2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale review: International first drive

If ever there were a premium SUV that simply begged to be considered and worthy, then it was this, the Alfa Romeo Tonale. Heartachingly gorgeous to look at, and with the allure of that hallowed Alfa badge, the Tonale promised so much.

But beauty isn’t enough, and without the brawn to match its undeniable physical presence, the Tonale never really captured the hearts and wallets of Australian buyers.

But there is redemption on the horizon with a heavily facelifted Tonale due here next year, a short three years after initial launch.

It’s already hit European roads, and to find out if this updated Tonale has addressed some of its inherent flaws, Alfa Romeo invited a small group of Australian media, including Drive, to the international launch in Alfa’s homeland, Italy.

Alfa Romeo hasn’t exactly taken the scalpel to the Tonale, but there are some stark visual changes that have added some muscle to its profile.

Up front, a redesigned ‘Trilobe’ grille ups the Alfa feeling with horizontal slats that have come straight from the Stradale 33 supercar. It’s a nice touch, and a subtle nod to Alfa’s heritage.

Reprofiled air vents sit under the revised grille, while the numberplate mount, previously located on the left-hand side of the front bumper, has moved to the centre. The shift brings a sense of balance to the front of the Tonale.

Around the sides, both front and rear guards have been subtly pumped up to accommodate the updated Tonale’s wider wheel tracks, with the effect, in tandem with a shorter front overhang, of a more aggressive and muscular stance.

New black-and-white Alfa Romeo badging mirrors that of the emblems first seen on the Alfa Romeo Junior compact SUV.

Three new paint colours make their debut with this update – Rosso Brera (red), Verde Monza (green) and Giallo Ocra (yellow). Inside, new interior options include red leather and a stunning two-tone black-and-white Alcantara option.

They headline a largely unchanged cabin treatment, the most notable difference a rotary-dial gear selector that replaces the more traditional gear lever. Alfa Romeo says this frees up space in the centre console and provides better access to the Tonale’s wireless smartphone charging pad.

The revised line-up in Europe comprises three variants – a 128kW/240Nm petrol mild-hybrid, a 96kW/320Nm diesel, and the flagship Tonale plug-in hybrid with a combined 198kW and 270Nm.

Final pricing and specifications for Australia are still to be confirmed, but it’s highly likely our market will get the entry-level petrol and flagship plug-in hybrid for a two-variant range.

Alfa Romeo presented only the flagship Tonale PHEV at launch. As expected of a range-topper, it’s nicely equipped with the kind of gear buyers expect from an SUV at the premium end of the spectrum.

Highlights include 19-inch ‘Stile’ alloy wheels (20s are optional), matrix LED head- and tail-lights, gloss black exterior accents, privacy glass, and red Brembo brake calipers.

Inside, the seats are upholstered in leather, the fronts featuring eight-way power-adjustment with heating and ventilation. There’s also a heated steering wheel with delicious column-mounted and full-length aluminium paddle-shifters, as well as aluminium sports pedals and door sills.

In-car tech comes courtesy of a 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, wireless (and wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as ventilated wireless smartphone charging. No more hot phones. There’s also a 12.3-inch configurable digital instrument cluster.

Alfa Romeo has always presented stylish interiors with a sporting bent. And the cabin in the revised Tonale is no different. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels nice and chunky; a reassuring heft only enhanced by those glorious full-length aluminium paddle-shifters.

The leather seats up front are well cushioned and comfortable, with decent-enough side bolstering to keep you in place during more adventurous driving.

The rotary-dial gear selector might be more ergonomically sound, providing improved access to the wireless smartphone charging and the volume scroller, but there remains something about a traditional gear lever – even an automatic one – that a dial just can’t match.

There are some harder and cheaper plastics evident, but they’re mostly down low below the line of sight. And the decision to stick with physical switches for the Tonale’s climate controls is a welcome one.

The second row is passable in terms of space for back-seat passengers, but can feel a little tight in terms of leg room. And, as is so often the case in these smaller SUVs, three adults across the third row is a stretch. But the position of the rear bench sits nice and high in the cabin, and that means visibility remains excellent.

Beyond the back row, the Tonale’s cargo capacity comes in at 385 litres, expanding to 1430L with the second row stowed away in 60:40-split fashion. That’s for the Tonale plug-in hybrid, which cedes boot space to the battery. The regular petrol Tonale offers 500L/1550L.

