At March’s Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo presented
its new compact hybrid SUV dubbed Tonale. These renderings by INDAV Design
depict it in production-spec form and, dare we say, they should be pretty much
spot-on. The design of the Alfa Romeo Tonale concept from
earlier this year was extraordinarily bold and makes the company’s other SUV,
the Stelvio, seem a little restrained. It remains to be seen how significant
the alterations will be to make the vehicle street legal, but if these
renderings prove to be accurate, we could get a Tonale with looks not too
dissimilar to the concept.
Starting at the front, we can see a set of slightly
thicker headlights than the concept and the same Scudetto grille as the
concept, complete with its silver shroud. Lower down on the front fascia are a
pair of fog lights, not present on the concept, and similarly-shaped intakes.
The tiny wing mirrors from the show car have been
replaced by a more realistic pair of traditional ones, and the same applies to
the wheels. There are also more prominent door handles on the front two doors,
but the rear doors don’t have any visible handles, much like the concept – a
trend Alfa itself begun back in 1997 with the 156. Last, but not least, the
rear sports relatively simple, horizontal taillights and chrome circular
tailpipes flanking the lower end of the bumper.
The road-going Tonale is tipped to be based on a
modified version of Fiat Chrysler’s front-wheel drive compact platform, as
opposed to the rear-drive “Giorgio” of the Giulia and Stelvio. The SUV is
expected to be available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, most likely shared
with the Jeep Renegade.
