Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV: pictures leaked

We knew the new Alfa Romeo Tonale was going to be a bit of a looker. The prototype that Alfa quietly shuffled into the Geneva show this year arrived with zero fanfare and plenty of people missed it. That’s a shame, because it was one of the better-resolved pieces of design on display at Palexpo.

But, as we know, Alfa Romeo doesn’t have an unblemished track record of translating show stunners into production form. The Brera was a beetle-winged V8; a low and lithe stunner on the turntable and then turned into a bit of a lumpen clod for production.

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In recent years, the Italians have brought us the 4C, Giulia and Stelvio, all models that have translated well from concept to production reality. To that, we can add the Tonale, if leaked photos out of Italy are anything to go by. The lights and big wheels are obviously toned down for production, as are the glitzy doorhandles of the show car, but the proportioning is nigh on identical.

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Named after the Passo Tonale in the Italian Alps, the Tonale will line up against rivals such as the BMW X1/X2, Audi Q3, and Volvo XC40. Alfa Romeo is set to offer the compact SUV with a hybrid powertrain, but most will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four, with the option of all-wheel drive.

Pictures of the car popped up on an Italian forum, Autopareri.com, and were then quickly removed, but by then it was too late. The cat was out of the bag. Allcarnews also posted an image that it claims is the production Tonale’s cabin to its Instagram account.

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So what do you think? Would the Tonale merit a place on your shortlist? It’s not due here before 2021, so you may well have time for it to become a little more familiar.