By Funziwe Moleme

Those that read our Instagram snippets of the Tonale would have seen that we were moved in a petrol-head way when we sampled the Speciale derivative. The first and obvious thing to impress are the striking looks that give you a glimpse of the personality you’re about to experience but also bring a tinge of anxiety which makes one wonder if the Tonale will deliver on expectations.

Tonale Speciale interior

As you enter in keyless guise – the personality continues inside. Interior execution is Alfa business as usual with most touch or interactive points having soft quality materials. The door shuts with a nice reassuring thud that satisfies, likewise when you open the door via the aluminium door handle or operate the vents.

At the driver’s disposal, are two screens. The first being a 10.25-inch to operate the infotainment system that has wireless mirroring thanks to Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The screen is response to the touch, has deep blacks and an overall hi-resolution definition. The instrument cluster is of the same quality but is much bigger at 12.3-inches where you can switch a detailed or minimalistic view. The center console has actual switchgear (thank you Alfa) instead of the trendy touch screen operation, that seems to be moving away from ergonomically sound and intuitive controls we have come to love. At this point the personality anxiety lessons as the exterior matches the interior in full swing. Quality is good, space is good for all passengers and an okay boot when considering the competition.

Tonale Speciale driving impressions

On the move, the Tonale Speciale has an immediately impressive ride quality. It strikes the perfect balance, if you excuse the pun, between comfort and sporty handling. The steering is precise, cornering has minimal to no lean and imperfections are dealt with in an unobtrusive way. What is slightly underwhelming is that the engine, for how the car handles, should be more powerful. The emphasis there is on the word – should, because the car doesn’t feel sluggish by any measure, especially in sport mode. But any petrol head will expect more power – to match something like a Volvo XC40 T5’s 185kW, compared to the Alfa’s 118kW/240Nm from its hybridized 1.5T 4-cylinder engine, which doesn’t have the driving dynamics of the Tonale but offers a similar level of comfort, with the XC40 edging it slightly.

Tonale Speciale assistance systems

When wanting things that only car-journos worry about, the Tonale offers other noteworthy features to the car enthusiast. These features include, Alfa Romeo’s ADAS suite which enables level 2 autonomous driving and assistance systems like traffic jam assist, intelligent adaptive cruise control, lane centering, blind spot detection, , lane control, emergency breaking, drowsy driver detection, 360-degree view camera TSR and ISC, and rear seat reminder as you switch the car off. A Harman Kardon system is also part of the package – and this is one of the better implementations we have sampled.

Our verdict

The Alfa Romeo Tonale is a great contender for its segment, it is well priced, as impressive an interior as the top contenders in the category and probably looks the best. The Tonale Speciale is priced from R799,900.