Ever since I saw Dustin Hoffman drive his Alfa Romeo Spider in the classic movie The Graduate, I’ve coveted one of these Italian sports cars. There is something romantic even in his name.
I once came close to buying a second-hand Spider, although the soft-top’s tempting £2,500 asking price proved too much for my meager budget at the time.
Adventurous youth gave way to wisdom, and instead I’m having fun living with Alfa Romeo’s sportiest SUV incarnation: the Tonale crossover. The WAGs are said to have nicknamed it “toenail”, but the correct Italian pronunciation is “toe-nah-lay”.
His face combines beauty and menace in equal parts. And with less Alfa on the road than other brands, you can better showcase your individuality.
It is available as a self-charging mild hybrid with a 1.5-litre petrol engine at its core, or as a 280PS petrol-electric plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that combines a 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a electric, a 15.5kWh battery and a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The interesting thing: the Tonale Ray I was driving had an attractive Alfa Red shade
This is what I’ve been driving in an attractive Alfa Red shade, one of three colors of the special edition model, Tributo Italiano. The others are Montreal Green and Banchise White. Riding on 20′ alloy wheels, it has an electric power range of 39 miles and I was getting pretty close to that.
I have my own Pod Point home charger, so I can recharge it at home for economical, emission-free driving on most local routes. If you’re not so fortunate, you’re safe in the knowledge that, at least if the battery dies, the gasoline engine will keep you going. And the regenerative hybrid system means you can generate additional charge while driving.
It’s agile on country roads and nifty on highways. If the sporty performance and pulling power fully matched its stunning looks, it would truly be unbeatable.
It’s agile on country roads and nifty on highways.
The new Alfa Romeo Tonale in Montreal green
Tonale PHEV prices range from £43,495 to £51,995
With less Alfa on the road than other brands, you can better showcase your individuality
Well equipped and equipped with safety and technology kit, it has comfortable supportive seats, a 10.25-inch touchscreen and manual buttons for air conditioning.
Regenerative hybrid system means you can generate additional charge while driving
Ray has his own Pod Point home charger, so he can recharge it at home to enjoy economical, emission-free driving on most of his local drives.
Boot space is compact but adequate and the rear seats fold down for convenience.
My Tonale accelerated from rest to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 128 mph.
However, I kept it in the sportiest of the three driving settings, as any other settings (comfort and eco modes) didn’t satisfy me.
Prices for the Tonale PHEV range from £43,495 to £51,995. Mine, driven, was £44,945. The mild hybrid version starts at £35,995.
Well equipped and equipped with safety and technology kit, it has comfortable, supportive seats, a 10.25-inch touchscreen and manual buttons for air conditioning.
Boot space is compact but adequate and the rear seats fold down for more enjoyment. Beautiful.
Car sales surge ahead of elections
Drivers are voting with their wallets when buying new cars ahead of the general election, latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal.
May sales rose 1.7 percent, the best performance since 2021, but still fell by almost a fifth (19.6 percent) compared to 2019.
Spending money: motorists vote with their pockets when buying new cars on the eve of the general elections
Experts say the market is being driven by car fleets and company car drivers, who receive generous tax incentives, while private buyers wait for more affordable vehicles, especially electric ones, to arrive with prices close to £20,000.
Automotive industry bosses say VAT on new electric cars must be reduced if electric vehicle targets are to be met.
- I am honored to be named Automotive Consumer Journalist 2024 for the second year in a row at the motor industry’s prestigious ‘Oscars’ – the Newspress Awards.