Say hi to Alfa Romeo’s new compact SUV

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is a great sports sedan that managed to break down under journalist drivers one time too many (although I must say that my test car and its Ferrari-sourced twin-turbo V-6 worked flawlessly, even in the wet). Yet no matter how enjoyable Alfa’s sedans may be to drive, they are far from being cash cows for the company. The same can be said about the Stelvio SUVs, which also offer superior handling and looks compared to most of their competitors, but can’t seem to attract enough of the luxury market’s rather conservative buyers.

Enter Alfa Romeo’s solution, the compact Tonale SUV.

Previewed as a concept at Geneva this year, it seems that Alfa held an internal comparison test with the production version parked next to most of its rivals, from which event the following images were leaked. Unsurprisingly, the Tonale will have to pick up the gloves against other premium compact SUVs like the BMW X2, Audi Q3, and the Range Rover Evoque.

Compared to the concept, the Tonale gets bigger light units front and rear, as well as more robust bumpers. However, Alfa’s unusual integrated exhaust apparently made it into the final cut. Now, the only question on Alfa Romeo’s mind must be: What do you think?