He masters Italianness perfectly: for Alfa boss Jean-Philippe Imparato (55), it must be a temple as a location for the presentation of the new Alfa Romeo Tonale. Honor Alessandro Volta (1945-1827), Italian physicist from Como, inventor of the battery. As if Alfa were already the big name in electric mobility. The boss remains realistic: «Today we are nowhere. In five years we will be at the front! ”This is how Grandezza à la Learned sounds.
But how does the tone sound? Exciting question. Hardly any other brand stands for sports cars disguised as family carriages. Hardly any other four-cylinder engine roared this loud in the wild 60s and 70s. Is there still life behind the legendary logo? Or does the economic leveling rule by the parent company Stellantis?
Many Alfa genes in the SUV?
Learned is in front of it. The boss, who took office in 2021, absorbed the history of the Alfa brand – and was the first to stop the Tonale, which has long been ready for series production: too few Alfa genes, it was said. That is why the compact five-seater SUV arrives only now, the study of which was presented at the last Geneva Motor Show in 2019. Underneath there is not the Stellantis technology, but that of the Jeep Compass.
It was packed beautifully: triple headlights to the right and left of the emblem-shaped grille, a flat hood and a huge rear. Typical Alfa problem: the license plate must be on the front side. Inside, there is even more space in the rear than expected, with 500 and 1550 liters, the trunk is almost a record. The interior is also nice: virtual instruments, but they are immersed in the tubes and the speedometer digits are as narrow as in the 70s.
Alfa Romeo Tonale Speciale
Guide: 1.5 R4 turbo petrol engine, 160 HP (118 kW), 240 Nm @ 1500 / min, 20 HP (15 kW) starter generator, 48 volt electrical system, 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, front-wheel drive
Mileage: From 0 to 100 km / h in 8.8 s, top speed 212 km / h
Mass: L / B / H 4.53 / 1.84 / 1.60 m, 1600 kg, Laderaum 500–1550 l
Environment: WLTP consumption 5.7 l / 100 km, energy B.
Preis: from CHF 48,900 (base: turbo petrol engine, 130 HP, from CHF 46,900)
Guide: 1.5 R4 turbo petrol engine, 160 HP (118 kW), 240 Nm @ 1500 rpm, 20 HP (15 kW) starter generator, 48 volt electrical system, 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, front-wheel drive
Mileage: From 0 to 100 km / h in 8.8 s, top speed 212 km / h
Mass: L / B / H 4.53 / 1.84 / 1.60 m, 1600 kg, Laderaum 500–1550 l
Environment: WLTP consumption 5.7 l / 100 km, energy B.
Preis: from CHF 48,900 (base: turbo petrol engine, 130 HP, from CHF 46,900)
In general, so much attention to detail in the workmanship, which you have probably never seen so properly in Alfa. Infotainment is finally on par with the competition: Google’s Alexa chats together, updates are possible via the mobile network, and the 10.25-inch touchscreen impresses with crisp graphics. There are also assistants such as the traffic jam driver or active lane guards. And a hysterical emergency brake warning that requires braking with a retro horn tone.
Making hooks by the lake
We were about to take a test ride on the eastern shore of Lake Como. Not a meter of road is straight here, ideal territory for the Tonale, which does not look like a jeep at all. Balanced chassis, near-zero roll, and poisonously responsive and precise steering – like the Tonale, few SUVs hit their obstacles. It is powered by a variable response 1.5 liter turbocharged petrol engine, which has been boosted up to 160hp and is powered by a 20hp belt-driven electric motor.
Thanks to the 48-volt on-board network, the electric motor has so much power that it is also suitable for recovery at the start, and also acts as a bridge over the commemorative seconds of the automatic transmission. Driving modes are widespread: in bad weather mode, 100 hp seem to go to sleep, on Dynamic they are all awake. A quick push with an often tense tone. Even though it’s called the Tonale, it doesn’t have the mangy rumble of an old Alfa four-cylinder.
Top version with 275 HP
Also on the market launch from June is the 1.5-liter 130hp (96kW), followed later by a 130hp turbodiesel and 275hp (202kW) plug-in hybrid and a range of 80km and all four-wheel drive. Otherwise it stays with the front-wheel drive. Stromer? Absolutely not – the first electric Alfa will arrive in 2025 and 2027 – before any other brand – only electric models should be offered. Means: The Tonale will therefore be the last Alfa with combustion engines to go.
What is an NFT?
An NFT – or long Non-Fungible Token – is a blockchain-based digital certificate. Understood? Hardly, so here’s the explanation:
Token: A digital asset, that is, only calculated. On the one hand, this can be a right to use, for example, a digital piece of music, an e-book or some other file. But also real assets such as real estate, art or clothing can be digitized and then exchanged as digital twins of the real object. Payment is made via cryptocurrencies.
Blockchain: Each time a token is transferred or changed, another block of information is added to document it. Pass to pass creates a chain in which each link (information block) contains the information of the previous one. This makes each token unique and therefore identifiable.
Non fungible: Translated it means “not interchangeable”. By this we mean that the token is so unique that there is no good that can be exchanged for an equivalent value. Example: A 100-franc note can be exchanged for any other 100-franc note of the same value. If, on the other hand, you buy an artist photo for 100 francs, you get something completely different for the money – which, depending on the viewer, can also be worth a lot more or a lot less.
An NFT – or long Non-Fungible Token – is a blockchain-based digital certificate. Understood? Hardly, so here’s the explanation:
Token: A digital asset, that is, only calculated. On the one hand, this can be a right to use, for example, a digital piece of music, an e-book or some other file. But also real assets such as real estate, art or clothing can be digitized and then exchanged as digital twins of the real object. Payment is made via cryptocurrencies.
Blockchain: Each time a token is transferred or changed, another block of information is added to document it. Pass to pass creates a chain in which each link (information block) contains the information of the previous one. This makes each token unique and therefore identifiable.
Non fungible: Translated it means “not interchangeable”. By this we mean that the token is so unique that there is no good that can be exchanged for an equivalent value. Example: A 100-franc note can be exchanged for any other 100-franc note of the same value. If, on the other hand, you buy an artist photo for 100 francs, you get something completely different for the money – which, depending on the viewer, can also be worth a lot more or a lot less.
Its biggest innovation will likely only become important then: for the first time ever, there is an NFT for every car, which as a digital twin saves everything that gets modified on the car – from brake pads replaced to – hopefully no – severe engine damage. Whoever buys a Tonale as used will be able to fully understand its history. So no dark spots in the past as with some classics of today.
Will the tonal become one? Not like the iconic Alphas of the past, but surprising what Alfa has done with the Jeep platform. The market launch begins with the Special Edition with special equipment and typical five-hole wheels for CHF 46,900. The 160 hp version costs from 48,900 francs.
