Alfa Romeo Tonale, firm's first compact SUV, launched in SG

La Metamorfosi - the metamorphosis - goes the official title of press materials for the car.

Less than six months after it officially came into the hands of its new steward, Capella Auto (under Komoco Holdings), Alfa Romeo is ushering in a smaller-sized new chapter that nonetheless holds big promise for its brand. 

On 14 September 2023, the Alfa Romeo Tonale was unveiled at Capella Auto's Alfa Romeo showroom to selected customers, members of Alfa Romeo Owners' Club Singapore, and the media in a private event. The car arrives in Singapore just two months after its refreshed bigger brother, the Stelvio, officially went on sale here, and - for the first time - now allows the Italian brand to go head to head with other European rivals in the compact SUV segment.

Mr. Teo Hock Seng, Executive Chairman of Komoco Holdings, and Mr. Daniel Gonzalez, COO of Stellantis ASEAN & General Distributors, speaking before the car's unveiling

Undeniably, the Alfa Romeo brand holds a special place in the hearts of many petrolheads and enthusiasts - and any new model from the firm invariably makes waves, no matter the body style or price. Daniel Gonzalez, COO of Stellantis ASEAN & General Distributors, noted, "Stellantis has 14 different brands but in all honesty, when you're talking about Alfa Romeo, you're not talking about [just] a brand; you're talking about emotion; passion… that feeling when you drive; this Italian design, and over a 100 years of history of racing."

Despite being an all-new model for the firm, the Tonale is instantly recognisable as an Alfa; it still wears the iconic Trefoil grille and its 'Scudetto' shield, which protrudes just slightly to give the front a more three-dimensional effect. Instantly striking as well are its '3+3' matrix LED head lights (now introduced too on the facelifted Stelvio and Giulia) - a design element repeated on the taillights, which are connected by a full-length light bar.

The Tonale is immediately distinguishable with its Trefoil grille, and in recent Alfa times, its '3+3' headlights as well 

At 4,528mm long and 1,835mm wide, the Tonale is set to help Alfa do battle for the first time against other premium names in the hotly-contested compact SUV segment 

Yet another important design factor contributing to the Tonale's distinctly Alfa-looks are its diamond-cut, iconic Teledial wheel alloys - similar to those found on performance Quadrifoglio variants of the Giulia and Giulietta here in the past. Singapore's units are specced with sumptuous 19-inchers.

Positioned as a premium compact SUV, the Tonale arrives with exactly the sort of swanky cabin you might expect from Alfa Romeo, while also boasting a generous list of equipment. 

Alfa Romeo assures that the Tonale is still a decently commodious passenger carrier despite its smaller dimensions; its 500-litre boot is also only 25 litres smaller than the Stelvio's 

Front occupants ride first class - eight-way electric seats with ventilation are offered here as standard, alongside dual zone air conditioning - and despite this being one size down from the Stelvio, Alfa Romeo says that the rear bench is still decently commodious for most families. (Event host, Bobby Tonelli, who is 1.83m tall, even got into the rear to demonstrate this). The Tonale's 500-litre boot is also only 25 litres smaller than the Stelvio's. 

In addition, the Tonale gets the sort of digital real estate one would seek both in a car of its class and a car launching in 2023. Alongside a full-digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster greeting the driver (the Tonale even gets a delightful graphic mimicking its front fascia), the car also has a 10.25-inch central infotainment touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

You'll find a 10.25-inch touchscreen for infotainment up front (supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), thankfully paired with a row of physical buttons below 

The best part here? Alfa hasn't forgotten physical buttons; you'll find an entire row of them just below, including functions for fan speed and temperature. 

Apart from breaking new ground for Alfa Romeo as its first compact SUV, the Tonale also marks the Italian brand's first foray into electrification. On the sole Veloce variant at launch, the SUV is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that utilises a 48V mild hybrid system - making the Tonale the first electrified Alfa Romeo. 

It's worth noting that the Tonale is different from the most recent Alfas we've gotten (the rear-wheel driven Giulia and Stelvio) in another significant way - the combined 158bhp and 240Nm of torque produced by its powertrain are sent entirely to its front wheels. 

The turbocharged 1.5-litre mild hybrid engine used by the Tonale marks the first time ever that electrification has been woven into an Alfa Romeo 

With its engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the car will complete the century sprint in 8.8 seconds. Sgcarmart understands that there are currently no plans to bring in the plug-in hybrid Tonale, which tops the range in terms of performance.

An Alfa Romeo wouldn't truly be, well, an Alfa Romeo if it didn't provide the sort of the driving experience the name has become synonymous with, and it promises that the Tonale will also deliver on this front. Notably - and thankfully - the car still comes with Alfa's 'DNA' (Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficiency) rotary drive selector; we're told putting it into 'D' will fully unlock the driving engagement one expects from the firm's cars. Those that want that bit more control will also delight to find paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.

Paddle shifters, and the iconic Alfa Romeo 'DNA' drive selector: The brand promises that the Tonale will still deliver on its promise of high driving engagement 

As for safety assistance, the Tonale comes fully loaded with features including blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, and what the firm is calling 'Drowsy Driver Detection' - which can sense if the driver is falling asleep at the wheel. The car is also equipped with a 360-degree parking camera. 

As if the unveiling of the Tonale wasn't exciting enough, the afternoon saw a second surge of adrenaline among the crowd when the two drivers of the Alfa Romeo Formula One Team - Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas - stopped by to say a quick hello at the event. To commemorate the launch, they also left their signatures on the bonnet of the Montreal Green car on display. 

The event was capped off with a visit by the drivers of Alfa Romeo's Formula One team, Valtteri Bottas (left) and Zhou Guanyu (centre), who also left their signatures on the bonnet of the display car

Both Zhou and Bottas, who have already spent some time behind the wheel of the Tonale, expressed their appreciation for the Tonale being Alfa Romeo's first car to incorporate electrification, with Bottas calling it an "excellent step forward for the company". Adding on that he also enjoyed what the brand had done with its interior, he also said the Tonale "shows [that] the brand is always looking for something new."

The Alfa Romeo Tonale can now be viewed at Capella Auto's showroom along 1 Chang Charn Road, and is priced at $278,888 at launch.