Alfa Romeo has style, legend but new 2025 Tonale falters

Amid the lucrative sales of vintage Ferraris last August at Monterey Auto Week an Alfa Romeo surprisingly infiltrated the top- list A C B Lungo Spider sold for million and provided a one-car jolt of automotive pride for the struggling Italian carmaker The Lungo Spider had eight cylinders a four-speed manual transmission and cost new Seven were made and they were street legal With embellishment the odds of seeing one of the -year-old company s icons is about the same as viewing a Alfa Romeo Tonale Founded in Alfa Romeo returned to the United States sector in Publicized in but debuting last year the Tonale arrived as a five-seater sub-compact crossover sport utility automobile The carmaker hoped the SUV would lead a sales rebound It was the carmaker s first new car in six years The Guilia was the manufacturer s debut bus in its U S return The sedan is stylish luxurious and has sporty handling all strong Alfa Romeo traits A year later the Stelvio arrived with the carmaker joining the bustling SUV segment Named after a mountain pass in Northern Italy the Tonale hasn t gained any considerable momentum as the carmaker s second SUV Only sold in the U S last year With low sales Tonale trims have been streamlined from four to two the Tonale and Tonale Hybrid Premium Veloce and Developing Assist option packages are available the carmaker also offers the Intensa and the reviewed Tributo Italiano special editions in The latter is only available with the Tonale Hybrid The gas-only model features a -liter turbocharged four-cylinder with a nine-speed automatic It has horsepower The PHEV powertrain is a -liter turbocharged inline-four engine a six-speed automatic transmission electric motors to combine horsepower Both options are all-wheel drive According to the carmaker acceleration from to miles per hour takes seconds in the gas-only version seconds in the PHEV option The marks aren t sub-standard for the segment but the Tonale rarely seems like it hits its stride An acceleration hesitation often called turbo lag is prominent Gas mileage averages are miles per gallon in combined gas-only driving and a MPGe rating Italian carmakers do interiors stylishly The Tonale features quality materials and a strong selection of standard features The Premium package has leather upholstery ventilated front seats and an odd ambient lighting display It illuminates on a panel in front of the front patron Seating is at ease for all but the five-person maximum is wishing thinking as it is in majority of sub-compact SUVs The Tonale provides cubic feet of cargo space with the second-row seats up cubic feet with seats down There s also a convenient pass-through in the -split rear bench A hands-free power liftgate is available Standard features include -inch alloy wheels dual-zone automatic situation control with air filtration blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control The Tributo Italiano starts at with a closing total of If coolness factors count there are several The five-ring wheels are edgy The Tonale name is beautifully centered across the tailgate in a hipster cursive font The Alfa Romeo emblem a man-eating snake coat of arms and Milan Italy s flag adds mystery The small front grille is the antithesis of the as of now massively aggressive styles But there are also annoyances The engine start button is located on the steering wheel rather than in a static location Paddle shifters are oddly shaped and positioned in front of the turn signal indicator The stereo volume control is a small thumbwheel awkwardly located to the right of the shift lever Buy the Tonale for something different You may never see another There may also be only a sparse left in years although not likely worth million James Raia a syndicated automotive columnist in Sacramento also contributes business lifestyle and sports content to several print and online publications E-mail james jamesraia com