With the brand’s new Tonale small SUV it appears to be a case of mission accomplished, judging by the reception the car received from one admirer at Adelaide airport.

The Qantas worker in question was heading home from a shift when she spotted the row of gleaming Alfa Romeo’s, with their distinctive ‘Scudetto’ grilles glinting in the mild winter sunshine.

After making a bee-line for the Alfas and running a careful eye over a particularly striking Montreal Green Tonale Veloce parked amid red, blue and grey doppelgangers, she asked the price and seemed pleasantly impressed by the response of “about $50k”.

Our group was about to hop into the Tonale and head into the Adelaide Hills for a first taste of a new model which has the potential to dramatically boost Alfa’s mediocre sales in Australia.

Small and medium SUVs remain a hot ticket item in Australia but until now Alfa hasn’t had a dog in the fight, relying instead on the larger Stelvio SUV and the Giulia sedan to notch up a modest 343 total sales to the end of July.

Named after one of Italy’s highest mountain passes, the Tonale is also significant in that it features Alfa’s first mild hybrid powertrain, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with variable geometry turbocharger, coupled with seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, a 15kW electric motor and a 48V 0.8kWh battery.

The combination produces 118kW at 5750rpm and 240Nm at 1500rpm, which is competitive with rivals like the 1.4-litre Audi Q3 35 TFSI but trails the category-leading Volvo XC40’s 2.0-litre turbocharged offering.

Both these and other rivals also offer higher output versions for buyers wanting more performance, something Alfa Romeo has addressed since launch with the announcement of a more powerful Tonale plug-in hybrid.

Due in October, the Tonale PHEV boasts a 208kW petrol-electric drivetrain, 60km of all-electric range and comes in a single Veloce trim for an MRLP of $77,500.

The Tonale mild hybrid we’re addressing here, however, comes with a single drivetrain in Ti and Veloce trim levels and is priced from $49,900 and $56,400 respectively, which is competitive with entry-level variants of the Volvo XC40 and Audi Q3.

While 48V mild hybrid systems are becoming increasingly common as manufacturers strive to reduce tailpipe emissions, Alfa claims its system is different due to the e-motor’s direct connection to the gearbox, which means it acts like a ‘real’ (or series-parallel) hybrid.

As a result, Alfa says the Tonale can drive on electric power alone with the engine turned off at speeds below 15 km/h, while at higher speeds the 48V battery supplies juice to the electric motor to boost performance.

The small 0.8kWh battery is topped up regeneratively when decelerating and braking.

Alfa also claims the use of variable geometry turbocharger technology endows the Tonale Hybrid with diesel-like fuel economy of just 5.6L/100km, while delivering more spirited petrol performance and with lower emissions than a diesel.

It’s worth noting, though, that the more powerful Volvo XC40 isn’t hybridised and manages an only slightly higher 6.5L/100km.

Stylistically, the Tonale is instantly recognisable as an Alfa Romeo thanks to that signature ‘Scudetto’ grille, which is flanked by a distinctive ‘3+3’ headlight array, a styling touch replicated in the full-width rear LED light clusters.

The distinctive headlights also include adaptive driving beam which adjusts the dipped headlights according to speed and driving conditions, lateral lighting for illuminating corners when turning, and glare-free high beam which detects traffic in front and adjustd the beam to prevent blinding oncoming drivers.

Given that both the Ti and Veloce have the same engine and front-wheel drivetrain, the differences between them largely comes down to styling and features, with the Tonale Ti exterior distinguished by a glossy black body kit with satin chrome inserts, Ti badges on the front guards, 18-Inch diamond cut alloy wheels, gloss black electric-folding heated exterior mirrors (with Italian flag), and body-coloured rear spoiler and door handles.

The higher-grade Veloce features a dark finish on the grille and body kit, a combination of gloss and matte black in other areas, privacy glass, bold red Brembo brake calipers and handsome 19-Inch diamond cut alloy wheels.

A 20-inch wheel with classic five-hole design is also available as an option on both variants.
Inside, the cabin is nicely designed, well finished and comfortable, with the sort of sporting design touches enthusiasts would expect from this famed Italian marque.

That includes a binocular-like ‘Cannocchiale’ hooded cluster housing a 12.3-Inch TFT screen with three different view options, a sporty three-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel with integrated start button, and large Ferrari-like aluminium gear shift paddles on the Veloce.

The driving position is excellent and the cabin is surprisingly roomy, thanks to the Tonale riding on a 2,636mm wheelbase and boasting overall length of 4,528mm, which means it’s sized midway between a small SUV and a medium SUV, with benefits for passenger and luggage space.

Boot space is a generous 500 litres with all seats in position, expanding to 1,550 litres with the 60/40 split-folding rear lowered.

There’s also a ski port for passing longer items through when the two outer rear seats are in use.

Elsewhere in the driver-focused cockpit, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto provides access to various vehicle settings and functions.

Alfa claims a new software system provides faster response times and improved connectivity and we found it relatively easy to operate.

