Driving Ability

The Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV’s steering is direct and precise. For a sports SUV, this is something that you’d want so you can travel at fast speeds but also stay safe by keeping control of the car. The vehicle has all-aluminium mono-blocksteering column-mounted paddle shifters, reinforcing the sporty character of the SUV even further. Alfa Romeo has redefined how an SUV should feel on the road, as they introduced measures that provide the fast character with safe actions. They have produced advanced front wheel suspension systems. There’s a good balance between the front and rear axles, this guarantees drivers are having an unparalleled driving pleasure. Good weight distribution and the balancing of masses in the Tonale SUV optimise the torque delivery on the ground and handling on corners. 

Alfa Romeo has also used brake by wire technology and Brembo calipers for increased brake responsiveness on the road and the best brake pedal feeling. This is what having an SUV is all about, these little details that impact the driving experience when in the car. The use of this feature allows you to maximise energy regeneration with zero vibrations and shortened stopping distances. Enhancing the braking performance through the adoption of fixed calipers by Brembo. There are 4 pistons and self-ventilated discs at the front and full discs at the rear – both of these essentially make up for the improved braking performance. 

 All Tonale’s are equipped with their own unique non-fungible token (NFT), which will be used to record data on the car and certify its mileage. This is the first vehicle to incorporate an NFT and we believe that other companies will be quick to follow. Another smart technology that Alfa Romeo has included is the Level 2 autonomous driving tech. This includes adaptive cruise control with a self-centering system. This means when active, the car will be able to adjust the steering to keep you in the middle of the lane and more or less be able to drive itself on the motorways and A-roads! Following Tesla’s footsteps. 

Interior

The interior of the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV has been specifically designed to put you, the driver, at the centre of attention at all times. You can choose from Alcantara or vegan leather with heated and ventilated front seats.

 Both are designed for constant comfort and elevate the meaning of driving pleasure. It’s also trimmed with aluminium. The whole feel of the interior is sporty and high tech which fits with this new era of vehicle design. There’s a ‘telescopic’ instrument panel which Alfa Romeo is calling ‘Cannocchiale’. A 12.3” fully digital screen and a 10.25” touchscreen provide an engaging driving experience free of distractions. Alfa Romeo has three different interior options to choose from the first being ‘Heritage’. Inspired by the brand’s iconic models with distinctive details such as inverted numbers of the final end of the speedometer. The second is ‘Evolved’, which is aligned with their design vision for the future of the auto industry. The third and final stylistic layout is called ‘relax’ which especially focuses on comfort. 

The infotainment screen in the Tonale SUV (10.25”) has wireless mirroring thanks to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The interface on the actual infotainment screen is complete with widgets and Alfa Connect services. This is similar to the current IOS and Android phone updates. Keeping things similar to what we know with tech is a strong way to win customers over. I was very impressed with how similar this looked and would be more convinced to buy a vehicle because of its familiarity and its already easy-to-use software. Accompanied by the Harman Kardon 14-speaker sound system to create an even better interior environment. 

The most impressive feature in regards to the interior, however, is the inclusion of Amazon Alexa technology. Alexa voice service has been included for an intuitive home feeling to your car, even on the road. Alexa has exclusive Amazon services just your Alexa smart speaker at home. These can include adding items to your shopping list, ask for suggestions and nearby points of interest, control domestic systems such as managing lights and heating at home, and all other connected smart appliances. You can also manage your vehicle from your home. So you can ask your Alexa for real-time updates on the vehicle’s status, charge and fuel level, latest car location, and much more. The most impressive feature I believe is that your vehicle and Alexa can enable the delivery of parcels directly to the boot of your Tonale. This is made safe and secure as the car itself only allows the delivery driver access to the boot to place the parcel in and nowhere else. This goes to show how far companies are going in this new era of car design and manufacture. The new era consists of including your vehicle into your eco-system of integrated digital services. 

Package

The Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV comes with some packages as standard. The first is the ‘my Assistant’ which I have just previously mentioned. This helps you to receive any support when needed and can also receive a monthly health report about the status of your car. This is especially useful when your car is over 3 years old and has to start being serviced. The second is called ‘My Remote’, this allows you to interact with your vehicle even from afar via your smartphone, smartwatch, or voice assistant. The remote operations allow you to control if the doors and boot of your Tonale SUV are locked and unlocked and turn on the lights. Through the My Alfa Connect App, you can also see where you have parked your vehicle in real-time. The third and probably most useful package is ‘My Navigation. This gives you real-time information about the traffic, weather, and speed cameras along a journey. Also finds you parking and fuel stations whilst also keeping track and making sure you have enough fuel to get where you need to go through a feature called ‘dynamic range mapping’. These maps can automatically update over the air so you’ve always got the newest information. The next package is called the ‘My Car’ package. This helps you monitor the general health and status of your vehicle at any time. You can also check the fuel level, and the odometer and receive direct notifications for the maintenance or repair of your Tonale directly from the infotainment system, the app, smartwatch, voice assistant, or the web portal. Next is the ‘My Alert’. This is an optional service that can be purchased through the My Alfa Connect web portal. It can send you push notification through to your app if there is a suspected attempted theft of your Alfa Romeo Tonale, or if it is towed without your authorization. In case of theft, you can speak directly to a dedicated assistance centre. After reporting to the police the system will activate tracking and transmit the vehicle’s position. Lastly, there is the ‘My Wifi’ optional service powered by UBGI which can keep up to 8 devices connected at all times with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Once activated you can connect your Tonale with the Amazon Alexa voice service to interact with your smart home devices, play some music, find your point of interest and send the address directly to your infotainment system. 

Is the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV a good car?

The answer is yes. I would say that this is the best value luxury SUV that’s on the market atm. It’s a good price for all of the extra features you can get and we suggest getting the optional extra packages as these really boost the car’s experience. Makes you feel like you are making the most of what you’re paying for. If you’re interested in getting this car when it releases then please do not hesitate to contact us via our CONTACT page and we will do our best to source this for you. Similarly, if you liked this blog then head over to our NEWS page to check out other blogs a lot like this one.