Alfa Romeo To Unveil Its New Tonale C-SUV In February!

One of the key elements in the future plans in the Alfa Romeo lineup is the 2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale. Unveiled in the conceptual form at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, the Tonale has continued to rack up design awards despite not even going into production yet. The Tonale will add electrification for the first time to the Alfa Romeo lineup, which plans to be fully electrified by 2030. But many have questioned when will the new C-SUV launch for the Italian marque.

Due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, Alfa Romeo canceled the vehicle’s unveiling which was scheduled at the end of 2021, and pushed it back to what they claimed would be “Spring 2022”. However, Alfa Romeo has sent out an official announcement to the media that the Tonale will be shown off for the first time on Tuesday, February 8th, 2022. Alfa Romeo is calling the event ‘La Metamorfosi’ meaning “The Metamorphosis” in Italian.

Powertrains – What To Expect – 

For the European market, we expect Tonale to debut with two turbocharged powertrains that are shared with its architecture mates the Jeep® Renegade and Compass. The new turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine (which is part of the Stellantis Global Small Engine or “GSE” family). The engine delivers 130 horsepower and 176 ft.-lbs. (240 Nm) of torque, mated to a new 7-speed 7HDT300 dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The new propulsion system includes a built-in 48-volt 15 kW (20 horsepower) electric motor delivering 41 ft.-lbs. (55 Nm) of torque – equalizing to 99 ft.-lbs. (135 Nm) of torque at gearbox input level – which can propel the wheels even when the internal combustion engine (ICE) is turned off. 

The new turbocharged 1.5-liter engine has been designed to be the best fit for hybrid usage, to optimize thermodynamics, and therefore to save on fuel consumption. It operates on the Miller cycle which improves thermal efficiency and offers a high compression ratio (12.5:1), a new cylinder head with the compact combustion chamber, dual variable valve timing, and special ‘high-tumble’ intake ducts. Also new is the high-pressure direct injection system, operating at up to 350 bar. The gasoline engine delivers an output of 130 horsepower, while peak torque reaches 176 ft.-lbs. (240 Nm). A Belt-Starter Generator (BSG) is also installed in the gasoline engine, to guarantee fast and silent transitions when restarting.

PHEV Options –

The second powertrain option will also be from the Renegade and Compass in their plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 4xe propulsion system. That powertrain integrates two electric motors and an 11.4 kWh battery pack, with a fuel-efficient 1.3-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. This architecture provides two cars in one – a battery-electric vehicle featuring an electric motor and a high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack on the rear axle and a conventional vehicle with an ICE fitted on the front axle.

Two electric motors, one of which is located on the front axle and coupled to the ICE that, in addition to working in synergy with the engine, can act as a high-voltage generator, as it is necessary. The second motor is located on the rear axle and features reduction gear and integrated differential (also known as the “e-axle”). It delivers 60 horsepower and 250 Nm (or about 184 ft.-lb) of torque, generating traction and recovering energy while braking.

The 11.4 kWh battery pack allows the Renegade and Compass 4xe to travel an average range of 50 kilometers (or 31 miles) in full-electric, zero-emission mode. The hybrid system also includes a power inverter (PIM) housed inside the battery pack, which is also protected from damage. We know that Alfa Romeo’s CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato was not happy with the numbers on the Renegade and Compass 4xe and wanted Stellantis engineers to get even more range out of the system. 

Will the Tonale have more range? I guess we will find out at the unveiling.

Another Features Expected –

When it comes to the looks of the exterior, we have seen two different styles of headlamps depending on the model. One mimics the ones seen on the leaked Tonale customer-clinic models, while the others show a design closer to the concept model’s examples. We see that the Alfa Romeo tri-grille design still has the same grille pattern as the clinic study, and the lower opening in the front fascia will carry that mesh as well. 

The Compass-sized SUV still featured much of the concept’s cues, like the muscular side flares, tri-taillight design connected by the Alfa Romeo logo in the center of the hatch, and thrust forward front fascia design. The clinic design also featured hidden exterior rear door handles like the concept and lower rear fascia exhaust outlets.

When looking at the back of this latest tester, it looks virtually identical to the clinical study. The tri-taillight design matches the clinic study, even with the camouflage and black tape across the top of the taillight lenses. It appears that the tester continues the LED strip towards the middle of the vehicle. Looking at the rear window glass, the rear window wiper and rear window surround are a complete match.

Those clinic study photos that were leaked, also gave us a sneak peek of what the Tonale’s interior might look like (which you can see above). GabetzSPYUnit was able to get a quick shot of the instrument panel which was camouflaged in this tester. The tester appears to follow the design of the clinic study design. There is a narrow touchscreen display, however, it looks bigger than the one seen on the clinic study model. It continues to be a tablet unit (similar to the unit in the new electrified 500e). We can also see a new 12.3-inch all-digital gauge cluster as well, something making its way into most of Stellantis’ new vehicles.

Be sure to come back on Tuesday, February 8th, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. EST, to watch the unveiling LIVE.

2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale Prototype Image Gallery:

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