Alfa Romeo Junior vs Kgm Musso Ev

What's the difference?

The Alfa Romeo Junior is a cute car that’s charming and smile-inducing. It deserves to sell well but ultimately this will come down to whether the Australian public is receptive.

There is plenty of competition out there and if you're wanting something design-led, it's hard to look past this without spending much more money.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Despite having the Musso name, this electric ute is a completely different beast which is much more lifestyle-oriented than the older and unrelated turbo-diesel Musso workhorse.

There really isn’t much competition out there right now in the electric ute space but this makes a compelling case, especially for those looking in the fleet space. It has an appealing price, adequate range, SUV-like comfort and decent payload capacity.

This is such a cute and tiny car with Alfa Romeo trying its hardest to sandwich all of its hallmark design traits in. It’s certainly a busy design on the outside which I don’t love right now, but I imagine I’ll grow to like it with time.

At the front there’s a special grille as standard that features Alfa Romeo script, plus an offset license plate and cool matrix LED headlights with the company’s ‘3+3’ lighting signature.

Around the side the 18-inch alloy wheels have a flower petal-like design, hidden second-row door handles, as well as a hidden serpent (Biscione) easter egg that’s laser etched into the C-pillar.

The rear of the Junior is my least favourite angle. It tries too hard to look more like a hatchback than a crossover SUV with the slanted rear window and the big black slab where the tail-lights are.

The twin exhaust pipes are a cute look, however, especially given the engine doesn’t scream performance credentials on paper.

Inside there’s an obvious attempt at making the cabin look and feel driver-oriented and sporty.

I like the seats which have a red section that runs down the backrest and onto the seat base. It helps break up the black finishes nicely.

Speaking of, however, there's a sea of black finishes throughout the rest of the cabin. I’d like to see some more silver or chrome accents as the glossy piano black may not age well.

There is interior ambient lighting around the cabin with a customisable colour, which looks great in low-light situations. It particularly pops in the large circular air vents which flank the dashboard and are shaped like cloverleaves.

If you look closely you may notice the Junior shares a lot of its physical switchgear with the related Jeep Avenger. Examples include the steering wheel buttons, gear selector, starter button and the physical climate control switches.

While there’s an argument to say that this cheapens the feel of the Junior, I’m thankful there is physical switchgear in this car to begin with. Plus, the Junior does look different enough as it is.

You’ll either love or hate the exterior design of this ute. I’m not the biggest fan as the front is busy and likely won’t age well.

Regardless, you can’t deny that it stands out, especially with the yellow paint of our test car.

It’s hard to call this ute a Musso as it’s very clearly an Actyon or Torres from the B-pillar forwards. It’s like a Frankenstein as the rear tub section doesn’t look like it fits the aesthetic of this car.

Between the cabin and the tub area is a large slab of body colour with a rhino emblem, which looks tacky, plus there is an oversized grab handle section which serves no purpose.

At the back I like how ‘KGM’ is prominently embossed into the tailgate as no one will know what this vehicle is, at least for now.

However, I’m not convinced by the ‘X’ motif in the rear tail-lights. Like the split front LED headlight set-up with the full-width light bar, it looks too over-the-top for this kind of vehicle.

Inside, it's virtually identical to the Actyon and Torres.

While I like the look of the hexagonal steering wheel and the wraparound screen set-up combining the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen multimedia system, the copper dashboard trim looks out of place in a work-oriented type of vehicle. Good thing this is more of a lifestyle ute than something like a HiLux.

Pair this with the large amounts of glossy piano black around the gear selector and the window switches on the door cards, it’s a recipe for fingerprints, smudges and scratches.

The front seats in the Junior are very comfortable for longer drives. The driver’s seat in particular offers six ways of electric adjustability and a massage function. You don’t see features like that very often on a tiny SUV.

Ahead of the driver there’s a leather-wrapped steering wheel. It’s surprisingly slim which makes it nice to hold. There are also paddle shifters on the back which could be more pronounced.

As standard there’s a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster which emulates analogue dials for the tachometer and speedometer. While the screen is high-res and clear, it’s interesting that Alfa Romeo chose to emulate dials in a digital way rather than just have physical ones, especially because you can’t change their appearance.

There’s a section in the middle that has a few different informative pages you can cycle through. I’d love to see more configurability given there’s limitless possibilities with a screen.

Moving across there’s another 10.25-inch screen for the central multimedia system. It certainly makes up for the lack of configurability in the digital instrument cluster and you can create and customise five different home page screens with a vast array of widgets. It’s fairly clever though at some point it feels like overkill.