The Ti features cloth and leatherette manually adjustable front seats with embossed headrests and beige stitching which carries over to the soft-touch dashboard.

Stepping up to the Veloce brings nicer perforated black Alcantara and Leatherette Seats with embroidered “Biscione” snake logo, sporty red stitching on the seats, doors and centre console trims, and aluminium door sills.

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Comfort features on both models include Alfa Connect Services with voice assistant, a wireless charging pad, keyless entry and go, dual-zone air conditioning and electric park brake with auto hold.

On the safety front, both variants attained a five-star ANCAP safety rating in February of this year.

Standard safety and driver assistance systems of the Ti include adaptive cruise control with stop and go, high beam assist, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking with vulnerable road user system, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, driver drowsy detection, six airbags, front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera and dynamic lines, traffic sign recognition with intelligent speed assist and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

On top of this, the Veloce adds traffic jam assist, side parking sensors, a 360° surround view camera and blind-spot detection with rear cross path.

Pleasingly, the Ti can be optioned up with these extra safety features by way of a $2,500 Technology Pack that adds all the above plus auto-dimming exterior mirrors.

Other available options on both variants include a panoramic sunroof and 20-inch wheels, plus the Lusso or ‘luxury’ pack which costs $4,500 and brings heated and ventilated front seats with eight-way adjustment, a heated steering wheel and washer nozzle, perforated black leather-accented seats, dark grey stitching, and a 14-speaker 465-watt Harmon Kardon sound system.

The Tonale is also the first Australian Alfa Romeo to offer connected services technology, which enables users to remotely access their vehicle to check vehicle status, lock and unlock the vehicle, find the vehicle location and more. The system is partnered with Amazon Alexa so owners can also use these home systems to perform various remote operations.

Pressing on through the Adelaide Hills the Tonale felt nicely balanced, turning into bends eagerly and maintaining its composure and grip impressively well.
here’s some body roll, of course, but it’s well controlled and along with good weight distribution and quickish steering, it’s a car that offers an above-average level of driving enjoyment for those who go looking for it.

Unfortunately, the electric steering while fast and accurate is largely ‘feel’ free.

The Tonale is based on the same platform as the Jeep Compass, but Alfa claims to have tuned the suspension specifically.

The basic design uses struts at the front and an independent three-link rear end, with the key differentiator between Ti and Veloce being the use of Koni Frequency Selective Dampers (FSD) on the former, and an Active Dual-Stage Valve Suspension on the latter.

The Ti’s FSD dampers change the level of hydraulic damping to compensate for different road surface inputs, improving ride handling, while for enthusiast drivers the Veloce’s superior electronically adaptive suspension allows the selection of firmer and softer damper profiles via the ‘DNA’ drive mode switch.

The latter is present on both variants and controls steering weighting and drivetrain response, but in the case of the Veloce an additional damper mode enables further customisation.

The Veloce also benefits from lower profile 19-inch wheels, dynamic torque vectoring, and the superior bite and pedal feel of Brembo brakes.

With either variant, if there’s an area where the Tonale feels a bit underwhelming, it’s that of engine performance.

The engine is smooth and reasonably energetic, stretching to its 6,000rpm redline when pressed, but with its dynamic looks and Alfa’s strong sporting heritage, some buyers may be mildly disappointed by its 8.8-second 0–100km/h acceleration.

The engine also lacks the sort of sporty note that has long been an Alfa Romeo hallmark and in combination with the standard stop-start system it can feel a bit lethargic when asked to gather its skirts quickly away from standstill.

The fact the polished chassis suggests the Tonale could comfortably handle more oomph only serves to highlight the issue, although this criticism may be rectified by the forthcoming PHEV.

Alfa Romeo aspires to make beautiful, timeless, classic Italian cars and the Tonale certainly has enough flair to separate it from the horde of other lookalike SUVs on the market.

It’s also a very good thing for the Italian brand to finally have a reasonably affordable small-medium SUV to contest one of the market’s biggest categories.

The Tonale is certainly dynamically competent but in this incarnation ultimately lacks the brillo to be described as a true driver’s SUV.

That may not matter to some buyers who are happy with the car’s looks, dynamics and features, but others may choose to wait for the arrival of the Tonale PHEV, which promises to give what is a well-polished chassis the stronger performance it deserves.

Alfa Romeo Australia offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for the Tonale plus standard roadside assistance for five years or unlimited kilometres.

Recommended service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, with five-year/75,000km servicing cost totalling $3675.

Key stats

• PRICE: $49,900 (MRLP)
• POWERTRAIN: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol; mild hybrid, 15kW/55Nm electric motor, 48V 0.8kWh battery (combined outputs 118kW/240Nm); seven-speed dual clutch transmission.
• ANCAP CRASH RATING: Five stars 2022
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.6L/100km (130g/km CO2)
• FOR: Styling, fuel efficiency, dynamic handling, safety, passenger and luggage space.
• AGAINST: Performance, firm ride on 19 and 20-inch wheels, space-saver spare, front-wheel drive only, coarse surface tyre noise.