Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce

 The Alfa Romeos Tonale, like rather too many Alfa Romeos before it, arrives surfing a wave of promises. There’s a 10-year product plan, dictating a brand-new model each year; the company’s first EV will be here in 2024; and its portfolio will be fully electric by 2027.

We’ve heard these kinds of statements before, but this time it’s real. Apparently. The Alfa Romeo Tonale you see here is the big kick-off, Alfa Romeo’s first electrified car and one that expands its potential customer base considerably. The marketing folk tell us that entering the sub-Stelvio crossover sector means around 40% of UK buyers will now have an Alfa Romeo on their radar, as opposed to the 15% served beforehand.

If that all sounds like boring sales jargon, we should tell you that the same speech revealed profitable models like this can bankroll more “£150,000 supercars”. All of which bundles some extra weight on the Tonale’s shoulders. Namely competing well enough in an overcrowded market segment to get Turin’s till ringing with the sort of ferocity that funds low-volume performance cars like those its brand image is grounded on.

We’re meant to see a few past icons in the car itself, the headlights echoing those of the SZ and the rear window the same shape as on the 8C Competizione. Don’t tell me you missed both references… In truth, the Tonale’s aesthetic is much calmer than the sum of its influences. It’s a rakish-looking thing by compact crossover standards, made all the better by the blue, red and green (the latter inspired by the Montreal, natch) offered in lieu of  the numerous shades of grey that fill rivals’ configurators.

We’re meant to see a few past icons in the car itself, the headlights echoing those of the SZ and the rear window the same shape as on the 8C Competizione. Don’t tell me you missed both references… In truth, the Tonale’s aesthetic is much calmer than the sum of its influences. It’s a rakish-looking thing by compact crossover standards, made all the better by the blue, red and green (the latter inspired by the Montreal, natch) offered in lieu of  the numerous shades of grey that fill rivals’ configurators.