There aren’t many menus or sub-menus to get lost in, however, the home button took me a while to locate. It’s above the touchscreen in a small pod of physical buttons alongside the hazard lights and door lock switch.

Underneath the touchscreen there’s a wireless phone charger, plus USB-C and USB-A charger ports.

The engine start button is mounted prominently on the centre tunnel with the lightswitch-like gear selector directly behind it. It’s mounted a little too close to the centre armrest which means craning my arm like a T-Rex to use it.

Other amenities up front include a deep console area with configurable cupholders, a sliding centre armrest with a cubby, as well as a tiny glovebox.

It’s very clear the second row of the Junior isn’t the focus. At 182cm tall I need to splay my legs on either side of the driver’s seat in my desired driving position. Despite this, toe room and headroom is adequate, even with the optional sunroof.

The second row isn’t a place anyone would want to spend too long in. Kids would likely suit better, plus there are top-tether points on all three rear seats and ISOFIX mounting points on the outboard rear seats.

Amenities are limited to a single USB-C port in the second row. There are no air vents or centre armrest. You need to make your own entertainment.

At the back there’s a hands-free power tailgate, which is rare for a vehicle of this size. Once it’s open, the available boot space is decent, especially for such a small car. There’s 415L of boot space with the rear seats upright.

The area itself is fine. There’s no load lip which allows you to get things in and out with ease, plus there’s a two-tier boot floor, allowing you to stow items under the floor away for prying eyes.

In terms of boot-related amenities there’s a 12V socket, a light and some hooks. It’s fairly standard back there.

Unfortunately there’s no spare wheel as standard in the Junior line-up. Instead there’s a tyre repair kit which is not super handy if you have a tyre blow out.

Thankfully you can purchase a space-saver spare wheel for the Junior Ibrida for $314 as a genuine accessory. It would be better if this came as standard given there’s the space for it.

You sit up high in the Musso EV’s driver’s seat, allowing for a clear and commanding view of the road ahead. This is something that buyers of these kinds of vehicles seek as it provides more confidence behind the wheel.

While the hexagonal steering wheel looks cool, it can take a while to get your head around it, especially when turning quickly. Thankfully there are plenty of physical buttons on the wheel for key functions, so it doesn’t entirely reinvent the wheel (pardon the pun…)

Ahead of the driver is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster which looks clear and bright. You can cycle through a range of informative pages and while this is good, I’d love to see more customisation and configurability.

The same can be said for the central touchscreen multimedia system. It’s a rather basic system, but that’s not a bad thing because it also means that it’s easy to use. Frustratingly however, the screen takes a while to boot up when you start the ute.

Even though the touchscreen is basic, the majority of owners will likely be using smartphone mirroring for the majority of their time behind the wheel. It’s for this reason that it’s disappointing there’s only the wired form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available.

On the flip side though, the wired connection is flawless and it actually charges your phone rather than overheating it like some wireless chargers do.

I’d love to see some more physical switchgear and buttons around the screen because you’re forced to use it for a number of key functions, like the climate control and volume.

Up front the Musso EV is fairly practical. There are two cupholders, plenty of phone slots, a large open section under the centre console, as well as dual bottle holders in the doors.

Moving to the second row you can tell this is a ute that’s based on an SUV. There’s much more space and thought put into the second-row comfort.

At a leggy 182cm I have plenty of room behind my own driving position. In the default position it’s a comfortable spot to be, however you can recline the backrest even further, although you sacrifice legroom as a result. You don’t get features like this in every ute.

In terms of second-row amenities there are two USB-C ports and air vents on the back of the centre console, a fold-down armrest with cupholders, as well as lots of seat-back pockets and bottle holders in the doors.

The tub of the Musso EV is where things get interesting. There’s a damped tailgate with two gas struts that allows for effortless opening and closing.

Once the tailgate is open, the space is decent but not standout for a dual-cab ute. The tub area measures in at 1345mm long, 1515mm wide (1100mm between the arches) and 510mmmm tall. This notably means a standard Australia pallet is a bit too wide for the tub.

Payload in the 2WD is up to 905kg which isn’t too bad for a dual-cab ute, however it drops to 805kg in the AWD.

Towing capacity is where this electric ute suffers the most. It has a braked towing capacity of only 1800kg, which is down considerably over the benchmark 3500kg many of its top-selling rivals can do. There’s also only a maximum towball down load of 180kg, which is limiting.

While this isn’t great, electric utes typically aren’t the most efficient for towing rigs. As a result this limits the Musso EV to more light-duty and lifestyle applications.

Disappointingly there’s no spare wheel at all in this ute. Instead you have to rely on a tyre repair kit which isn’t helpful if you have a proper puncture and not a slow leak.

