Same with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox: it’s fine, but if you’re coming from an eight-speed BMW, you won’t be impressed with the smoothness, speed or shift points it has. chooses. You can take control with manual mode on the gear selector or the huge metal paddles on the Veloce, but really, who are you kidding in a 158bhp crossover SUV?
The tech brief also went to great lengths to illustrate how the Tonale handles like “a true Alfa” with additional chassis reinforcement and geometry changes to ensure it’s both more fun to drive. and more comfortable than the “best competitor”. . To its credit, the Tonale is one of the most dynamic options in the segment.
It has Alfa’s usual lightning-fast fixed-ratio steering, but it doesn’t feel jittery. Body roll is limited and thanks to the Pirelli P-Zero tyres, you rarely lack grip or responsiveness. Handling stops just short of greatness, however, as you have to push hard enough for the steering to give anything back.
Fortunately, dynamic handling does not come at a significant cost to ride comfort. Sure, on 20-inch wheels it’s pretty firm, but it’s well controlled and not bumpy. The Veloce trim gives you adaptive dampers, but the comfort setting is very similar to the passive setup, so they don’t add much. A Ti-spec car on standard 18-inch wheels would probably be the preferred choice.
Despite Alfa’s focus on its PR dynamics, the car is probably at its best as a highway muncher. Without taking out the sound meter, the Tonale seems to be one of the quietest cars in this category when cruising, road and suspension noise being well muffled. The seats, on the other hand, are placed relatively high and are quite comfortable.
The rest of the interior, however, is a bit disappointing. If Alfa is to be a credible rival for the likes of BMW, it has to do better than this slightly mixed bag of materials. It’s not bad, but nothing stands out as particularly pleasant either.
A Nissan Qashqai is less stylish from the outset, but exudes a more compelling air of luxury. And where did the beautiful smooth leather that was once the hallmark of Italian luxury cars go? At least it’s on par with the rest of the class for practicality: boot space and rear legroom are similar to an X1, but it feels slightly cramped inside and the A- and C-pillars are rather bulky.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-05 07:00:00
