Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida - long-term review

If you’re up to speed on your small Stellantis crossovers, you’ll be well aware that – much like the Vauxhall Mokka, Peugeot 2008, Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600, Citroen C4 and DS 3 – the Alfa Romeo Junior is available in both petrol-hybrid and all-electric forms.

So, which should you buy? Well, recently I swapped our Ibrida for an Elettrica for a week to see how the other half lives. Although perhaps this wasn’t strictly a fair fight, because while our hybrid looks resplendent in Sport Speciale trim, the EV arrived in top spec Veloce form, which gives the little Alfa the bite to match its Bolognese bark. That’s the exceptionally cute Bichon type dog by the way, not the pasta dish.

The Elettrica Veloce is a 276bhp hot hatch with a Torsen limited-slip diff on its front axle, a wider track, stiffer suspension, larger front brakes and proper Sabelt seats. I actually felt it was a little too firm for our pockmarked Brit backroads (not helped by those lovely 20in wheels), but the big bucket seats up front are exceptionally comfortable, and the front diff helps it carry serious speed through twisty sections.

Unlike the rather languid hybrid, the EV is genuinely good fun to drive, although the 199 miles of WLTP range is a real mood-killer. Real-world you’re looking at around 150 miles. Of course, it’s not like I’ve been getting anywhere near the Ibrida’s claimed 57.6mpg figure, but I don’t have any off-street parking or home charging, so it is still much quicker and easier to refuel with petrol.

It’s the softer, simpler hybrid that suits my needs better at this point in time then, but we’re glad that Alfa offers the choice. Worth noting that the Ibrida should also better suit your bank balance, because the all-electric Veloce starts at £42,300, and you’d still have to pay an extra £1,200 to get the lovely Brera Red paint of our hybrid.