Alfa Romeo Tonale vs Toyota Kluger

What's the difference?

If you’re an ‘Alfa Romeo person’, or even just an ‘Italian car person’, you’ve got this on your short list and there’s little I can say that will change your mind. 

And you wouldn’t be making a bad decision if you did pick up a Tonale.

But if $80,000 sounds like a lot for a small SUV and you still want something that looks stylish and feels special, the mild-hybrid Tonale Veloce should do, if the likes of the X1, Q3, or XC40 don’t scratch that left-of-centre itch.

And a fun small SUV? A Mini Countryman JCW, Audi SQ2 or VW T-Roc R are all different sizes, but all more powerful than the Alfa and all fall below the $70,000 mark.

But, if you’re keen on that plug-in hybrid drivetrain and have a day-to-day lifestyle that’ll allow you to make the most of its electric range (and most major city-dwelling Australians do to some extent), then the outlay might just be worth it to be able to check out the Tonale in your garage or driveway every day.

The Toyota Kluger GXL Hybrid has been the ultimate SUV this week, as it fits my gear and family in comfort, the on-road handling is excellent and the fuel usage makes owning this long term actually feasible.

This is a great example of a mid-spec seven-seater that is both functional and comfortable. There’s lots to satisfy here and even though it hasn’t been updated, it may be a case of ‘if it aint broke, don’t fix it’.

If Alfa any traditionalists are hesitant to embrace the Tonale’s hybrid drivetrain, surely the Tonale’s styling has the opposite effect.

Small SUVs can fall victim to trying to look too much like a hatchback, or being plastered with lots of little trim details to break up large areas. The Tonale, on the other hand, looks like an SUV regardless of size, and its styling elements are decidedly restrained.

Most notably, at the front, Alfa Romeo has employed the ‘scudetto’ shield-shaped grille and horizontal lower grilles to form the ‘trefoil’, a face as familiar as BMW’s kidney grille or the Porsche 911’s round headlights.

The aforementioned ‘3+3’ headlights are sleek, and somewhat mirrored by similarly styled tail-lights that flank a light bar across the middle of the boot. Badging is minimal, the ‘Tonale’ on the rear in a cursive ‘Alfa’ typeface and the small ‘Veloce’ lettering found only on the front three-quarter panels.

The 20-inch wheels are so Alfa Romeo in their ‘teledial’ circular design, though all three wheel options for the Tonale fit into this theme. In a car park or on the driveway, they’re certainly eye-catching to those not expecting them - a friend said upon sight of this test car, "Look at the wheels. They’re silly! I love them!".

Inside, the cabin space isn’t too ‘busy’ with visual elements, though some of those that are there - the row of buttons for climate control or the multimedia screen, for example - are possibly a little too simple. The buttons could be from any old car, and the screen looks like a ‘tacked on’ rectangle.

Just about everything else looks suitably restrained but relatively elegant for a small SUV, though, with elements like the steering wheel remaining rather simple and (in modern terms) timeless. The paddles behind it are a bit of visual theatre, too.

Like the exterior, the interior adopts some circular cues like the air vents, door speakers, DNA drive mode dial, and even the cowl over the driver display. 

The second row is a little more spartan, with little in the way of visual ‘wow’ and a disappointingly basic vent (albeit adjustable in two different directions) and USB ports mounted in hard grey plastic.

For the most part, the interior looks quality, and with relatively minimal hard or scratchy plastic, feels it too.

The Kluger epitomes what a large SUV was originally meant to look like. A big body and with enough ground clearance to earn the tag, but the shape is all long lines and gently curving panelling and that makes it look sleek rather than rugged.

Make no mistake, the Kluger is large at 4966mm long, 1930mm wide and 1755mm tall. It's only only 24mm shorter in its length than its big 4WD Toyota Prado cousin. It's size and road presence assures you that it's capable, but it's not trying to convince you it's a 4WD.

Despite not seeing any design updates, the Kluger still feels relevant and more than holds its own when it comes to kerbside handsomeness.

On the inside, the black synthetic leather trims, softly padded touchpoints and interesting dashboard make the cabin both pleasant to look at and spend time in.

The 12.3-inch multimedia display looks lovely with its clear graphics, but it’s still nice to see some traditional elements - like the gear selector, analogue instrument cluster (with a 7.0-inch digital display) and lots of buttons and dials to play with.

Interestingly, there isn’t a traditional transmission tunnel, which means you get a practical flat floor in the middle row and, thus, more legroom for middle seaters. 