There are three trim levels in the local KGM Musso EV line-up.

Pricing starts at $60,000 drive-away for the 2WD trim, which is what we have here. While this is around $7000 more than the top-spec diesel-powered Musso, it’s around the same price as the popular BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute.

Electric dual-cab utes are thin on the ground right now, with the only notable rival being the lacklustre LDV eT60 which is priced at a hefty $92,990 before on-roads.

However, electric versions of the Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max are due to launch over the next few years in Australia and will likely be priced similarly. In this respect, it makes the Musso EV seem like a bargain.

Do note however that this is based on car-like monocoque platform rather than more rugged ladder frame of many utes. While these models are not sold here in Australia (yet), the US-market, SUV-based Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz are more logical competitors for this ute.

Standard kit includes 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, dual 12.3-inch screens, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and interior ambient lighting.

There are even niceties like eight-way power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation, plus heated outboard rear seats on all models which isn’t common in the ute space.

It’s disappointing there’s no wireless smartphone mirroring available across the line-up, especially in a brand-new car that was only revealed earlier this year.

A 2WD Black Edge trim is available that, as the name suggests, brings a range of blacked-out finishes. It’s priced from $62,000 drive-away.

At the top of the line-up is the AWD, which is priced from $64,000 drive-away. It’s configured identically to the base grade but gains an extra electric motor for more power and torque.

The Junior Ibrida is powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine with 48V mild-hybrid assistance.

In the six-speed dual-clutch transmission is a 21kW electric motor that’s fed by a 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

It’s worth noting that this is the exact same engine set-up that features in a growing number of Peugeot models locally, including hybrid versions of the 2008, 3008, 5008, 308 and 408.

Total system outputs are 107kW and 230Nm which is far from class-leading. Alfa Romeo claims the 0-100km/h sprint takes 8.9 seconds.

Two-wheel-drive versions of the Musso EV are powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 152kW and 339Nm. Yes, that makes this ute front-wheel drive.

It’s worth noting this is the exact same set-up as the KGM Torres EVX which has also just launched in Australia.

The all-wheel-drive version adds a second electric motor to the rear axle, bumping up total system outputs to 266kW and 630Nm.

The Junior Ibrida has a claimed fuel consumption of just 4.1L/100km, which is solid for a mild-hybrid vehicle.

There’s a 44L fuel tank which requires a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

During our 200km drive loop on the launch which consisted of mixed and spirited drive, we returned an average of 5.4L/100km. However, during one section with fewer twists and turns we saw an average of 4.0L/100km, which is incredible.

Using our as-tested fuel consumption there’s a theoretical range of 815km.

All KGM Musso EVs have a BYD-sourced 80.6kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery.

It allows for up to 420km of claimed range in the 2WD and up to 380km of claimed range in the AWD, both according to WLTP testing.

The official energy consumption is 23kWh/100m in the 2WD and 26kWh/100km in the AWD. However, in our largely unladen urban testing of the 2WD we saw an average of 20kWh/100km, which is fairly decent for a larger EV, but not outstanding.

Using this, the Musso EV 2WD has a theoretical range of 403km.

The Type 2 CCS combination charge port is on the passenger-side front wheel arch, which is great because it’s kerbside.

Maximum DC charging is 120kW, allowing for a quick charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 36 minutes, whereas maximum AC charging is 10.5kW, allowing for a 0-100 per cent charge in 10.5 hours.

Vehicle-to-load (V2L) is available through the use of an accessory which plugs into the charge port. This allows you to use the ute’s battery to power household appliances, among other things.

Starting up the Junior Ibrida, the turbo three-cylinder engine roars to life with an off-beat, thrum-y sound.

If the engine is bone cold, it’ll stay on to get the fluids up to operating temperature. Once this happens it will happily switch off.

Initial acceleration is typically done on electric power alone and if you don’t press the accelerator too hard it’ll stay in EV mode at city speeds. It’s very electric-heavy for a car that’s technically only a 48V mild-hybrid.

At many points the engine switches off at speeds up to 80km/h, especially if you’re travelling on flat ground. Even at 100-110km/h, it’ll switch off if coasting.

Something to note is the electric motor is part of the six-speed dual-clutch transmission which means you can sometimes feel gear changes even when driving in EV mode. You do get used to this.

A positive of the electric motor being in the dual-clutch is it helps iron out awkward pauses and jerks that this type of transmission typically presents. It’s still not perfect though.

If you press the accelerator harder or the battery charge gets lower, it’ll inevitably fire up the three-cylinder engine. It makes a rorty note during acceleration which is fun to listen to.

