Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV won’t come cheap

The new 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale small SUV range will expand in October, when the new flagship Veloce Plug-In Hybrid Q4 variant arrives in Australian showrooms priced from $77,500 plus on-road costs – a big $21,100 upstream of the existing Veloce hybrid launched last month.

The huge price premium for Alfa Romeo’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is largely justified by the addition of the Lusso Pack as standard, and a significantly more powerful and more advanced 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol PHEV powertrain, which outputs a combined 208kW of power and is claimed to hit 100km/h in 6.2 seconds.

Unlike the 48-volt mild-hybrid equipped 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (118kW/240Nm) that drives the front wheels of the base Ti ‘Hybrid’ and mid-range Veloce Hybrid via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the all-wheel drive PHEV Q4’s rear axle is powered by a 90kW electric motor and its front wheels are driven by a more powerful 132kW engine via a six-speed automatic transmission, with the help of a secondary 30kW motor (up from 15kW in the Ti and standard Veloce).

On top of providing a heap of extra performance, the PHEV powertrain’s 15.5kWh lithium-ion battery (up from 0.8kWh in the Hybrid) means it can cover up to 60km electric power alone and emit 34g/km of CO2 while returning claimed fuel consumption of just 1.4L/100km – down from 5.6L/100km in the Ti and Veloce hybrids and making it the most efficient Alfa ever.

The battery’s primary source of charging according to Alfa Romeo is via the on-board 7.4kW AC charger, which is said to charge the battery in less than 2.5 hours when using either a home wall box or public AC charging station.

Being a Veloce-badged vehicle, the Tonale PHEV will arrive Down Under loaded to the headrests with standard equipment including perforated black leather-accented seats with heating and ventilation in the first row, customisable ambient lighting, sunroof, a 10.25-inch infotainment system featuring smartphone mirroring, DAB digital radio and satellite navigation, 14-Speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charging and keyless entry.

The whole package rolls on 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels suspended by adaptive dampers, while stopping duties are handled by red Brembo brake callipers at all four corners.

All the exterior lighting is provided by LEDs, including the fully automatic headlights.

Standard safety gear meantime is headlined by autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, forward collision warning, active blind spot assist, driver behaviour warning, lane support system and six airbags.

The Veloce Plug-In Hybrid Q4 is so loaded with gear there are only three optional extras, two of which are paint finishes: premium paint will set you back an extra $1600 while special premium paint asks $2500.

That just leaves the optional grey 20-inch alloy wheels, which costs an even $1500.

“The Alfa Romeo Tonale Plug-In Hybrid Q4 is designed to meet the needs of customers who, today more than ever, are looking for technology, comfort, and safety in a sporty vehicle, in addition to high performance… and will arrive in Australian dealerships in October 2023 priced from $77,500,” said Alfa Romeo Australia today.

Six colours will be offered come October, those being Alfa White, Alfa Red, Alfa Black, Vesuvio Grey Metallic, Misano Blue Metallic and Montreal Green.

How much does the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale cost?
Ti Hybrid – $49,900
Veloce Hybrid – $56,400
Veloce Plug-In Hybrid Q4 – $77,500
* Price excludes on-road costs

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