Carros Magazine – Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce vs Honda Civi

It’s no secret that Alfa Romeo and Honda have an advantage over Thomas Bangma. He doesn’t understand why both brands sell so few cars here. But there is hope! Because the ‘hybrid’ is making a comeback after a period of infamy and Alfa and Honda are offering interesting enthusiast cars in this category, although one is more stylish than the other.

Tonale is the style of the two. And that sounds more logical than it is. Because the new Civic (after 50 years, Honda is now in its 11th generation!) Fortunately, in terms of style, it turned out to be more difficult / worse than its predecessor. The fast and furious style may have suited the three hundred hp Type-R, but for people who like to be taken seriously, that look was not an option.

The new Civic is only available with a hybrid powertrain and yet again (now for the last time) as the fiery Type-R. However, it is the Civic e-HEV, available for just under 40,000 euros, that we dare to include in the columns dedicated to ‘cars with character’ without hesitation. A smart business choice, you can use it anywhere.

Of course this is also possible with the Tonale, a modern SUV-like car that is loved by everyone. And that’s not so much in the basic shape (which SUV-like can be called good?), but in beautiful and tasteful details. You might see this Alfa as a more conventional Stelvio, but you’re still putting a mille or 30 in your pocket. Which, fortunately, has not yet led to a siege of traders.

‘Gentle Hybrid’

The Tonale’s price list starts where the Civic’s ends, ie 42 grand. Then you have a model of the 130-hp level with 17-inch wheels, which the free Italian importer (is that a pleonasm?) does not want to promote fully, but which, due to the lower fuel consumption compared to 18-inch wheels, is usually for the Super version. So that’s the implementation you need, when we all wonder if it can be less, if it’s necessary to spend more every year and therefore we must also get, so we must enjoy more a little time. And yes, some people seem to get completely zen in their electric car, sleeping rough in the right lane at 90 km / h, but as long as Germany depends on lignite for more than 10 percent of its electricity supply, hybrid and gasoline . a 40 to 50 liter tank can be that crazy.

Don’t worry; we newspaper makers are certainly not far away. We drove the 160 hp Tonale Veloce – while the 130 hp version is also sufficient for the Netherlands – with very large 20-inch wheels (optional), and the Civic version in Sport with tires in the (standard) size 235/ 40- 18. For use the lowest, of course you should choose the smallest tire size. But we are not ‘hypermilers’, we try to enjoy riding as much as we can. And as long as electricity in the world is still produced by fossil energy, it is only right to use it carefully for our car’s mobility. A bit like PHEVs (hybrids and plug-ins), which you can drive 50-100 kilometers on electricity. This Tonale can’t do that, because it’s a so-called ‘mini-hybrid’ with a 20 hp starter/generator that logically only has a backup function on the drive. In short, this results in less fuel consumption; you drive like one in 14 instead of one in 12 if you keep it ‘neat’.

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You can read the whole article and more photos in CARROS Magazine number 1/2023. Have you ever missed anything? Get a cheap additional annual subscription (8 editions) now.