WHY WE RAN IT
To see how well Alfa Romeo's new plug-in hybrid small SUV balances rationality and emotion
My more juvenile car friends continue to call our outgoing long-termer the toenail- and yes, its name doesn't translate brilliantly into English - but having spent a good few months with it, I feel it deserves more respect than that.
The Tonale plug-in hybrid was a long time coming compared with rival offerings, not least because incoming Alfa Romeo boss Jean-Philippe Imparato insisted the car needed to be improved before it the powertrain - more of that in a moment - but the ability to eke out a very respectable official EV range of 48 miles. This enabled the Tonale to play to the crucial business car market, in which Alfa hasn't had a seat for a while now.
That powertrain, for me, is really the sticking point with this car. As I've mentioned in previous reports, I got used to it over time and didn't find myself disliking the car as a result. But the mix of poor refinement and an electric motor and engine that didn't seem to work very well together, leading to slow move-offs and some required perseverance when getting up to speed on motorways, ultimately felt disappointing. It is Alfa Romeo, after all - but I'd comment on this in any car, Alfa Romeo or not.
Denne historien er fra January 03, 2024-utgaven av Autocar UK.
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Denne historien er fra January 03, 2024-utgaven av Autocar UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
30 CARS FOR £30K
A £30k budget would buy you only one of the new cars tested in this week's mag - or any of these used dream machines.
AUDI A6 E-TRON
Does this new electric executive car hit the spot in UK-market spec?
VOLKSWAGEN JUST WEEKS FROM UNVEILING £17,000 EV
Concept will lay bare the firm's plans for an entry-level electric city car
Damien Smith
What a year for Aston Martin on the world's race tracks. By the time the Adrian Newey era officially begins for the underperforming Formula 1 team on 1 March, the competition version of his Valkyrie hypercar will have made its race debut.
BYD ATTO 2
Chinese giant's next EV is family-minded medium SUV
NISSAN ARIYA NISMO
Performance sub-brand returns to spice up Nissan's electric family SUV
The shape of things to come
Coventry Uni students competed to design a radical FCEV supercar that Riversimple will put into production by 2030. STEVE CROPLEY reports
PORSCHE 911 DAKAR TO RETURN AS HOT HYBRID
All-roads sports car due with 534bhp and innovative T-Hybrid tech
KGM'S NEW OWNER SPARKS OPTIMISM ABOUT UK FUTURE
“Pushing tech and design forward” after years of Ssangyong stagnation
Cars for sale. Job lot
Bernie Ecclestone is selling this astonishing collection.
