engine that delivers 268 horsepower. Yes, it’s the same engine that’s borrowed from the Dodge Hornet, which is built on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Tonale, essentially meaning that as a whole, performance is pretty similar, despite the Tonale’s higher price.

The Tonale Veloce in particular adds some additional driving-related features like adaptive dampers and paddle shifters. This makes the Veloce worth upgrading to for many drivers who want that more tactile driving experience, though those who don’t really care about that won’t need to upgrade.

In general, the Tonale felt responsive and quick, though at lower speeds, its responsiveness wasn’t quite as impressive. The suspension wasn’t overly soft, but that’s a good thing here, as it helped make driving the car slightly more visceral.

While the Alfa Romeo Tonale and the Dodge Hornet are very similar vehicles that even share a powertrain, the feel of driving them is slightly different. That said, the actual performance of them is more or less the same, so you could opt for the lower-priced Hornet for a similar driving experience.

In My Expert Opinion

Whether or not you decide to go for the Alfa Romeo Tonale is really your choice. It’s a nice vehicle that I enjoy driving, but when you look at what the trade-offs might be, it’s hard to argue that it’s the luxury option at its price point. There are others that offer more room and an even more premium interior, including the likes of the BMW X1. That said, if you like the design of the Tonale, you’re certainly not getting a subpar vehicle by buying it.