Driven: 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale Tries Harder

First glance: Has this car finally learned to be angry?

To be honest, I almost cursed out loud when I first got the key-Tonale again? I haven't complained a lot about the "elegant but soft-footed" guy in 2024. But when I got in the driver's seat, I immediately felt something was wrong. The leather of the steering wheel has been changed and made thicker, making it look like a fitness instructor's arm. The classic "DNA" knob on the dashboard actually has a green light mode? Wait, when did Alfa Romeo start saving energy? My heart skipped a beat: Could it be a product of compromising with the market? But this doubt was shattered immediately after the engine ignited-the sound was half a tone lower than before, with a bit of a rough tremor. Hmm... It seems to be angry, but also seems to be suppressing laughter. That Veloce badge wasn't posted: the newly adjusted 2.0T turbocharged engine's data is corny, but when it's actually driven, the subjective feeling of pushing back is more like a steel cannon than most competitors. But don't be happy too early. When you are crawling at low speeds, the gearbox will still suddenly jerk, as if you scold it and it will talk back. Italian cars will never learn to be "good".

Interior: Learn from Germany and be a good student, but refuse to hand in homework

I know a lot of people hate Alfa's interiors-the plastic parts rattle and the screen is half a beat slow, like the Android tablet in 2018. But the 2026 Tonale seems to have made up its mind: the center console uses a large area of Alcantara, and even the storage compartment on the door panel is covered in fur? Wait, it gets dirty easily... Sure enough, after driving for three days, oil stains already appeared on the left elbow. The screen was finally upgraded to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8Gen 1 (yes, the chip that was scolded), but Alfa engineers obviously suppressed it very conservatively-when switching driving modes, the animation was still a little stuck, like a ballerina in slow motion. The funniest thing is the air-conditioning control area: they hide the physical knobs and stuff them into the secondary menu on the screen. Every time I adjust the temperature, I scold "Who designed it?" But the seat is a real surprise: the shoulder supports of the integrated bucket chair are wide enough to pinch you into a sandwich, and there is little left and right when driving fiercely, but when you get off the car, your thighs will hit the flank, causing you to grin in pain. Italians have a unique understanding of "comfort".

Driving: It's like drinking three cups of espresso in the corners, and trying to doze off on the straight

I deliberately picked a mountain road in the morning to test it. I had been laughing for the first 15 minutes-the car's body follows like a cat, the steering wheel responds so fast that you can hardly feel the delay in the front of the car. The brake pedal gave you a lot of braking force at the beginning, but suddenly softened in the end, causing me to almost rear-end an AE86 (okay, it was a van) that delivered tofu. The chassis is obviously harder than the old model. When passing the speed bump, passengers in the back row can hear the sound of their teeth fighting, but at the same time, those small bumps are filtered out very cleanly. This contradiction is very "Italian": you can make a back turn at a speed of 70km/h, and the tires scream like a pig, but the rear of the car is still extremely stable; but once you enter high-speed cruising, wind noise is poured in from the A-pillar. In, the engine has obvious resonance around 2000 rpm, like someone is scratching a blackboard with a fingernail. Want to be comfortable? Buy a Giulia. Tonale is about making you reluctant to relax in every corner, at the expense of always feeling like you have a herniated lumbar disc during your daily commute.

Powertrain: The plug-in hybrid... uh...

I know everyone wants to hear me say the PHEV version. Well, I drove the 275-horsepower eAWD version for two days, with a nominal battery life of 60 kilometers. In fact, I ran 42 kilometers in winter with the warm wind fully open, which is barely enough for daily commuting. But the cooperation between the electric motor and the engine is like a quarrelling couple: when you step on the accelerator, it secretly uses electricity and is as quiet as a ghost, but once you step on it deeply, the gearbox will hesitate for half a second (let the electric motor rush first), and then the engine suddenly roars and intervenes, and the whole car will shake violently, as if someone slapped you on the back. What's even weirder is that the energy recovery system automatically weakens when the battery is about to be fully charged, causing the brake foot to feel soft and hard. Every time before stopping at a red light, you have to guess: How much will you step on this time? But if you are willing to put up with these oddities, its comprehensive power on mountain roads is really strong-the low torque of the motor perfectly makes up for turbo lag, and when you go out of the corner, you can feel the four wheels frantically looking for grip, and then "whoosh" Pounce you out. But the cost is that half of the trunk is occupied by batteries, and it will be full after putting two boarding boxes. Oh, by the way, the fuel tank is only 41 liters, and the owner of the gas station likes the Alfa owner very much.

What is it "working harder"?

To be honest, the 2026 Tonale has not turned into a perfect car. It still has many minor problems: the car occasionally crashes and requires a long press of the volume button to restart; the range of four-way adjustment of the steering wheel is too small, and I need to adjust the seat very straight to hold the steering wheel; the digital key that is known as "seamlessly connected to my mobile phone", I shivered in the cold wind for five minutes before it was successfully paired. But-pay attention to this but-it drives with a more soul than the BMW X1, more character than the Mercedes-Benz GLA, and even more like a driver's car than the Lexus NX. Alfa Romeo is really "working hard" this time: trying to improve quality, trying to retain passion, and trying to make a fuel-fueled SUV laugh under the pressure of electrification. Although some places use too much force, such as adjusting the suspension harder than Giulia, some places use no force at all, such as the deceptive touch panel. But if you can accept all its neuroticism, you will find that there is no other car at this level that you can look back every time you get off the bus and say to yourself,"Not bad, that Italian guy." This is not a rational choice, but it is definitely a emotional answer.