Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida - long-term review

The little Junior has slipped seamlessly into daily life in the TG Garage. Other than a drive system warning the very first time I switched the engine on (which was fixed using the classic IT department off-and-on-again solution), the Alfa has been good as gold.

So, what’s this relatively strong-selling crossover like to live with? Well, in daily driving the Junior is rather pleasant. The steering is light, the little three-cylinder engine seems keen and, while the suspension is a little on the firm side, there’s a decent amount of tyre sidewall atop the 18in wheels to help soak up the worst of Britain’s roads.

Living in London I do a fair bit of my driving in the city, and despite this being a 48-volt hybrid system with a teeny 0.9kWh battery, the Junior does run on electricity alone more often than you might think. With its dinky 28bhp electric motor integrated into the gearbox, it often foregoes its engine entirely, and when you do ask for a bit more poke the handover between the two power sources is smooth.

Shame the same can’t really be said for that six-speed auto ‘box when left to its own devices. It always favours higher gears and can be reluctant to kick down. Still, I’m now averaging a respectable 47mpg.

Longer motorway runs have proven the Junior is relatively refined at speed, with the cabin well insulated from road and wind noise. Some of the warning bongs can be quite dramatic, but you can easily switch off the infuriating speed limit warning, the over-eager lane assist and the driver attention warning by setting them up as favourites and then hitting the physical shortcut button in the centre of the dash. That’s the shared Stellantis button with the generic car silhouette, by the way. Surely Alfa could have stuck an 8C or even a Brera on there for us?

Still, at least the Junior still gets proper buttons for its climate control too. Those have been most welcome in recent heatwaves, and in the front the amount of Alcantara in this Sport Speciale trim does elevate the Junior above its Stellantis siblings. At 415 litres the boot is a useful size too, although space in the rear seats is a little tight.

Next month, a proper ding dong with another crossover that claims to be sporty. Will that old Alfa DNA shine through despite the Junior’s shared underpinnings?