It's a forgiving cabin that lots of different drivers will find something to like in.

Inside, the Tonale feels relatively spacious for a small SUV, with possibly more places to put things than you might expect from a traditionally enthusiast-focused brand. 

In both front and rear seats, no part of the body or console impedes on passenger space - though the door armrests feel like they're a little far to comfortably rest an elbow on - and nothing gets in the way when reaching controls or the centre console.

Ergonomically, everything falls well to hand and no far reaches are really required, though the cupholders in the centre are a little narrow for some relatively normal-sized cups or bottles, and have rubber grips inside that require a little extra pull to retrieve items from.

Other options for bottles include the door pockets, or for a small bottle even the centre console bin is quite deep (albeit narrow).

Smartphones, even fairly tall ones, will rest securely in the angled - a nice touch - wireless charging bay, though while having the phone in a position it won’t slide out from is a plus, angling a phone screen to be visible to the driver might be too tempting for some. It is, mercifully, a little obscured by the gear shifter.

On controls, the steering-wheel design hasn’t changed for more than half a decade which, honestly, is so, so fine. Really, Alfa’s steering wheel has few buttons including the engine start, a relatively timeless (read: simple) visual style, and a thin rim with moulded thumb rests that encourage 9-and-3 hand positions.

The buttons on the wheel are easy, clear, and feel nice, and controlling the driver display is relatively easy as there aren’t really sub-menus to get lost in.

The main multimedia screen is also relatively well laid out, marking a nice step up from previous Uconnect systems (Jeep and Fiat owners will also know), though the connectivity with wireless phone mirroring, Android Auto in my case, was a little laggy and dropped out occasionally, seemingly in the same spot on the same Melbourne CBD street during my commute each morning.

The downsides are relatively few on the practicality front, but there is another: the boot space in the hybrid suffers due to the battery space needed, so 500 litres for the non-plug-in Tonale variants is down to 385 litres for the PHEV.

That’s still less than an electric Volvo XC40 Recharge (claimed to be 418L), though fortunately it grows to a spacious 1430 with the seats folded down, and is accessible via an automatic electrically opening boot door.

Another important point, while we’re in the boot, is the lack of spare tyre. Instead, a repair kit is provided - something those who enjoy a road trip might lament.

The Kluger is both practical and comfortable for passengers as each row gets a great amount of head- and legroom – yes, even third-rowers, but the low level of amenities in that row will render it a 'sometimes seat' for adults or older kids.

The 208mm ground clearance, wide door apertures and low-sitting seats makes it a very easy SUV to get in and out of, even for kids. The access to the third row is also good as the 60/40 split middle bench seat can be slid forward.

The electric front seats offer lots of adjustments, including lumbar support on the drivers side, but both seats get heating. They’re also well-padded and quite comfortable on a longer journey.

The outboard seats on the middle row offer the most comfort as they have longer under-thigh support, but the entire row benefits from heavy padding and the seat backs can recline.

The third row offers a curious 60/40 split and is wide enough for two adults to not be squished like sardines.

Although the Kluger is a seven-seater, families will be bummed that there are no child seat anchor points in the third row. But the middle row has two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points. It is more than wide enough to accommodate three seats side by side and you’ll have enough room for the front passenger when a rearward facing child seat is installed, too.

Individual storage is above average for the class, but the front row gets the best of it. There are two handy shelves built-into the dash, a glove box, a deep middle console (that swallows my arm) and cubbies in the centre console that include a phone cradle and two cupholders. There's also a sunglasses holder and little cubby beside the driver's knee.

In the middle row, you get two map pockets, two cupholders in a fold down armrest, and a drink holder in each door. While the third row gets a couple of cupholders.

Amenities are well-rounded for the most part, with the three-zone climate control and well-positioned directional air vents in the roof for the back two rows. Middle-rowers also get reading lights and two USB-C ports.

Technology is easy to use and looks great as the 12.3-inch display uses the same multimedia system as Lexus. The built-in satellite navigation is simple to set up and shows clear directions with lots of route customisations available.

There is wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, but you do have to initially connect the CarPlay via a cable.

Rounding out the cabin is the great-size boot that offers 241L with all seats in use, but that can jump up to 552L when the third row is stored.

The level loading space makes it easy to slide larger items in and out of, and there’s a handy underfloor storage compartments for smaller items. You get a full-size spare tyre underneath the car and a powered tailgate in this model.

