2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale: 4 reasons to love it, 2 reasons to think twice

A proper Italian stallion

With a name inspired by the Tonale mountain pass in Northern Italy, the 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale now comes with a turbocharged 268-horsepower, four-cylinder engine that makes 295 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and has Alfa Romeo’s “Q4” all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard. There are some trim changes as well, and that includes a limited-production Tributo Italiano special edition.

There are five distinct trim packages available for the 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale. The entry-level Tonale (2.0 turbo) starts with a base MSRP of $36,535, the Tonale Intensa starts at $45,230, and the Tonale Hybrid (PHEV) starts at $46,035. The special edition Tonale Tributo Italiano goes even higher with a $52,730 base price, while its Tonale Intensa Hybrid variant tops the trims at $55,230. These prices are fairly competitive, but is all of this enough to win the pros vs cons game?

Reason to love it #1: Fun to drive

While I haven’t driven the Tonale with the new 2.0-liter Turbo, I did sample that powertrain on the Hornet GT, and it was both fun and responsive. Honestly, I preferred it over the heavier but more powerful PHEV Hornet offered. I did test the torque monster that is the PHEV Tonale, which was quick, especially off the line. Alfa Romeo likes a sporty yet forgiving suspension setup, and the steering weights are top-notch.

Reason to love it #2: Even the base model looks special

The Alfa Romeo Tonale looks like a baby Stelvio, and that’s a good thing. Everything, from the slick front-end design treatment to the strong character lines and overall proportions, looks pleasing to me. In my estimation, it’s one of the more elegantly designed crossovers in this class and much more attractive than its Dodge Hornet cousin. I would recommend the larger 19—or 20-inch wheels to fill out the wheel wells for the best look.

Reason to love it #3: Distinctly Italian interior design

The interior looks like other Alfa Romeo products, which is to say it looks classy. Drivers get a huge 12.3-inch TFT display and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen powered by Stellantis’s lauded Uconnect 5 UX, which is fairly easy to use. There is plenty of soft-touch leather throughout, including on the upper door panels. The heated seats and steering wheel look pricey and feel comfortable, yet firm. Back seat space is fine for average-sized adults, but taller folks will wish for shorter drivers or front passengers.

Reason to love it #4: Very efficient (especially the PHEV)

The new 2.0-liter turbo has an EPA-estimated rating of 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. That’s not too shabby for an AWD turbo with this much power. Better still, the Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV is a plug-in hybrid (1.3-liter turbo and electric motor 285 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque combined) with a 33-mile all-electric range. It gets an EPA-estimated 77 MPGe and 29 mpc combined.

Reason to think twice: #1: Identity crisis

For some, the Alfa Romeo Tonale is neither fish nor fowl. Many feel the Lexus NX is the closest competitor, which I agree with. At the same time, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have a few models that could easily compare with the Tonale as well. The thing is, resale values and public perception of the Tonale are not as positive as the German and Japanese rivals. It doesn’t help that it’s so similar to its Dodge cousin.

Reason to think twice #2: The Dodge Hornet is much less expensive

The Dodge Hornet GT has a base MSRP of $31,400, which is about $5,000 less than the equivalent Tonale. This is despite the fact that they have the same 2.0-liter turbo and AWD system. The PHEV R/T, which is very similar to the Tonale PHEV, is about $5,000 less as well. I’m just not sure if the Alfa Romeo is worth that much more.

Final thoughts

Despite some issues with its relation to the Dodge Hornet, I think the Alfa Romeo Tonale has enough class to stand on its own. It cannot outshine the competition in any one thing, but there is an exception: it is very Italian. It looks the part, it’s comfortable enough, and it has enough pep to get around. For some consumers, all of that may be enough to choose it over its competitors.

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