The 10.3-inch infotainment screen is easy enough to navigate with crisp graphics that simply pop on the screen. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay, but attempts to mirror a smartphone proved glitchy at best but frustrating at worst. Other launch attendees did not experience the same issues, so I can only assume it was an isolated gremlin.

That did afford the opportunity to use the inbuilt sat-nav, which provided clear route guidance along the rural back roads through the Tuscan countryside and hills. The perfect canvas to showcase the Tonale’s driving dynamics.

Meeting ever more stringent European emissions targets has meant the new Tonale PHEV is down on power over the outgoing model. Whereas the previous model made a combined 208kW, the updated model’s total power output runs to a claimed 198kW. Alfa Romeo doesn’t offer a combined torque figure.

The 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine makes 110kW and 270Nm on its own. It’s augmented by a 94kW electric motor located at the rear axle, which is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and what Alfa calls ‘eAWD’.

Simply, the petrol engine on its own powers the front wheels, while the electric motor is exclusive to the rear wheels. Only when both forms of motivation are engaged, such as during more spirited driving, can the Tonale PHEV boast all-wheel-drive underpinnings.

The electric motor is fed by a 15.5kWh battery pack offering around 69km of pure EV driving, which is more than enough for around-towners and their short daily commutes. Recharging the battery takes a claimed 2h 30min at a maximum rate of 7.4kWh or an easy overnight 6h 30min using a regular household outlet.

There’s no question the Tonale PHEV is at its best on the road when both the petrol engine and electric motor work together to unleash the full 198kW on offer. That results in a 0–100km/h sprint time of a claimed 6.6 seconds.

This update has seen Alfa’s engineers go to town on the hybrid, promising a “more prompt, linear, and continuous” power delivery.

And certainly that’s evident on the road, where the Tonale feels smoother than the outgoing model, with linear acceleration and imperceptible transitions between petrol and electric motivation. It’s more refined than previously.

The electric motor driving the rear wheels is a perfectly amiable companion at slower speeds, happily propelling the Tonale at city speeds on electrons alone. The accelerator pedal isn’t trigger-happy either, and eager to keep the Tonale in EV mode at speeds of up to 70–80km/h.

Only when more is asked of the Tonale does the petrol engine kick in. Not that you’d notice, the quiet thrum of internal combustion working overtime to make its presence felt in the cabin.

And that’s one of my bugbears with the Tonale PHEV. Alfa Romeo has long engineered aural theatre into its petrol engine; a deliciously throaty growl that can leave the hairs on your neck tingling. That’s not the case here, as the Tonale PHEV’s petrol unit is an altogether quieter and more refined unit.

Selecting ‘D’ for Dynamic from the rotary drive-mode selector does bring a hint of menace into the cabin, but it remains on the side of socially acceptable, and it’s a long way from being the snarling beast Alfas of old once were. Blame the noise nannies, blame emissions regulations, but it’s a shame that one of Alfa Romeo’s defining characteristics has been relegated to the history books.

That’s not to denigrate the driving experience at all, because the Tonale is a perfectly amiable companion when the right conditions present themselves.

Fast out of corners, with a progressive power delivery that remains entirely predictable, the Tonale piles on speed with ease.

Two-stage adaptive dampers play their part here. Opting for the softer setting brings decent bump-and-lump absorption, although it can feel a little floaty over larger obstacles and uneven road surfaces.

Selecting the dampers’ firmest setting does away with that floatiness, bringing a harder edge to the dynamic equation but, pleasingly, with minimal impact on ride comfort that remains calm and unflustered.

The Tonale’s steering rack feels quick and accurate, although it does err on the side of light. That’s perfectly fine around town in commuting situations, making light work of navigating tight urban enclaves and car parks. Dynamic mode does dial up a little meatiness, but the overall steering feel remains light and lacking just a touch in terms of feedback.

That’s not to detract from the improvements Alfa Romeo has made to the overall Tonale PHEV package. Styling changes aside (that have worked a treat), the refreshed plug-in hybrid is an all-round better SUV than the one it replaces.

Yes, there remains a numbness around aural theatre and steering tactility, but the incremental improvements wrought by Alfa’s engineering team have resulted in a more responsive drivetrain that edges a little closer to delivering on the promise of the hallowed Alfa Romeo badge.

Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.

Read more about Rob Margeit