You have to love a simple three-grade line up with variant names that aren't hard to say! The Kluger starts with the base GX, mid-spec GXL and then the flagship Grande model.

All Kluger models share the same all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain, and our test model is the mid-spec GXL, which is priced from $70,440 before on-road costs.

Its price positions it in the middle of its seven-seat hybrid rivals; the Hyundai Santa Fe Elite ($65,000 MSRP) and the Kia Sorento GT-Line AWD ($73,330 MSRP), but it should be noted that the Sorento hybrid is only offered in one high-spec grade level and the Kluger can’t always match the Sorento’s plush features.

The GXL is still fairly well-specified and includes eight-way powered front seats with heating, adjustable lumbar support (driver's seat), black synthetic leather upholstery, a powered tailgate, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing LED headlights, keyless entry/start and a full-sized spare tyre.

There is also 12 months of complimentary access to Toyota Connected Services, which allows you remote access, via the myToyota Connect app, to safety and security features, multimedia connect and driving insights.

The other technology is well showcased in the 12.3-inch multimedia display that has touchscreen functionality, in-built satellite navigation, wired Android Auto, wireless Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth and digital radio. You also get a single USB-A port, three USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets and three-zone climate control.

Engaging driving is key to an Alfa Romeo justifying being somewhat on the pricier end of the cost spectrum, so numbers like ‘208kW’ for a total system output in a small SUV are welcome to see on paper.

The Tonale’s 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine alone makes 132kW and 270Nm, aided by an electric system outputting 90kW and 250Nm. The 208kW is its total useable peak, with Alfa not stating a peak torque figure, but a 0-100km/h claim comes in at a fairly impressive 6.2 seconds.

That’s helped by the Tonale’s all-wheel-drive nature, the front wheels driven by the engine via a six-speed torque converter automatic, and electricity powering the rears.

All Kluger grades are all-wheel-drives with a smooth continuously variable transmission. They share the same 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that produces up to 184kW of power. Toyota does not quote a combined torque output.

At first look, these outputs may look underwhelming, but the on-road experience has shown that it’s more than enough to move the Klugers big body around without it feeling underpowered.

The Kluger has a braked towing capacity of up to 2000kg, which means you can hook up most of your weekend adventure toys!

A 42.5-litre petrol tank and a 15.5kWh lithium-ion battery combine to provide an electric driving range of 60.5km that’s backed up by the ability to charge or save power for when it’s needed by letting the internal-combustion engine (ICE) kick in.

And while this has the potential to mean essentially no fuel is used in short-run, day-to-day driving, anything resembling a longer trip means you’re unlikely to reach the kind of efficiency figures Alfa Romeo claims.

The official combined fuel consumption figure for the Tonale PHEV is 1.5L/100km, though achieving this would require stopping and recharging the battery every 100km of driving, and the driving would need to be in perfect conditions for battery range - i.e. relatively low speeds.

The Tonale PHEV is efficient, yes, but it’s not ‘1.5L/100km efficient’ in the real world if you need to take a drive longer than a standard work day with maybe an errand or two.

After 23 kilometres of real-world driving, the indicated battery range dropped from 65km (odd given Alfa’s spec sheet provided claims a 60.5km range) to 30km, an indicated drop of 35km.

A 12 km discrepancy between over just 23km of standard driving isn’t ideal, though the trip included some highway driving - not an electric drivetrain’s best stage.

Alfa Romeo says a household-style 3.0kW charger should fill the battery from empty in 5.5 hours, while a ‘fast’ charger at 7.4kW should take 2.5 hours via the Type 2 charging port.

The Kluger may be massive but it has an excellent combined fuel cycle usage of just 5.6L/100km because of its hybrid powertrain.

Combined with its large 65L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 1160km, which is really good for a family SUV and rivals diesel models of the same size.

I’ve been super pleased with the fuel usage of our test model because despite doing quite a few long distance trips, which is where hybrids are usually the most inefficient, I’ve managed a real world usage of only 5.8L/100km! That is a great result.

The Kluger only accepts a minimum 95RON unleaded premium petrol.

This might be the make-or-break topic for a select few Alfa Romeo customers - is the Tonale fun to drive?

Yes, thankfully.

Where the mild-hybrid was sometimes criticised for being slightly underwhelming for a car wearing the snake-adorned badge from Milan, the extra power, all-wheel-drive grip and electric torque delivery make the Tonale feel spirited enough for a sporty-leaning small SUV.

The DNA dial really does come into play plenty, too. 

