FW editor John Challen spends some time getting acquainted with Alfa Romeo’s mild hybrid compact SUV.

The Misano blue of our test car went down well with the neighbours

DAY 1

Hybrid and SUV aren’t two words people would’ve expected to see associated with Alfa Romeo 10 years ago, but times have changed. The company has evolved and – under the Stellantis umbrella – embraced new technologies and products. Yes, it might mean another compact SUV on the market but, if you can’t beat them…

The purists might also raise an eyebrow at an Alfa that is powered by a 1.5-litre engine and electric motor, but the Tonale is still a stylish vehicle. The Misano blue of our test car helps it stand out and attracted some admiring looks from the neighbours.

DAY 2

Inside the Tonale, there are some neat touches – such as bespoke stitching on the seats and textured surfaces on the dashboard. There are, however, also some more quirky elements, such as indicators that return to their normal position when deployed and a slightly confusing windscreen wiper setup. Admittedly it doesn’t take much to confuse me, but I ended up pushing both stalks in the wrong directions to get them to stop or change what they were doing!

Another prominent feature is the HUGE paddles for changing gear in the 160hp Tonale. The engine has a keenness to rev, which means that said paddles might get more use than normal if you like to keep in control of your shifts. We’re a bit baffled by their size, too – there doesn’t seem to be any need for them to be quite so big, plus they can get in the way of the aforementioned stalks.

DAY 3

This being an Alfa, there’s a sporty element – even in an SUV – to the Tonale. The ride quality, at low speeds, especially isn’t as settled as some of its rivals, but the steering and handling is more impressive. Playing around with the ‘DNA’ settings changes not only the car’s characteristics, but also the display, with hints of red all over the 12.3-inch instrument cluster’s display. On a related note, we’re quite taken by the different layouts, settling on the old-school typeface that wouldn’t look out of place on one of the Italian manufacturer’s classic cars.

DAY 4

Off to Challen Jnr’s football and we need to pick up one of his teammates, which means it’s an opportunity to put the Tonale’s five-seat capacity to the test. Three under-14s across the back of the compact SUV fit with relative ease and – even better – relatively little argument from the siblings who are forced to sit next to each other.

The journey also gave us the opportunity to check out the boot. It’s a decent size and has a split-level floor, although the tyre kit reduces the amount of extra available space.

DAY 5

An early start for a dash to the airport. Although it turned out to be closer to three hours than the two predicted by the car’s sat-nav. It could’ve been longer too, if it wasn’t for a timely intervention from the system that re-routed us off the jam-packed motorway, saving a valuable 15 minutes.

As annoying as it is being stuck in traffic, it’s made more bearable in the Alfa. The seats are comfortable and well supported, while the seat heaters were a welcome addition on a cold autumn morning.

DAY 6

Maybe it’s because I’ve spent quite a bit of time in electric cars, but I’ve got used to watching the range display click down as I go through the miles. In the Alfa, I was a little concerned that it might be broken as it seemed to be displaying 452 miles, despite me travelling here, there and everywhere. Finally it started dropping, but is still showing a relative large amount of miles available. But I’m not complaining, certainly given the current fuel prices.

More confusion arose a couple of times with some warnings flashing up on the dash. First the Tonale was asking me to plug in the rear central seatbelt, even though there was nothing on/no-one in the seat. Then the system told me the lane assist technology wasn’t working. I fixed the problems by ignoring them and they went away!

DAY 7

Hybrid technology has certainly come a long way since the very early days of electrification, which is testament to efforts of manufacturers to sow the seed to drivers about the need to shift to EVs. The Tonale’s stop/start functionality is very effective and, over the course of the week, I got fairly close to the claimed WLTP figure. Given my time spent in the Italian SUV included a good chunk of urban trips, I was pretty pleased. The plug-in hybrid version will be arriving soon, which is sure to get even more heads turning and drivers interested in taking the Alfa plunge.