The transition from electric to petrol is generally seamless. There can be a slight shudder when the three-cylinder first fires up at low revs, but I’ve experienced much worse in other cars.

There’s only one setting for regenerative braking, which is fairly strong and almost one-pedal-driving like. It takes a bit to get used to the feeling. You do still need to put your foot on the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

With the combination of the petrol engine and electric motor, acceleration is far from break-neck but it’s far from slow. The fact it doesn’t have much power actually makes this car more endearing, especially because it’s rewarding to drive.

The steering in the Junior is communicative and direct. It's a joy to take corners in as the feel errs more on the lighter side. It almost has a Mini-like go-kart feel as the car feels so nimble.

Additionally, the ride is composed and settled, even at higher speeds on rough roads, which is rare for small vehicles. This is likely because the Junior only has 18-inch alloy wheels with a decent amount of tyre sidewall, rather than the low-profile 20-inch units that are offered in the Veloce Elettrica overseas.

On the highway the Junior’s cabin is surprisingly quiet. You can’t hear the three-cylinder once you’ve reached your set speed and there’s also minimal wind/tyre noise.

Lastly, the safety systems do a good job at working but not being annoying. The worst culprit is the intelligent speed limit assist which chimes when you go over the signposted speed limit.

If it does grate you too much, you can easily switch it off in a dedicated advanced driver assist system (ADAS) menu that can be reached via a shortcut button near the hazard lights. It’s as easy as that.

As previously mentioned, the Musso EV we tested is a front-wheel drive. Its electric motor doesn’t have the highest outputs, although like all electric motors, peak torque comes on tap from a standstill.

In everyday traffic the acceleration is decent, yet does not stand out when unladen. Load the ute up with stuff in the tub or hook a trailer on the back and it might struggle. Thankfully if you’re after more oomph there’s the all-wheel drive.

There are two drive modes available – Eco and Sport. The former dramatically nerfs initial acceleration to make progression feel naturally tapered and to ensure there’s no front-wheel slip, but as a result it can feel a little sluggish. The latter however gives you everything and can create some light front-tyre spin if you’re too eager with the throttle.

You’re able to select from a number of different regenerative braking modes which feeds kinetic energy back into the battery pack. None of them offer a one-pedal driving mode, meaning you’ll still need to use the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

This mimics the braking experience of a hybrid vehicle, which likely feels more comfortable and natural for drivers of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Once you get your head around the hexagonal steering wheel, the steering feel itself is on the lighter side, but it still feels direct. As a result, it’s fun to chuck this ute around.

However, you can’t escape just how big this ute is, especially when parking and doing three-point turns. It measures almost 5.2m long, which is slightly shorter than a Ranger but still not compact.

Unlike many traditional dual-cab utes, this electric ute is based on a monocoque chassis, rather than a body-on-frame chassis. Additionally, the rear suspension is a multi-link set-up rather than a leaf spring set-up.

As a result, this makes the driving experience more like an SUV that prioritises passenger comfort than a ute that prioritises outright payload and towing capacity.

Around town the ride is supple but still has a firm edge, especially over the rear, even when unladen.

Smaller-than-average 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in chunky tyres with thick sidewalls smooth out some bigger bumps.

A nifty feature this ute has is self-leveling rear shock absorbers. It’s able to pump up the rear end when you’ve got a heavy load in the tub, or if you're towing a trailer, in order to create a flat ride height. This is great as you won’t be dazzling oncoming cars with your headlights.

From a noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) standpoint, this ute is largely quiet around town. Despite this, there’s an annoying pedestrian warning sound that plays under 33km/h and can intrude into the cabin.

At higher speeds there is a fair bit of road noise which is amplified by the lack of ambient engine noise. There can also be occasional wind noise buffeting from the bonnet flourishes.

The KGM Musso EV hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

As standard it receives eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera.

The safety systems all do a good job of staying out of the way when you’re driving, though the lane-keep assist can be a little too hands-on at points if the lane is narrow.

Like other Alfa Romeos, the Junior is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

There’s also five years of roadside assistance as standard. An additional 12 months of coverage can be added for the lifetime of the vehicle every time you service at an authorised Alfa Romeo dealer.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. The first five services are capped and total $3105.84, which averages out to around $620 each.

This seems pretty expensive for such a small car, but it's only a touch pricier than the Lexus LBX.

It’s clear maintaining this vehicle with its dual-clutch automatic transmission and mild-hybrid components is costly in the long run.

The Musso EV is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty as standard, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered by a 10-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

KGM is yet to confirm servicing intervals or pricing.

There are 66 KGM dealers and service centres around Australia. The majority are spread over the eastern seaboard, however, there is generous coverage in many regional areas.