Alfa Romeo says it’ll build a hot Quadrifoglio version of its new Tonale if there’s demand.
“Quadrifoglio is not the vocation of Tonale, for the moment,” Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato told Auto Express, though he noted its chassis could “cope easily with 300bhp [224kW] or more”.
“If we have a good response from the public, and expectations, then I will work on other possible development, but it is not a priority.
“I will put the energy on the development of Quadrifoglio on probably the other launches – except if I have tons of customers asking for something special on Tonale. If that happens, then we will see.”
Alfa Romeo currently sells Quadrifoglio versions of the Giulia and Stelvio, packing a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine producing 375kW of power and 600Nm of torque.
The highest-output powertrain in the Tonale range is the flagship plug-in hybrid, which mates a turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels, an electric motor driving the rear wheels, and a 15.5kWh battery pack.
System output is a claimed 205kW and electric range is a claimed 60km on the combined cycle. The 0-100km/h claim is 6.2 seconds, and this powertrain is expected to be shared with the closely-related Dodge Hornet.
The Tonale PHEV isn’t coming here at launch, and neither is the all-wheel drive 191kW/400Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder that’s only available with left-hand drive.
Instead, Australians will only be able to buy the Tonale with a new turbocharged 1.5-litre Miller Cycle petrol engine backed by a 48V belt-driven starter/generator and motor capable of contributing 15kW and 55Nm.
It’s front-wheel drive only, and is mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Total power is quoted as 120kW, and it’ll arrive here in the first half of 2023.
Rather than using a Stellantis EMP group platform, the Tonale rides on a still-active Fiat Chrysler C-SUV platform – believed to be shared with the Jeep Compass, but with suspension and steering better suited to sporty driving than soft-roading, and a completely new electrical architecture.
Alfa Romeo claims the Tonale has the most direct steering ratio in the class, comes with Brembo braking, available multi-stage dampers, targeted automatic wheel braking in corners, and MacPherson strut suspension front and rear.
Imparato has confirmed the Quadrifoglio badge will be used on upcoming electric vehicles for the Alfa Romeo brand.
“Quadrifoglio is the little baby you protect, because you cannot afford to betray the DNA,” he said.
“It’s a kind of umbrella on top of models, but with the highest level of performance – I mean 0-62mph in two to three seconds, less than 20 minutes for a full charge, the right level of range, handling and so forth.
“It will be pricey, but I will have all of the power I need to feed this proposal coming from Stellantis.”
Alfa Romeo will use both the STLA Medium and STLA Large architectures for its upcoming models, and will sell only electric vehicles after 2027.
The latter will be used by its mid-sized vehicles, including the replacements for the current Giulia and Stelvio.
Vehicles on the STLA Large architecture will offer 400V or 800V technology and batteries measuring 101-118kWh.
They’ll offer up to 800km of range, and feature both single- and dual-motor electric powertrains with electric motors producing between 150kW and 330kW.
That opens the door to a hot dual-motor 660kW powertrain for models like Dodge’s upcoming e-muscle car and a Giulia/Stelvio Quadrifoglio replacement.
