The facelifted Alfa Romeo Tonale is a genuinely attractive crossover

“For Alfa Romeo, beauty is never an abstract concept; it is the result of the perfect balance between harmonious proportions, sculpted surfaces, muscular lines and technical functionality.”

Now, you’d be forgiven for thinking that was a line about its Giulia GTA or the 33 Stradale supercar, no? It isn’t. In fact, we’ve taken that quote straight from the press release announcing a facelift to the Tonale crossover. Never change, Alfa.

Thankfully, the Tonale does actually look rather good for a little crossover, and it has now been improved with a more aggressive lower air intake and a newly concave 'Scudetto' grille with horizontal bars running across its centre and extra little intakes inspired by the Giulia GTA and GTAm saloons. Nice.

Alfa says the proportions are now better balanced too thanks to a shorter front overhang and widened tracks front and back. There are fresh wheel designs that range from 17 to 20in, while the colour palette has been expanded to include Brera Red, Monza Green and Ocra.

The powertrains have changed slightly too, so in the UK your options are a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-pot sending 173bhp to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. That setup is connected to a 48V mild-hybrid system, but if you want more electricity there’s a plug-in hybrid version that uses a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor for all-wheel drive and 266bhp. That’s a reduction of 9bhp from before. Hmm. Still, Alfa says there’s a new ‘Hybrid Control Processor’ that makes for smoother transitions between electric and internal combustion drive.

Inside there’s a redesigned centre console with a new rotary drive selector (shame), but you still get lovely billet aluminium paddles behind the steering wheel and Alfa’s DNA drive mode dial. There’s also new trim for the seats, with a choice of red leather or a two-tone black and white Alcantara. New ambient lighting too, because that’s seemingly a non-negotiable for 2025 facelifts.

Trims now kick off with an entry level Tonale trim, which is followed by Ti and Veloce versions. Top spec is a fancy launch edition known as the Tonale Sport Speciale. That brings silver accents on the side skirts and rear bumper, black Brembo brake calipers, white Alfa Romeo lettering and fancy Alcantara inside.