Full details and prices have been revealed for the Alfa Romeo Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4. The Tonale PHEV is the most efficient car Alfa has ever built and rivals cars like the BMW X1 PHEV, Mini Countryman Plug-In Hybrid and Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid. Prices start from £44,595.
Update: Since this article was published, we've driven the Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV. Read our full Alfa Romeo Tonale review, with our thoughts on the PHEV version, here.
Alfa Romeo Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4: performance, fuel economy, electric-only range and charging speeds
The Alfa Romeo Tonale combines a 178bhp 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that spins the front wheels, with a 90kW (121bhp) electric motor that turns the rear wheels, with a maximum of 276bhp available at any one time.
It's a combination that means the PHEV can get from 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds and onto a top speed of 128mph, or 84mph in pure-electric mode. Electrical power comes from a 15.5kWh lithium-ion battery that gives the Alfa an EV range of up to 49 miles between charges.
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Alfa quotes fuel economy of 217.3mpg and low CO2 emissions of just 26g/km, although to get those figures you’ll need to keep the battery topped up. Charging it from flat to full takes 2.5 hours using a 7.4kW wall charger. Factor in the petrol engine and the car has a total range of more than 370 miles.
Alfa Romeo tells us the Tonale will offer an “unmatched” driving experience on road, while its ability to send 100 percent of power to the back wheels instantly (for four-wheel drive) should also make it a capable off-roader.
Exactly how your Tonale drives will depend on which of the three settings – Dynamic, Natural or Advanced Efficiency – you choose on the car’s DNA drive selector.
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Dynamic gives you maximum performance from the engine and motor, makes the car’s steering more direct and loosens the reins on the stability control system for more responsive cornering. Natural gives you a balance of performance and efficiency, while Advanced Efficiency is a pure-electric mode that also allows the car to coast on the motorway and down hills to extract as much range from the battery as possible.
Alfa Romeo Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4: infotainment system
Like all Tonales, the Plug-In Hybrid Q4 comes fitted with a 10.25-inch centre touchscreen that combines with a 12.3-inch digital instrument binnacle to give you a whopping 22.5 inches worth of screenage. However, PHEV models also come with features not available in the rest of the range, which are designed to make the Alfa easier to live with daily.
‘E-Control’, for instance, lets you connect remotely to your Tonale PHEV with your phone, and using the ‘My Alfa Connect App’, you can manage charging from anywhere with an internet connection. Meanwhile, ‘Dynamic Range Mapping’ marks the car’s pure-electric operating radius and ‘Charging Station Finder’ finds you the closest charging point. Finally, ‘My eCharge’ lets you pay for public chargers, records your charging history and can be used to remotely manage your car's home charging.
Alfa Romeo Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4: price and release date
The Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV is already on sale with first deliveries expected before spring. Launch Edition Speciale models are priced from £44,595 (£445 a month on PCP), while Veloce models kick off from £48,494 (£545 on PCP), and Ti versions of the PHEV will be available in showrooms from spring. Non-PHEV versions of the Alfa Romeo start from less than £39,000.
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Even basic Ti versions of the Tonale PHEV get generous levels of standard equipment. A gloss black body kit, satin highlights and diamond-cut alloy wheels should ensure it looks the part on the outside, while inside, you’ll find a driver’s seat with four-way electrical adjustment, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Veloce models look more menacing on the outside thanks to their ‘dark miron’ grille bezel, gloss-black plastic window surrounds, matt inserts, 19-inch wheels and red Brembo brake calipers. Inside, you get Alcantara upholstery, aluminium shift paddles behind the steering wheel for the standard automatic gearbox and aluminium kick plates in the door openings. Veloce models also come fitted as standard with Alfa’s passive Alfa Dual Stage Valve Suspension, which Alfa claims offers a more compliant ride, but not at the expense of cornering prowess.
Finally, there’s the Launch Edition Speciale model that builds on the kit offered in Veloce models, but is cheaper to buy. These versions get unique ‘Speciale’ badging and come rolling on 20-inch alloys.
Colours available across the range include Alfa White, Alfa Red, Alfa Black, Misano Blue, Montreal Green and Vesuvio Grey. All models can also be specified with an interior leather pack.