Alfa Romeo Tonale

THREE years after it launched, the Alfa Romeo Tonale has been given a little midlife refresh, including an updated interior and a sharper look that draws from the brand’s glorious history, showcasing its strong sense of style.

- Holger Preiss

The redesigned front takes some inspiration from legendary Alfas like the Giulia GTA and GTAm sports saloon, and we think there's even a hint of the 156 GTA about it. The subtly reshaped ‘Scudetto’ grille was inspired specifically by the brand’s gorgeous 33 Stradale supercar, with the concave slats sitting within a new floating frame. We won't go into every single styling tweak, but taken together, the changes certainly give the car a meaner persona.

The Tonale’s interior could be characterised by high-quality materials and touching details. There wasn't much fault before the facelift, but fantastic sports seats with new red leather upholstery, or a combination of white synthetic leather and black Alcantara, are now available, framed by further white contrast stitching. This configuration also brings the same material to the dashboard, door panels, armrest and redesigned centre console.

Then there's the massive aluminium shift paddles behind the three-spoke steering wheel, the razor-sharp 12.3-inch instrument panel with the double-bubble surround, new rotary gear selector, and another dial above it for Alfa’s DNA drive modes. Dare we say it, the cabin almost offers the feeling of sitting in a hypercar rather than a C-segment SUV.