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Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV Q4

                                              Recharge the passion!                                      by Philippe Lacroix



                                              Alfa  Romeo  continues  its  electric  metamorphosis with  the

                                              presentation of its Tonale in a plug-in hybrid and all-wheel drive

                                              version, with 280 HP. Its starting price is €51,000.





















          Alfa Romeo is a style, a buzz, a state of mind, all
          aimed at a driver not like others, called Alfiste,
          as an honour, a benchmark; it is about being
          a connoisseur, almost a pilot. Unquestionably
          the Tonale (pronounced “Tonalé”) looks the
          part, but when it was launched, this 4.53
          metre SUV lacked punch because of the 130
          HP diesel under its bonnet, an offense to the
          brand, as well as a 130 and 160 BHP petrol
          hybrijd. Fortunately the Italian manufacturer
          was aware of the infamy, and did the necessary
          to fine-tune a brilliant engine that had not yet
          existed in the Stellantis group’s database, of   this is still reasonable given that the Tonale   she regains precise sure-footed acceleration and
          which it is now a part. It’s hard to stand out in   weighs 1.875 kg when empty. Its top speed is   the road holding is top- level.
          such a context and keep your individuality. The   claimed to be 206 km/h in hybrid mode (i.e. in
          Tonale PHEV Q4, which translates as plug-in   4-wheel drive) with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 6.2   Beautiful plumage, beautiful ramage, but ...
          hybrid and all-wheel drive, is almost there.  seconds, in large part due to the instantaneous   An Alfa is all about a well-designed body, a
                                              torque of the electric motor.        unique grille and a distinctive, rather raucous
          280 HP in all-wheel drive                                                sound. The Tonale PHEV Q4 has all that, plus
          The Tonale is powered by a 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder   3 Modes, 3 Characters   a sporty dashboard with round dials and large
          turbocharged gasoline engine that generates 180   With its very special technology, the Tonale PHEV   paddles on the steering wheel to manipulate
          BHP, coupled with an Aisin 6-speed automatic   Q4 can show very different faces in a bid to appeal   the gears. But when the battery is empty its
          transmission that transmits power to the front   to all segments of society. It starts with the fringe   weight is evident, as the driver can no longer
          wheels, and a 90 kW (122 BHP) electric motor   of society that wants to save the planet by labeling   rely on the support of the electric motor. And
          which drives the rear wheels without any   the car as the absolute evil. Well, this Tonale can   inevitably its performance is no longer that of an
          connection to the front wheels. The total power is   drive with only its electric motor, i.e. in rear-wheel   infallible 4X4 . Nevertheless, we can appreciate
          280 HP. The lithium-ion battery, which generates   drive mode, with a top speed of 135 km/h. Perfect   the powerful braking, but the steering needs
          306 volts, has a capacity of 15.5 kWh and boasts   for short daily trips in and around town, provided   to be lighter to improve precision. Another
          a 100 percent electric range of 80 km in urban   that there is a charger nearby (2 and a half hours   drawback is the soundproofing of the cabin
          areas… but only half of that on the highway. With   on a 7.4 kW wallbox or 7 hours on a domestic   with the road noises being too loud.
          a 42.5-litre petrol tank, a total range of 600 km   socket). To conserve the battery capacity in cities   Finally, it should be noted that the 350 kg
          can be expected in mixed traffic, which means   allergic to CO2, it can drive with only the 180 HP   battery pack reduces the volume of the trunk
          an average of almost 7 litres. On the highway   gasoline engine, that is with front-wheel drive.   by 115 litres, bringing it to 385 litres, which is
          fuel consumption quickly exceeds 9 litres, but   Finally, when the driver becomes an Alfisti, he or   quite small for the size of this SUV.



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