The 2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale has been revealed ahead of a 2023 Australian release. Competing in the premium small SUV segment, the Tonale adds another new segment for the Italian brand after the release of the larger Stelvio SUV in 2017. Revealed globally with a range of powerplants, including a plug-in hybrid and diesel units – the Tonale will launch in Australia with just one initial powertrain: a 117kW turbocharged 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine.
According to the brand, the Tonale “marks the brand’s metamorphosis while remaining true to its DNA of Italian sportiness since 1910.”
“With the all-new Tonale, a radical evolution is taking place at Alfa Romeo which is looking ahead to a new era of connectivity and electrification” it said.
Sitting on the same ‘FCA Small Wide’ platform as the Fiat 500X, Jeep Compass and Renegade, the 2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale will offer a wide range of powerplants globally. Chief among these is a new plug-in hybrid drivetrain that combines a 132kW 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a 90kW rear electric motor for 202kW in total. The electric motor gets its power from a 15.1kWh battery for up to 80km of electric driving.
Australia is set to receive just one powertrain initially: a 117kW 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine aided by a 15kW/55Nm mild-hybrid system that allows the car to be driven for short distances on pure electric power, and it also provides a boost under hard acceleration. Other markets will also be offered a 96kW tune of this drivetrain, as well as a 188kW 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine (with all-wheel drive) and even a 96kW 1.6-litre turbo-diesel will be offered in Europe.
Dimensionally, the Tonale is 4,530mm long, 1,840mm wide and 1,600mm tall – 157mm shorter, 63mm narrower, and 48mm lower than the Stelvio. Bootspace figures are yet to be revealed – as is the boot itself. While it does share a platform with Jeep and Fiat models, Alfa Romeo says that the platform has been ‘significantly revised’ for the Tonale with a new electrical platform, revised suspension with adaptive dampers and a big focus on dynamics – the brake-by-wire (called IBS or Integrated Braking System by Alfa) system with Brembo brakes is unique to the Tonale and its steering is said to be far sharper than the Jeep Compass for more dynamic driving.
Inside the 2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale is a newly-designed cabin that is more modern than the Giulia and Stelvio thanks to more technology, a larger central touchscreen and new available features to the brand. Central to the cabin is a new 10.25-inch touchscreen with a new Android operating system and wireless smartphone mirroring across the range while ahead of the driver sits an available 12.3-inch digital driver’s display.
Other available features include heated and ventilated front seats, configurable LED ambient lighting, a 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, keyless entry and start with an electric tailgate and wireless phone charging.
Safety features include Matrix adaptive high beam functionality for the headlights, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane trace assist, traffic jam assist, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring, a 360-degree camera and automatic parking.
The 2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale is due to go on sale in Australia in the first half of 2023 with local pricing and specifications due to be announced before then. Chief competitors to the Tonale include the Audi Q3, Volvo XC40, BMW X1, Jaguar E-Pace, Range Rover Evoque and Mercedes-Benz GLA.
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