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.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
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.