THE ALFA ROMEO TONALE IS HANDSOME, NEVERTHELESS IT TOOK SOME NERVES TO REPEAT THE TECHNICAL CHOICE THAT IN THE PAST JEOPARDIZED THE THE BRAND'S SURVIVAL
A wise man in a tv show, once said “ambitious but rubbish”. That sentence doesn't fit nicely to the handsome Alfa Romeo Tonale Concept, but this brand new Alfa is disappointingly below the expectations.
Alfa Romeos are all about the blend of Italian design with top noch technical equipment. But whether the styling of the Tonale is definitively seductive, the technical side is not.
Alfa Romeos are all about the blend of Italian design with top noch technical equipment. But whether the styling of the Tonale is definitively seductive, the technical side is not.
Ambitious but...where's Giorgio?
Alfa Romeo used to be a driver’s car brand. Then, during the eighties Alfa merged into the Fiat galaxy and started to make pointless FWD sedans and survived only thanks its glorious heritage.
Things finally changed when FCA spent a lot of money and resources to make Alfa rise-up (and regain its forgot premium halo).
Alfa developed a modular platform (code name Giorgio) sporting longitudinal engine and rear wheel drive. Giulia and Stelvio deploy it and have the best in class driving dynamics. Hands down.
Things finally changed when FCA spent a lot of money and resources to make Alfa rise-up (and regain its forgot premium halo).
Alfa developed a modular platform (code name Giorgio) sporting longitudinal engine and rear wheel drive. Giulia and Stelvio deploy it and have the best in class driving dynamics. Hands down.
Money worthy
The Tonale we saw in Geneva, is an AWD PHEV with the electric engine placed on the rear axle (that's fair enough) but the ICE engine is mounted transversely and drives the font wheels. This means that the production Tonale will sport many FWD versions below the AWD plug in hybrid. That's no good for the brand’s “street credibility”.
Inexplicably the shortened Giorgio architecture lost the second ballot, so and the Alfa Tonale Concept, was technically close to the Jeep Compass PHEV and to the upcoming Fiat 500X PHEV.
During the last years, Alfa spent consistent resources to get back its mojo that went lost during the ages of Fiat siblings FWD cars.
For OEMs, the automotive business is all about economies of scale . But the unwritten "golden rule" is that platforms can be shared in a top-down way, only. Whether you try to apply it in a bottom-up way, the premium customers perception is to face a bad deal.
If you catch my drift, you can use Alfa Romeo components to make Fiats, but you can't build Alfas with Fiat stuff. The recent history said it very clearly.
Inexplicably the shortened Giorgio architecture lost the second ballot, so and the Alfa Tonale Concept, was technically close to the Jeep Compass PHEV and to the upcoming Fiat 500X PHEV.
During the last years, Alfa spent consistent resources to get back its mojo that went lost during the ages of Fiat siblings FWD cars.
For OEMs, the automotive business is all about economies of scale . But the unwritten "golden rule" is that platforms can be shared in a top-down way, only. Whether you try to apply it in a bottom-up way, the premium customers perception is to face a bad deal.
If you catch my drift, you can use Alfa Romeo components to make Fiats, but you can't build Alfas with Fiat stuff. The recent history said it very clearly.