Alfa Romeo's cars over the last decade or so have generally had four main hallmarks: sexy designs, sharp handling and dynamics, hit-or-miss powertrains (some are excellent, others just average) and irritatingly flaky infotainment systems.
Now the Italian company's first entry into the unavoidable small SUV segment has arrived in the form of the Tonale that slots under the Stelvio and sits on the same Stellantis group platform as the likes of the Jeep Compass. 
So how does the new member of the Alfa family measure up to those four hallmarks we are used to seeing? Well, it's nailed two, massively improved on one and is about the same in another...
First up, the Tonale nails the sexy design thing, being easily one of the best looking small SUVs in its segment. While it doesn't exactly break the mould for small SUV design (that is very difficult to do without going weird), it is still distinctly an Alfa Romeo from every angle and the details are simply superb.
The Tonale's build quality is exceptional on the outside, with our test car having consistent panel gaps all round and an impressively solid feel. Inside, things are a bit more of a mixed bag, but still impressive.
While high quality materials are used throughout at regular touchpoints (the lovely steering wheel and the awesome aluminium shift paddles attached to the steering column, just as God intended), there are a few let-downs, like the wobbly centre console and a few areas of hard plastics. Overall, however, it is a lovely place to be.
The biggest news on the inside is Alfa's shift to fellow Stellantis-family member Chrysler's excellent Uconnect infotainment system, which is a vast improvement over Alfa's previous slow and flaky old system.
On the road, the Tonale ticks off the "sharp handling and dynamics" hallmark by being fabulously agile in a way an SUV just shouldn't be, particularly considering that it sits on a platform that isn't exactly on the cutting edge - the SCCS platform was inherited from Fiat and was initially developed in 2002 - and one that Jeep managed to make feel spectacularly trucky and rather like a ladder chassis under the Compass.
The steering is incredibly light, but super sharp and accurate, making the Tonale a delight to throw along a winding road. Turn-in is wonderfully crisp and the Tonale is beautifully adjustable through corners, just like an Alfa Romeo should be. And, of course, those lovely big aluminium shift paddles that come standard on our top-spec Veloce add a wonderfully tactile aspect to proceedings as well.
Ride quality is also excellent, with the Tonale feeling nicely settled and compliant in a way you would expect from a larger SUV. This is particularly impressive when you take into account out test car was riding on massive 19-inch alloy wheels too.
That leaves the hit-or-miss powertrain thing as the last hallmark of a modern Alfa, so how does the Tonale fare here?
Well, weirdly, it manages to combine both hits and misses in one package.
Initially the Tonale comes to New Zealand in two spec levels - Ti and Veloce - with a single powertrain; a hybrid set up that mashes up a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and a 48 volt battery to produce a total system output of 118kW and 240Nm. A plug-in hybrid is on its way at a later date.
Alfa describe the system as a mild hybrid, but unlike other mild-hybrid systems the Tonale can be propelled by the electric motor alone at lower speeds.
The petrol engine is nicely eager and happy to rev, while the seven-speed dual clutch transmission partners up with it well. The whole package feels nicely strong and willing, while the electric additions feel equally strong, while also obviously being quiet.
The problem comes, however, when the two try to work together, with the transition between electric and petrol power being rather coarse and unrefined at low speeds. It feels like Alfa's claim that the system is a mild-hybrid is very much correct, but it is being asked to do the heavy lifting of a conventional hybrid system instead (ie; the electric-only propulsion) and, as a result is not particularly happy about it.
While this isn't an issue at open road speeds, it does unfortunately mean that that Tonale is difficult to drive particularly smoothly around town, much in the same way the Renault Arkana is. Which would be forgivable if the Tonale was spectacularly frugal when it came to fuel consumption. Unfortunately, it's only, well, okay.
Alfa Romeo claims combined fuel consumption of 5.6L/100km for the Tonale, while our real world figure was more in the high sevens. Which isn't exactly terrible, but it would make the rough hybrid transitions far easier to swallow if it were closer to its claimed figure. This was all amplified for me by the car I drove directly after the Tonale - the Kia Niro, which was another high-spec small hybrid SUV that was smoother, more refined AND far more frugal.
While the entry level Ti starts the Tonale range at $59,990, the Veloce we tested here lands at $66,990 (and adds a LOT more standard kit), although our particular example had several optional packs added that took it well beyond the $70k mark, pricing it around the entry level of its German rivals like the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, albeit with equipment levels that would see you nudging the $100k mark in the Germans.
The excellent ride quality and seriously impressive handling dynamics also give it an advantage over its more expensive competitors, but that lack of low speed refinement the hybrid system introduces drags it back again.
Which pretty much means the Tonale is a true Alfa Romeo, possessing all the sparkling highs of sensational handling and sexy looks, with just a touch of disappointment mixed in for good measure.
ALFA ROMEO TONALE VELOCE
ENGINE: 1.5-litre petrol four-cylinder hybrid
POWER: 118kW/240Nm
GEARBOX: 7-speed automatic, FWD
0-100KM/H: 8.8
CONSUMPTION: 5.6l/100km, CO2 143g/km
PRICE: $66,990
