What's the difference?
Alfa Romeo’s Tonale has been a success for the company globally, but you wouldn’t know it in Australia.
Alfa, along with brands like Fiat, Peugeot, Renault and even Skoda are scrabbling for traction in our oversaturated market, absolutely heaving with mainstream mid-size SUVs and cheap competition.
Euro alternatives are on the back foot and the Tonale looks like it’s on the precipice of extinction, registering just 50 units in the sales data this year.
That hasn’t stopped Alfa from introducing this new updated model with a raft of improvements it says will help boost its chances.
Is it worth a second look? Let’s find out.
Jeep Australia's first plug-in hybrid, the Grand Cherokee 4xe, has arrived at a time when the company’s sales figures need a decent shot in the arm.
Though it’s seemingly spearheading a large and extra-large SUV hybrid push into the Aussie market, with the likes of a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series hybrid on its way, the marque’s debut PHEV is only available here in the range-topping Summit Reserve spec, and only as a five-seater.
So, does the 4xe have enough of a jump on any large SUV hybrid rivals – including a rumoured but postponed Ford Everest hybrid – and is it enough to give the brand a much-needed boost?
Read on.
Stuck between efficiency and performance, the Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce Ibrida can’t really decide what kind of car it wants to be.
Fun, but not fun enough. Efficient, but not truly frugal. Pragmatically sized, but not super practical. Improved on inclusions, but not on price point.
The one area this car truly excels at is looking really good no matter what it’s doing. I’m not sure that’s enough to increase its appeal in what has become the most competitive new car market in the world.
A wise man* once said "Being first can sometimes feel like being wrong" and perhaps that's how it is with the 4xe, but at least Jeep Australia is giving the large SUV hybrid realm a good ol' try.
* Former CarsGuide Big Kohuna, Glen Knowles.
The company's first plug-in hybrid, the Grand Cherokee 4xe, is not perfect by anyone's standards, however, it is a definite move in the right direction.
It's a quiet and refined drive, it retains the brand's renowned 4WD capability, and even its hefty price-tag likely won't dissuade Jeep loyalists from giving it a go.