Testing the new Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica

DW (English)

The new Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica, the Italian carmaker’s first fully electric car. This sporty SUV promises to impress with its style and handling. Does it live up to those promises? REV puts it to the test.

Transcript

00:00The first fully electric car from Alfa Romeo was supposed to be called the

00:04Milano, but because Alfa's parent company Stellantis assembles this SUV in Poland,

00:10the Italian government didn't want them to use that name. And so Alfa decided to

00:16avoid the fuss and change it to the Junior.

00:23This is the Alfa Romeo Junior, in our case the electric version of it. As you

00:29can see, the design is really cool. Of course it's an Italian car, but is it

00:34really? We're gonna find out today. The Junior nameplate was also used on Alfa

00:39Romeos in the 60s and 70s. This new Junior shares the same electric

00:44drivetrain as other Stellantis models like the Jeep Avenger, DS3 e-tense, Opel

00:50Mokka, Fiat 600e and the new Lancia Ypsilon. So when it comes to driving here

00:55in the Alfa Romeo Junior Electrica, I can tell you, yeah, it feels pretty solid. You

01:00can feel the steering, it gives you a lot of feedback, which is really nice. Of

01:04course the suspension isn't the softest, but it's typical for an Italian car or

01:09Italian brand like Alfa Romeo and I think it's enough for everyday drive.

01:14If you hit the accelerator, yeah, it punches you in the seat. We have got

01:20115 kilowatt hour of power here, which is equal to 156 horsepower and I think

01:27it's enough, as I told you, for everyday driving. The steering is pretty direct

01:31and I really like that fact that this car isn't that sporty or that

01:37comfortable. It's a good in-between. With those numbers, the Alfa Romeo Junior

01:43isn't exactly brimming with power, as is often the case with Italian vehicles. But

01:48thanks to the direct steering, it definitely has what Alfa calls a

01:52quod e sportivo, or sporty heart. And the new Junior Electrica also makes a real

01:59impression on the outside. So let's talk a little bit about the exterior design

02:06here of the Alfa Romeo Junior and I have to tell you, I really like it. You can see

02:11the Italian vibes coming from the color. I mean, you have some logos here with the

02:17and you can see the front. I think it really looks cool. It gives it a kind of

02:21a retro look to it. And here in the front, you can see the grille is a little bit

02:25special. It's called Progresso. Instead of that, you can also choose the Alfa Romeo

02:31logo if you want to. The only down point to this exterior design for me is the

02:36back because I don't really like this black lightning on the back. But I

02:42think it depends who wants to buy it. And even though it isn't ugly, so I could

02:47live with it all day. But I think that's the only down point when it comes to

02:51design for me. All in all, I have to say the design of the Alfa Romeo Junior is

02:55really, really Italian and it looks really, really good.

03:01All in all, the design is distinctly Alfa Romeo and its looks definitely set it

03:08apart from the competition.

03:12As for the interior of the Junior, it sports some details that are simply not

03:18available from other car makers. A really cool aspect in this Junior electric car

03:26are the seats. They are really, really, I would say, comfortable for everyday

03:30driving. You can go like 1,000 kilometers with it. But they are really also for

03:36sporty driving because you have a lot of, yeah, you can feel it in the corners.

03:41It gives you a really nice hug in there and you can feel the sporty DNA from the

03:48Italian brand Alfa Romeo in there.

03:51The top of the line Alfa Romeo Junior, the Veloce, even comes with a Torsen

03:56differential on the drive axle and a total of 207 kilowatts of power and 345

04:02Newton meters of torque. And it weighs just 1,590 kilograms, making it almost

04:09250 kilos lighter than the Volvo EX30.

04:15So, guys, let's talk a little bit about the interior design of the Alfa Romeo

04:20Junior electric. And I can tell you, it really looks as good in the inside as it

04:26looks from the outside. We have a digital driver's display, which is really clear.

04:31You can see every important information you need while driving. Then you have got

04:35an over 10-inch infotainment system, which really works pretty responsive.

04:41It's fast. It's easy to handle. And, of course, you have got navigation.

04:45You have got Apple CarPlay. You have got Android Auto. You have got everything

04:49you need. I really like that. Another fact I really like in the interior are these

04:55seats and this steering wheel because we have got Alcantara here on the steering

05:00wheel on the top and on the bottom. The rest is leather. We have got Alcantara

05:04right here on the dash for the passenger. We have got some hard plastic, of course,

05:12as well. It's here. But we are talking about a price of under 40,000 euros,

05:17so I can understand this. Yeah, for the climate control, we have got no touch

05:22buttons, what I really like because you can operate them while driving without

05:26getting distracted. It's really cool. And all in all, I think the interior design,

05:31yeah, it gives you a feeling of this Italian design culture, I would say.

05:38But, of course, you have got some points like, for example, here the gear selector

05:43in this automatic, of course. If you take a closer look at it, you can see it's from

05:49Stellantis, of course. You can see it in Opel. You can see it in Peugeot.

05:52You can see it in different cars in different variations. But I think they made

05:56it look pretty cool in here because of the start and stop engine button,

06:00which is right here on the top. Yeah, and all in all, I can tell you, you have

06:05everything you need and more in this car in the interior. So, the Italian aspect

06:10of design also works here on the inside, as I told you before, as on the outside.

06:16So, the interior is just as impressive as the exterior. Buyers can also choose a

06:22mild hybrid version of the Junior as well as the all-electric one. Prices for the

06:26hybrid start at 29,500 euros, while the basic electric version costs around

06:3210,000 more. And the top electric model will set you back over 48,000.

06:39So, what's my verdict for today with the Alfa Romeo Junior? I can tell you it's a

06:44great car. I really like the driving because you have a steering which is

06:48really direct. You can feel the bumps in the street, but it's also comfortable.

06:53So, yes, it has some DNA from Italy, but of course, it's not a fully Italian sports

06:59car. So, I think it's perfect for everyday driving.

07:03The Alfa Romeo Junior Electrica impresses with its striking design, lightweight,

07:08high efficiency of 15.1 kilowatts per 100 kilometers, and sporty handling. On the

07:14downside, the price of almost 50,000 euros for the top electric version, and despite

07:20its unique design, this Alfa has lost some of its Italian flair.

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