Just off the Mediterranean west coast of Italy near Naples, our tour bus swept through turns that it had no right being able to make without crushing the oncoming traffic on the narrow pavement. We were in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius enroute to Pompeii.
Little did I know that not much further up the road in Pomigliano an Alfa Romeo factory was churning out the compact Tonale SUV I’d be testing this spring.
Walking narrow winding streets in Naples and Messina and being amazed by the busman’s expert driving skills, I realized first-hand the importance of quick, nimble handling vehicles on the Italian peninsula. Alfa, Fiat, Ferrari, and Lamborghini have made their reputation and fed their longevity creating stylish cars to tame such roads.
For several years now, the Stellantis holding company that owns Alfa along with 13 other European and US makes (think Dodge, Chyrysler, Ram and Jeep), has been working to re-introduce Alfa to the US market. It has been a slow road.
Now comes Tonale, named after an Italian mountain pass. This small SUV comes in below the mid-size Stelvio and emphasizes Alfa’s performance and luxury while featuring a mid-market price tag.
Possible this marketing strategy could be what Alfa has been needing to establish even the tiniest of footholds in the US market.
Certainly, Tonale’s exterior styling is enough to garner a few looks, and maybe sales. Whereas so many SUVs, no matter their size or price, are boring, boxy and intent on selling macho muscularity, Alfa seeks attention with curves and a distinctive grille. It wins on that.
Even bathed in Grigio Ascari Metallic, (dark metallic gray named after a famed Italian F1 driving champion) Tonale is a visual treat. The three-sided grille, or trefoil, denotes Alfa’s historic styling, but with new horizontal strakes and curvaceous bumpers and hood along with a trio of headlights on either side. It’s a distinguishing look.
In profile and from the rear there’s a clean crispness that insinuates sophistication and the white leather and black fake suede interior and stylish dash design complete the upscale look and feel that Alfa was going for.
Performance?
Peppy and precise. The 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 cranks a pleasing 268 horsepower with a torque rating of 295. That’s hooked up to a nine-speed automatic transmission with three drive modes adjusted via a knob above the console and under the center stack.
Flip the knob to D (Dynamic) mode and acceleration is quick and enthusiastic. Go to N (Natural) or A (Advanced Efficiency) (that’s DNA, get it?) and acceleration is fine, with A being an Eco-mode to extend gas mileage. When cold the shifting can be a little twitchy in the low gears, but never a major concern, just not silky smooth. But then Tonale’s aim is sporty, not silky.
Certainly, the handling is sporty. Very quick and fun to push the small SUV into tight turns where the driver wants to exert more precise control. Alfa’s full-time AWD gives it plenty of traction too, desirable grip when pushing a bit, especially in the wet.
The downside comes via ride severity. Tonale’s ride is stiff, resulting in occasional jolts on crumbling Midwestern roads. Highway expansion joints sometimes turn annoying, too. Riding on a petit 103.8-inch wheelbase doesn’t help spread the bumps.
But gas mileage may help restore some of Tonale’s positive vibe. I got 26 mpg and the EPA rates this at 21 mpg city and 29 highway. I feel the lower number is a bit severe as I pushed this one pretty hard and still got reasonable mileage. Sadly, premium fuel is preferred.
Inside this petite gray baby racer looked sharp.
Seats are a black fake suede with white leather trim and sort of a tan stitching that continues on the suede dash facing. Doors and dash are textured black on top and there’s a snazzy textured silver trim there and on the dash that creates a sporty look. That trims the dash’s air vents and console too. A black gloss trims the driver’s main gauge pod and center air vents.
Everything looked great and worked well. I especially liked the large climate control buttons below the smallish looking 10-inch info touchscreen.
Front seats are well shaped and supportive with the driver’s seat featuring eight-way power and three memory settings on the door panel. The passenger gets a four-way power seat. Both front seats are heated, as is the steering wheel. But those controls are tiny haptic buttons hidden atop the info screen. They also don’t maintain their settings when the Tonale is turned off and restarted.
Overhead in the tester was a fair-sized powered sunroof with a power shade. Cost is $1,500.
Below the center stack and screen is a wireless phone charger and Alfa goes with a flat-bottom steering wheel wrapped in leather with tan stitching too. The tester added a premium Harman Kardon audio system for $750, likely worth it if you listen to more than talk radio.
Rear seat room is mild, but adults will fit if the front seat folks aren’t NBA stars. Likewise, cargo space is generous behind the split rear seats, and seemingly monstrous if the seats are lowered. Alfa includes a power hatch on this, the new Sport Speciale edition, the top-level trim.
Sport Speciale also includes fancy three-hole 20-inch alloy wheels, some silver body accents, black Brembo brake calipers, and the fake suede seats.
All Tonale’s are equipped with a full complement of safety features including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot and cross traffic detection, lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning and even traffic-sign recognition and a driver attention alert.
Options in addition to those mentioned above included a black roof ($95), dual mode active suspension ($350) and an Active Assist package for $1,250 that includes auto-dimming rear exterior mirror, a surround-view camera, active driver assist, and ParkSense for front, rear, and side parking sensors.
A couple concerning issues to consider, the first being the giant A-pillars that create a major blockage for side views at intersections. While inside Alfa uses oversized paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. This may benefit the sporty look, but they obstruct the turn signal and wiper levers, so a driver bumps the paddle shifters before activating those more vital levers. The cumbersome paddle shifters need to go, or at the very least be shrunk.
Setting those concerns aside one can choose from one of the three Tonale trims, Sprint, Veloce, and the tested Sport Speciale.
Sprint starts at $40,745, Veloce at $45,245, and the Sport Speciale amazingly at the same $45,245 although options pushed one to $49,885. Staying in that mid-$40k range is this Alfa’s sweet spot. Note too that all models feature the same powertrain as Alfa has discontinued its plug-in hybrid model for 2026.
Others to consider in the small luxury SUV market include Volvo’s XC40, BMW’s X1 and X2 and the Mini Countryman. Another that offers good looks and exciting driving is Mazda’s CX-30 turbo, and it undercuts all the above on price while still delivering a premium look and interior.
FAST STATS: 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale Sport Speciale AWD
Hits: Sporty styling and handling, good acceleration, 3 drive modes, sunroof, heated front seats and steering wheel, comfy seats with 3 memory settings, abundant safety equipment, plus power hatch, flat-bottom steering wheel, wireless phone charger, premium audio, and stylish 3-hole wheels.
Misses: Stiff ride, oversized paddle shifters block other stalks, giant A-pillars block side view, and drinks premium fuel. Plug-in hybrid model dropped.
Made in: Pomigliano, Italy
Engine: 2.0-liter turbocharged I4, 268 hp/295 torque
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Weight: 3,715 lbs.
Wheelbase: 103.8 in.
Length: 178 in.
Cargo: 27-54.7 cu. ft.
MPG: 21/29 (EPA)
MPG: 26 (tested)
Base Price: $45,245 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $44,405
Options:
Grigio Ascari Metallic paint, $695
Black roof, $95
Active Assist pkg. (auto-dimming rear exterior mirror, active drive assist, surround-view camera, ParkSense front/rear/side park assist), $1,250
Power sunroof, $1,500
Harman-Kardon premium audio, $750
Dual mode active suspension, $350
Test vehicle: $49,885
Sources: Alfa Romeo, www.kbb.com
