Alfa Romeo Tonale

FIRST UK DRIVE At the wheel of brand's small SUV challenger

- Alastair Crooks

THREE years is a long time in the automotive industry, even more so in the fast-paced small SUV segment that's how long we've had to wait for this new Alfa Romeo Tonale since it first emerged as a concept. But now we're finally trying an early left-hand-drive model on UK roads to see how the BMW X1, Mercedes GLA, Volvo XC40 and Audi Q3 rival fares.

Our car is the top-spec Veloce version, and at £42,505 you might question the use of a shared platform from the much cheaper Jeep Compass, but it's clear Alfa has worked hard to add its own driver-focused touch.

It has MacPherson strut suspension at the front and rear, with adaptive dampers on this Veloce model. There are also large Brembo brakes, specially tuned steering and on this test car, Pirelli P Zero tyres.

Every powertrain will have some form of electrification and while there's no full-EV model, the platform can accommodate it. A 271bhp plug-in hybrid with four-wheel drive is coming, but for now, UK buyers are limited to a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol mild hybrid that has a small 0.8kWh battery. This gives an electric boost for a total of 158bhp and 240Nm of torque. It's linked to a sevenspeed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.