Alfa Romeo Tonale vs Skoda Karoq

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.

Typically appealing to those seeking quality engineering and tech without feeling the need to make a boastful badge statement, Skoda is a low-key, ultra-confident brand.

On sale here since 2018, the Skoda Karoq is a comparatively small fish in one of the most hotly contested segments in the Australian new-car market, namely medium SUVs, the leading trio consisting of the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail and Mitsubishi Outlander.

To increase its appeal against these and other high-profile contenders Skoda Australia has introduced a new entry-level Karoq designed to hit the Goldilocks zone between attractive standard specification and sharp pricing. CarsGuide was invited to its local launch.