Alfa Romeo Tonale - long-term review

For reasons beyond me, it is often said that green cars are unlucky. Genuinely no idea where the idea comes from, but this stunning Alfa Romeo Tonale in an attractive emerald shade of Montreal Green is definitely the car to disprove such ludicrous nonsense.

Costing just shy of 50 grand on the road, the Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce 1.3 280 PHEV AT EAWD (read: plug-in hybrid, auto gearbox, all-wheel drive) you see here is £53,345 with options. These comprise the £450 Alfa Winter Pack (this includes a heated steering wheel, heated washer nozzle and heated front seats), the £2,150 Leather and Harman Kardon Pack (including leather seats, ventilated front seats, electric eight-way driver and passenger seats with tilt cushion adjustment, three driver’s seat memory positions and a Harman Kardon sound system), also that wonderful paint at £1,500, plus the £750 alloys. Time will tell if it’s worth your while spending the extra money on these options.

Time will also tell if the Tonale will be a runaway sales success. It absolutely should be as it offers everything that British car buyers are asking for – plug-in hybrid powertrain, raised seating position, plenty of space – but I have seen remarkably few Tonales on UK streets. On holiday in Italy this summer, there were stacks of Alfas vying for attention... but that’s to be expected.

If it looks oddly familiar but you can’t figure out why, it’s probably not because it shares the same Stellantis underpinnings as the Jeep Compass (though it does), but more likely because it had a starring role earlier this year in the BBC telly show Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily. Frankly, the way the Tonale soaked up the punishment of the Sicilian streets and tracks stole the show for me. So surely it’ll make mincemeat of commuting and touring around British roads this autumn...