First drive Positive
Stylish design, responsive handling, good seats
Negative
Touchscreen placement niggles, some may fi nd rear legroom tight
Alfa Romeo Junior
Alfa’s first EV looks to live up to its maker’s reputation amid platform-sharing constraints.
Sean Keywood
The nature of Alfa Romeo’s first-ever EV probably won’t come as much of a surprise, given the brand’s status as part of the Stellantis group. Yes, it’s a 156hp B-segment SUV, joining the massed ranks of the DS 3, Fiat 600, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot E-2008, and Vauxhall Mokka. So, what can the Junior (a name adopted following an Italian political row over the original Milano moniker) do to stand out from its many cousins? The cliched expectation for an Alfa might be that it would do that with style and design flair – and in this case, the stereotype has proven to be accurate, since we’d argue that the Junior is easily the best looking of the Stellantis B-SUVs. In particular, we’re fans of the ‘front grille’ (redundant for cooling with EVs of course) being taken up by a large-scale reproduction of the Alfa Romeo emblem (an echo of which also appears on the C-pillars). The aesthetic treats continue inside, with a stylish cabin, that despite featuring some hard plastics, with the mid-range Speciale equipment grade tested here also has some nice
Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica 156 Speciale
P11D £35,640 On Sale Now Residual value: 41.8% Depreciation: £20,708 Fuel: £2,789 Service, maintenance and repair: TBC Cost per mile: TBC Range: 255 miles CO2 (BiK%): 0g/km (2%) BIK 20/40% a month: £12/£24 Luggage capacity: 400 litres Engine size/power: 54kWh/156hp
soft-touch materials in places such as above the glovebox and around the centre console. Sporty seats also look good, as well as impressing with their level of comfort and supportiveness. Unusually, the infotainment touchscreen is mounted below a row of air conditioning vents, and is, therefore, lower down on the dashboard than is usual in most cars. This takes it further from the driver’s eyeline, and its long thin shape results in some on-screen icons being a bit small and tricky to hit on the move.
44 | November/December 2024 |
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Although separate ventilation controls are welcome, on our test drive in gloomy conditions we found it a bit tricky to read the labels, with the controls in shadow due to being overhung by the touchscreen. Rear legroom is Okay, although it might be a bit tight behind a tall driver, while headroom is good, but rear passengers may be disappointed by a lack of air vents back there. A 400-litre boot is pretty good for the segment. As well as style, you might also expect an Alfa Romeo to differentiate itself by offering a sporty drive. On the road, the Junior Speciale lives up to this by
Standard equipment: LED headlights and tail lights, 18in alloy wheels, rain sensing wipers, 10.25in driver display, 10.25in infotainment screen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, keyless go, heat pump, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, automatic emergency braking.
Engine: Electric: 156hp, 280hp
Equipment grades: Core, Speciale, Veloce
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
feeling taut and responsive in corners, albeit with a tendency to understeer when throttle is applied (though we should note our test was conducted in damp conditions). The sportier Veloce version benefits from further dynamic upgrades such as lower suspension and the fitting of a limited-slip differential. We only got to try the Veloce for a few laps around a kart circuit, making it difficult to reach too many conclusions, but in this restricted environment these tweaks did seem effective.
As for ride quality, with Speciale spec, we found this to maybe tend a little towards the firm, but not uncomfortably so, in line with Alfa’s sporty image. In fact, the suspension takes the edge off potholes quite well.
The Speciale grade, as well as the entry-level core variant, comes with the aforementioned 156hp, which as we’ve experienced in other Stellantis models is absolutely adequate for normal driving. The Veloce gets 280hp (along with a range reduction of around 35 miles), while a hybrid version of the Junior is also set to arrive in mid-2025. Sticking with the version tested here, the Junior looks like decent value compared with its Stellantis cousins, given the relatively premium positioning of the brand, and also compares reasonably with external rivals such as the Volvo EX30 and Smart #1. This, combined with the looks and driving experience, should help the Junior to find its niche among the myriad alternatives.
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