D, for dynamic, is pretty much reserved for when you’re actually ‘driving’ the Tonale - its stiffened suspension and relatively greedy power draw isn’t for low-speed commuting or daily efficiency.

N, or natural, is best for most long-ish commuting or trip situations, particularly highway driving where relying fully on the battery range isn’t ideal, as mentioned.

A, for advanced efficiency, is the ‘EV mode’ and best suits anyone whose daily commute takes them between urban or suburban areas which can be done under EV driving, though it can be used up to 206km/h.

If you don’t mind the petrol engine kicking in on occasion, leaving ‘natural’ to its own devices will result in some relatively frugal driving - a week of testing, commuting, filming and enjoying the Tonale used less than a tank of fuel, including one round trip of more than 140km.

Commuting in the Tonale proved comfortable enough - the steering is light and the dual-stage valve suspension in its softer mode combined with the electric drivetrain resulted in a calm and controlled feeling.

Its suspension soaks up bumps well, though a consistently uneven road surface can feel a little jittery (though not harsh or crashy) after a while.

Getting more dynamic (yes, the D on the dial), however, brought out some interesting characteristics of the Tonale. That light steering is paired with a quick rack (a 14.8:1 ratio, or two-and-a-half turns lock to lock), meaning the Tonale is easy to turn in hard, and a 53F/47R weight distribution provides enough balance (paired with a low centre of gravity thanks to the battery) to keep on top of the small SUVs movements.

All four wheels being driven under its ‘dynamic’ hybrid mode means grip and acceleration in cornering is plenty useful, though braking coming into the corners via the Tonale’s ‘brake by wire’ system could be a little more feelsome.

The gearbox is very eager under acceleration, too much so for commuting, but if it doesn’t suit your needs even for spirited driving then the manual mode is there.

It’s worth noting that those huge brushed alloy shift paddles come into play here, though being attached to the column steering rather than the wheel presents a key ‘pro’ and ‘con’ each: the paddles are always in the same place, just not always in relation to your hands.

The engine can sound like it’s under pressure, but that doesn’t translate to underwhelming power delivery. The GXL has enough grunt to make it a comfortable open-roader that’s confident on hills and overtaking.

The steering is light for such a big SUV, but with its 11.4m turning circle, it’s every parents dream when doing the school run or navigating small lanes or parks for after-school activities. It’s almost stupidly easy to drive and feels much smaller than what it is, even in the city.

Visibility is mostly good because of the large windows, but the B-pillar is larger than I’d like and I found myself checking my blind spots carefully. 

The ride comfort is really good and suspension is forgiving on the worst of the bumps without feeling like it floats on the road. Road noise is low, even at higher speeds, but occasionally you get a weird wind whistle through the air vents. 

Even those usually put off by a large SUV, should find this comfortable to get around in. Parking it is the only time you really notice its bulk. While the reversing camera is great quality, a 360-degree view system would have been much better.

The Toyota Kluger has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2021 and scored highly across its individual assessment scores. However, it only features seven airbags, which is a bit low for a car of this size, but the curtain airbags extend to the third row, which is good. 

The Kluger has lots of safety equipment, including daytime running lights, hill-start assist, seatbelt warning (all seats), lane departure alert, lane-keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, a reversing camera (with guidelines) and front and rear parking sensors.

The Kluger does miss out on family friendly safety items, like child-presence alert and side exit assist. The adaptive cruise control isn’t as well tuned as I’d like as it doesn't hold it's speed all that well, slows down too soon behind a vehicle, and sometimes can be sluggish to return to a normal speed once a vehicle has left its 'radar'.

The GXL has AEB with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction turning assist and is operational from 10-80km/h (up to 180km/h for car), but it is usual to see that starting point sit closer to 5.0km/h.

Alfa Romeo has a relatively industry standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for its models, and the Tonale falls under this, with five years of free roadside assistance thrown in, too.

Being a plug-in hybrid, the battery does have its own specific warranty, that being eight years or 160,000km, whichever comes first.

The first five services are priced at a maximum on Alfa Romeo’s website, listed at a top of $500 for the first (15,000km/12 months), $600 for the second (30,000km or 24 months, as the intervals go), while the third is $500, the fourth a whopping $1000 max, and the final capped price back to $500.

The Kluger is offered with Toyota’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, but that can be extended to seven years if you service on time and with a Toyota service centre, which makes it competitive against some rivals.

There’s a five-year capped-price servicing program available, with services costing just $285, which is cheap for the class. Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.