Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida 2025 Review

Alfa Romeo hasn’t revealed exact pricing for the 2025 Junior yet but parent company Stellantis confirms it’ll land under $50,000. Expect some breathing room between it and the larger Tonale, which starts at $50,900 plus on-road costs.

When it lands in Australia in the third quarter of 2025, just one trim level will be available – simply called ‘Junior’ – with your choice of Elettrica (EV) or Ibrida (hybrid) powertrains.

And for the record, the Milano name was dumped because an Italian name can only be used if said product is built in Italy. In the case of the Junior it’s built in Poland, alongside the Jeep Avenger.

We spent time with the hybrid version and standard equipment is generous: 18-inch ‘Petali’ diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED matrix headlights, a gloss black body kit and tinted windows.

There are six colour options including White Sempione and Red Brera, all featuring two-tone styling (except Black Tortona, where the black roof... well, disappears).

Inside, you’ll find black cloth/leatherette seats with heating up front. The driver gets power adjustment and even a massage function, while the front passenger makes do with manual controls.

The powered tailgate with handsfree operation is a nice convenience touch and tech-wise, dual 10.25-inch screens handle driver info and infotainment, with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless charge pad, and both USB-A and USB-C ports.

Safety features include adaptive cruise, lane keeping for Level 2 autonomy, parking sensors, blind-spot detection and traffic sign recognition.

The Ibrida powertrain pairs a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo (100kW/230Nm) with a 48V mild-hybrid system. The electric motor, integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch transmission, enables electric-only driving up to 150km/h with light throttle, reckons Alfa.

Features like e-Launch and e-Parking help achieve the impressive 4.1L/100km fuel consumption figure and like all Alfa Romeos, the Junior comes with five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty coverage.

Upon plonking down in the sporty, contoured seats of the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior, there’s a sense of sportiness and a hint of luxury that elevate this car above Japanese, small-SUV rivals like the Toyota C-HR and base-grade Volkswagen T-Roc.

The interior design has verve and vitality and although little things like the low-mounted central screen are not ergonomically optimised, there’s a real sense this vehicle is not just another cookie-cutter city runabout.

Illuminated circular air vents, red highlights on the sports seats, alloy pedals and plenty of crimson accents give the cabin plenty of character.

The firm seats are supportive and proved comfortable over a four-hour drive and while it only comes with single-zone climate control and a six-speaker stereo, the journey was pleasant.

Even the back seat is fairly roomy for a small SUV, thanks to impressive packaging, and the boot is likewise surprisingly spacious. An adjustable cargo floor is a nice touch too.

Oh, and the little SUV’s horn deserves a mention because it delivers a big blast – it’s like a little chihuahua endowed with the aggressive bark of a German Shepherd!

Alfa Romeo reckons every vehicle it makes has the soul of a sports car and while our drive didn’t involve much dynamic driving, the athletic suspension tune and tactile steering suggest this little tacker will be considerably more engaging to drive on fun roads than most compact SUVs.

The hybrid powertrain appears to be fairly economical and although we spent most of our drive on the freeway, the petrol-electric setup is shaping up to be a genuine fuel sipper.

The less impressive elements of the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior centre around its hybrid engine. The three-cylinder lilt is charming but with just 100kW of power backed up by the small 21kW e-motor, it doesn’t feel particularly sporty when you sink the boot in.

Full throttle launches are brisk but not forceful.

Alfa Romeo reckons the Junior Ibrida will accelerate to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds and will top out at 206km/h when pushed hard.

While it lacks a bit of spirit there is an Alfa Romeo Junior ‘Veloce’ version coming that pumps out a hearty 207kW/345Nm. It adds a Torsen limited-slip differential, a sportier chassis tune and bigger brakes, giving it genuine hot hatch cred.

The new 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior is expected to become the brand’s best-selling vehicle due principally to the fact it is the most affordable vehicle in the Italian car-maker’s small portfolio.

But the good news is that it doesn’t feel cheap and is very much like a pint-sized version of the brand’s larger and more luxurious products.

We’ll need more time behind the wheel to get a better handle on the good, bad and ugly elements, but as it stands for now, the pros certainly outweigh the cons.

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