Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV Now Available at US Dealers, Prices Start at $43K

With a full tank, a charged battery, and a conservative driver, this Alfa will cover 360 miles (580 km), scoring a miles-per-gallon equivalent of 77. The Italian entry SUV can attain a 29-mpg fuel economy (8.1 liters per 100 kilometers). The 1.3-liter gasoline plug-in hybrid variant obtained the performance achieved during the EPA testing.

Incidentally, the PHEV is the only version available for the U.S. market, with base prices ranging from $47,495 for the Veloce high-end trim to $42,995 for the entry-level Sprint. The middle-of-the-road equipment offer, the Ti, costs $44,995. An additional $1,595 destination charge applies to the three values.

Irrespective of the options, the Tonale is powered by a combination of a 1.3-liter turbocharged inline-four gasoline engine that outputs 180 hp (183 PS) and 199 lb-ft (270 Nm) to the front wheel only. The rear axle is driven by the 90-kW electric motor (120 hp, 184 lb-ft / 122 PS, 250 Nm). The combined performance of the powertrain sits at 285 hp (289 PS ) and 347 lb-ft of torque (470 Nm).

Thanks to this architecture, the Alfa Romeo Tonale gets a zero-to-sixty (100 kph) score of six seconds flat and keeps pulling all the way to 128 mph (206 kph). The Compact Sport Utility from the Italian brand features standard Q4 all-wheel drive traction and three distinct driving modes – Dual Power (PHEV) Dynamic, Natural, and Advanced Efficiency.

The sportiest setting is offered with the Dynamic mode when the combustion engine and the electric motor deliver maximum power to the wheels to maximize performance. In Natural, the car’s computers decide when to switch from electric to ICE drive.

For the wallet-conscious driver, the economy is provided via the Advanced Efficiency setting. The Tonale will run fully electric until it reaches the far end of the 33 miles (53 kilometers) of its 15.5-kWh lithium-ion battery range.

In a world premiere, Alfa Romeo digitally encrypted its Tonale with a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) digital certificate. Rooted in the “blockchain card” technology, a confidential, non-modifiable car life record is generated, containing all the relevant aspects from every individual unit’s history.

This off-board feature is immediately usable and will record - with the owner’s prior consent – vehicle data about the car’s maintenance. On the pre-owned car market, an NFT certification is a booster for resale value, and the data aggregation is secured through the shared ledger technology.