Alfa Romeo has recently unveiled its compact SUV: the Alfa Romeo Tonale. This new crossover will be available as a PHEV as the carmaker’s first step towards electrification. But is the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale plug-in hybrid electric car ready to compete?
With so many other car manufacturers already selling PHEVs and EVs, the Alfa Romeo Tonale faces stiff competition. A more unconventional opposite is the performance and off-road-capable 2022 Jeep Wrangler 4xe. If you compare these two PHEV entries, you might be wondering what is superior, Italian class or terrain, plug-in power?
What Alfa Romeo Tonale 2023 has to offer
Alfa Romeo says “experience the revelation” when it introduces the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale and its PHEV variation. A press release from parent Stellantis says Tonale will “mark the brand’s metamorphosis.” It is obvious that the excitement of this PHEV model, which combines state-of-the-art technology with unmistakable Italian style, is formidable.
There will be two powertrains, the PHEV Q4 AWD with a six-speed automatic and 15.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, and the non-electric Q4 AWD 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with a nine-speed automatic transmission, capable of 256-hp, which Wards Auto says will be available in the US first. The PHEV variant comes a few months after the gas-powered model, and pricing has not yet been confirmed.
▶“src =” https://www.youtube.com/embed/YIMQSUf0Wo8?feature=oembed “frameborder =” 0 “allow =” accelerometer; autospela; clip-writing; encrypted media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture “allow full screen>
Joining the PHEV version of the Tonale will mean taking advantage of the 1.3-liter MultiAir turbocharged four-cylinder and 90-kW electric motor for 272 hp and an electric driving range of over 30 miles, which Autoweek shares. Electrification will present three options: Dual Power dynamics with maximum power from both the motor and the electric motor, Natural, ideal for daily use of energy management, and Advanced Efficiency, designed for “pure electric operation.”
And in true Alfa Romeo fashion, as Autoblog points out, the Tonale comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect, including a MacPherson strut suspension, a 10.5-inch Uconnect 5 infotainment, five storable driver profiles, over-the-air updating capability and wireless Apple and Android connection. Fuel efficiency has not yet been released, along with pricing, but we expect the statistics for this compact SUV to fall in line with those like the Jeep Wrangler 4xe.
Power meets fuel efficiency with 2022 Jeep Wrangler 4xe
▶“src =” https://www.youtube.com/embed/jcu-15qiusQ?feature=oembed “frameborder =” 0 “allow =” accelerometer; autospela; clip-writing; encrypted media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture “allow full screen>
Despite all the buzz around Alfa Romeo’s first electrification venture, Jeep has already renewed itself in the PHEV space, with the Wrangler 4xe, the plug-in off-road vehicle. Jeep describes the driving experience as “studying adventure” with the industry’s first outdoor SUV.
As a year before the Alfa Romeo Tonales PHEV, the Wrangler 4xe has more data available, such as its electric range of 22 miles and starting price of $ 52,530, according to KBB. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe’s hybrid system produces 375 hp with 0 to 60 bragging rights in just six seconds, which is due to drawing power from the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, two electric motors and lithium-ion batteries. The EPA rating is 49 MPGe for the hybrid combination.
So which electrified turn is superior?
▶“src =” https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3QB0DwcuwU?feature=oembed “frameborder =” 0 “allow =” accelerometer; autospela; clip-writing; encrypted media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture “allow full screen>
If you look at the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale and the 2022 Jeep Wrangler 4xe, the only thing the two SUVs have in common is their class segment and hybrid DNA. The Wrangler PHEV is much more superior when it comes to horsepower, terrain capacity and outdoor experiences. On the other hand, the Tonale PHEV will provide all the refined elements of Italian design, a quieter cabin experience and much more cockpit technology for a more driver comfort-based dynamic.
If you can be patient and wait until this time next year, you want to try the 2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale. But if you need to be electrified this year and long for a little outdoor adventure, the 2022 Jeep Wrangler 4xe is already here.
RELATED: Is the 2022 Jeep Wrangler 4xe better than regular Jeep Wranglers?