Alfa Romeo Tonale isn't as fast as expected on the moose test

The Tonale is Alfa Romeo’s latest product that should bring new customers to the brand who are looking for something smaller and more affordable than the ageing Stelvio and Giulia. The small crossover shares its platform with the Jeep Compass and Jeep Commander, as well as the Dodge Hornet, which is a slightly redesigned and reengineered version of the Italian model. The Tonale is positioned as one of the sportiest products in the compact crossover segment, which leaves us with great expectations regarding its performance on the road.

Leaving aside the subjective feedback, there’s no better way to judge the performance of a car in corners than track times and moose test times. Our colleagues at km77.com recently put the Tonale to the moose and slalom tests to evaluate how fast the model is around the cones. These two performance and safety tests also show how the electronic assistance systems in the vehicle work.

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The Tonale from the video has a gasoline engine with 131 bhp (96 kilowatts), which is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This particular vehicle is from the Edizione Speciale special edition, which means it has 20-inch wheels with 235/40 96V Pirelli PZero performance tyres. The power reaches only the front wheels.

Despite its performance-oriented suspension tune, large wheels, and direct steering, the Tonale didn’t really impress in the moose test, though. The reason seems to be mostly related to the vehicle’s electronic assistance systems with the test driver explaining the electronic stability system almost never braked the car to make it easier to control. The best attempt at the moose test for the Tonale was at 46 miles per hour (74 kilometres per hour), which is notably beyond what vehicles like the Nissan Ariya and Honda Civic registered.

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In the United States, you’ll only be able to order the Tonale with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Alfa Romeo decided to drop the 2.0-litre petrol mill and leave the crossover only with the 1.3-litre PHEV system that has a total system output of 272 bhp (203 kilowatts). Regardless of the engine, however, it seems that the Tonale is not a moose test expert but it’s important to note the test pilot from the video says the vehicle feels very nimble and quick in normal driving.