MOTORS: Advanced Alfa Romeo also has nod to the past
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Children are messy individuals. As babies they need almost constant cleaning at both ends and through the toddler stage they have a remarkable ability to attach sticky sweets to any surface within striking distance.
So many parents may welcome the ideas which Alfa Romeo have come up with in a concept for the latest version of their entry to the electrified market, the Tonale SUV.
The Edizione Bambini is only an idea at the moment – it’s not available to buy – but has some clever accessories to make travelling with children of all ages, just a bit easier.
The most significant is a built-in baby changing unit sliding out of the space normally occupied by the rear parcel shelf, so it can be carried out in comfort for the baby and at a good height for the parent. A small vacuum cleaner is stowed on the boot floor and charged through an integrated 12V socket.
There’s also a flexible swan neck-mounted camera baby monitor, which can be linked to smartphones so front seat passengers can keep an eye on the child seats.
Fitting over the back of the front seats is a leather unit with a gripper for a tablet, drinks holder, bento box for snacks and a rattle-free pen holder. It also stops the annoying kids’ habit of kicking the back of the front seats.
The plug-in Tonale is a hugely important car for the Italian brand. It’s the most efficient and cleanest model Alfa has ever built and because of its low tax rating and Benefit in Kind, it also opens up the fleet market.
So Alfa are doing all the right things with low CO2, useful all-electric range of almost 50 miles and economy which should allow around 200 miles out of every gallon of petrol but importantly they’re still offering the sportiness and performance for which they are renowned.
It comes in a choice of two trims, Ti and Veloce, along with a Speciale launch edition.
The test car was a Veloce with specific badging and body kit, privacy glass and 19-inch dark diamond cut alloy wheels with red Brembo brake calipers. Under the surface, the Veloce also has Dual Stage Valve suspension for an even more compliant ride which I found spectacularly good on a demanding test route round twisting moorland roads in North Yorkshire.
You not only get amazing economy from the 1.3 litre petrol engine which powers the front wheels but also surprising performance hitting 62mph in just over six seconds – the sort of thrill you’d expect from an Alfa. The 90kW electric motor on the rear axle gives the car all-wheel-drive for extra grip and stability and if selected, you should get more than 40 miles of all-electric driving before the engine cuts in.
The Tonale is the most technologically advanced Alfa Romeo ever, and is the first vehicle ever to be equipped with an NFT digital certificate, which records the vehicle’s data over its life to guarantee its status to give reassurance to future owners and help keep up its secondhand value.
The interior design draws inspiration from Alfa’s racing heritage with the ‘telescopic’ Cannocchiale instrument panel and compact steering wheel with huge aluminium gear paddles behind.
The car also comes with Alfa’s superb DNA driving mode selector which changes the set-up depending on your mood or the road conditions.
It has a top-level connectivity and infotainment system with Over The Air updates, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with DAB radio, Bluetooth, navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, together with a six-speaker sound system and wireless charging pad.
There’s a powered tailgate and parking sensors all round with camera, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking.
It has some great design features like the full-LED ‘3+3’ headlights, inspired by the some classic models of the past which the Tonale does a great job of reviving.
Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce PHEV 6-speed auto
PRICE: £48,495
ENGINE: 1332cc plug-in hybrid petrol
POWER: 280 hp
TORQUE: 270 Nm
TOP SPEED: 128mph
0-62mph: 6.2 secs
ECONOMY: 217 mpg combined
CO2 EMISSIONS: 29 g/km
