THE Alfa Romeo Tonale was one of the surprises of the last Geneva Motor Show, revealing the intention of the historic Italian brand to expand its SUV offer beyond the Stelvio.
The concept unveiled on the Swiss stage would, with great proximity, anticipate the future SUV to be positioned below the Stelvio, in other words, having as rivals the BMW X2, Audi Q3 or Volvo XC40.
And it really seems to be what we're seeing in these images that we shouldn't see in the first place. The Alfa Romeo Tonale is not isolated, but accompanied by some of the aforementioned rivals.
Note: Production model in grey, concept in red:
These images were captured in what appears to be an in-house design review and comparison session with rivals. It justifies why the model is grayed out — the best shade for evaluating the design of a new model.
Subscribe to our newsletter
It surprises the image leak of the future compact SUV at such an early stage — the release of the production version is only scheduled for 2021. What we are seeing may actually be just a static full-scale model, already with a high level of detail (the tinted glass not letting you see the interior, so they denounce it).
It's still a good sign. It means that the design phase will either be completed or very close to it.
As is common practice in the industry, many of the concepts we see in motor shows are not designed before the production model, although we see the concept before. In other words, when we see the concept, the design of the production model is already “frozen” or practically defined. It's a way of “groping ground” in advance…
So no wonder the closeness between the Tonale captured in these images and the Tonale concept. The big differences come down to the front and rear optics, not as slender as the concept's more futuristic-looking ones, and other more realistic details: conventional mirrors, wiper blades, door handle or more modest wheels.
What to expect?
Apparently, the production Alfa Romeo Tonale will derive from the same platform as the Jeep Compass, and will also inherit the plug-in hybrid engine unveiled in Geneva. In other words, the internal combustion engine in transverse front position will be accompanied by an electric motor positioned on the rear axle.
Like the Compass, the engines should all be four-cylinder, with a strong chance of being reduced to the new 1.3 Turbo, recently debuted by the Renegade and 500X, and the 2.0 Turbo variants used in the Giulia/Stelvio.
There is no further information about the future Tonale, but considering the brand's current commercial scenario, where Alfa Romeo with four models and international presence is selling less than the moribund Lancia, which only sells Ypsilon on the Italian market, as usual. say, the arrival of the new Tonale “yesterday, it was too late”.