New Alfa Romeo Tonale vs Range Rover Evoque: interiors
On paper, Alfa Romeo's new hybrid family SUV ticks all the right boxes. But now we've pitted it against one of the best of the breed to see how it stacks up in reality...
Behind the wheel
Driving position, visibility, build quality
Fans of the imperious driving position that SUVs often bring will prefer the Range Rover Evoque’s elevated perch. It also benefits from labour-saving 12-way electric adjustment, as opposed to the Alfa Romeo Tonale’s six-way manual seats. That said, the Tonale’s driver’s seat offers more support in corners, thanks to its chunkier side bolsters. As in the Evoque, it also offers electric lumbar support adjustment to help stave off aches on longer trips.
The Tonale is harder to see out of at junctions; not only are its windscreen pillars even chunkier than the Evoque’s, but because you sit lower in the car, it’s also harder to judge where the bonnet ends. If you’re a nervous parker, the £1250 Autonomous Driving Pack is worth considering; it adds front parking sensors (rear ones are standard), a 360deg camera and blindspot monitors. The Evoque comes with front and rear sensors and a rear-view camera (the latter being standard on the Tonale too).
The Evoque’s seriously plush interior feels more convincingly premium than the Tonale’s. The car in our photos is a higher-spec R-Dynamic HSE, with a suede and textile interior, but the R-Dynamic S still gets leather seats and lots of soft materials on its dashboard. The Tonale’s dash is also soft to the touch, and the long, tactile aluminium gearshift paddles behind its steering wheel add a nice sporting touch, but the materials look and feel less appealing overall, and you quickly find harder, shinier plastics in the lower regions of the front, and even more so in the rear seat area.
Both cars have physical controls for adjusting the air temperature inside the car and the heated seats, but the Evoque’s large dials are more intuitive to use on the move than the Tonale’s buttons.
Infotainment systems
Alfa Romeo Tonale
Its graphics are sharp, but the Tonale’s 10.3in touchscreen is let down by being set up for left-hand drive; all the shortcuts are a stretch to reach on the far left of the screen. The menu layout is rather confusing and tricky to navigate, with many sub-menu items placed on a scrolling list that’s hard to use on the move. Our test car’s system was buggy, too; at times it wouldn’t sync with the same phone that worked flawlessly in the Evoque.
Range Rover Evoque
The Evoque’s standard 10.0in touchscreen has sharp graphics and responds swiftly to commands. Its menus are easier to navigate than the Tonale’s, too, thanks to some larger icons and the fact that frequently used shortcuts are positioned correctly for right-hand drive. The screen is recessed into the dashboard at a fixed angle, whereas R-Dynamic HSE trim (pictured) brings a display that pivots out electrically to be easier to reach.
