SPY PICS: Alfa Romeo Tonale hits the road

The hotly-anticipated Alfa Romeo Tonale has been spotted testing in Europe, with these fresh spy shots providing the best indication yet of the all-new small SUV’s real-world looks.

First revealed in concept form in March 2019 and then leaked in what appeared to be production guise in October 2019, the 2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale is being billed as a make-or-break model for the Italian brand in Australia, where the axing of the Giulietta hatch leaves Alfa with just the mid-size Giulia sedan and its SUV sibling, the Stelvio.

After several false starts – the latest of which is said to stem from sub-par hybrid tech – development of the Italian BMW X1 and Audi Q3 rival looks to be progressing.

In these latest shots, some of the design flourishes of the 2019 Tonale concept have been traded for more practical solutions; the rear door-handles are now in a traditional position rather than on the C-pillars, for example.

And the grille, headlight and tail-lights on this pre-production test mule eschew the narrow strips adorning the concept in favour of the components that appeared in the leaked image and more closely resemble those on other production Alfa Romeo models.

That said, Alfa Romeo has stayed largely true to the beguiling profile of the Tonale concept in prototype trim, thanks to a raked roofline and angular body lines.

Alfa Romeo hasn’t released any technical specifics just yet, although the small SUV was expected to come with the same plug-in hybrid powertrain as the Jeep Compass 4xe.

However, that may no longer be the case given reports it could employ a platform not from Jeep but developed by Groupe PSA, which is now also part of Stellantis.

If that’s the case, Alfa’s all-new entry model, which will be positioned below the Stelvio and replace the Giulietta in its line-up, could bring the added bonus of becoming available in pure-electric form.

Related: Check out the latest Spy Pics stories on carsales