Our long-term Alfa Romeo Tonale recently had a service and I’m hoping it’ll have ironed out a few of the initial problems we’ve noticed since taking delivery of the car. 

The main issue has been a plethora of warning lights showing on the instrument panel. Often, an instruction would flash that the windscreen needed to be cleaned for the camera to work, but the glass wasn’t in the slightest bit dirty.  

Another was ‘camera blinded’ in bright sunshine and a similar ‘camera disabled’ message would also show when it was raining. 

This meant that many of the Alfa's standard-fit safety systems were not working. These include lane departure warning and lane keep assist, as well as autonomous emergency braking.

The positives of this car are many – it looks great and continues to turn heads. Alfa swapped it for a similar model while our long-termer had its service – it was a lovely red and also received a lot of attention.  

The interior has a premium feel with all switches and dials well-built and sturdy. The cabin is comfortable with ample storage space and everything is within easy reach.  

Being a plug-in hybrid I’m able to cruise around town on electric and then use petrol power without the need for charging stops on longer journeys. Early days, but according to the car’s computer I’m averaging over 50mpg.  

The official electric range for our test car is 40 miles, but I’ve yet to achieve it in real-world conditions. Conveniently, the car offers an e-save button which means it doesn’t waste charge as I cruise at 70mph on a major A-road on my way home after charging at work. 

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Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV joins our fleet

‘Pump 7, please’, I told the petrol station cashier. ‘The green car?’ she asked looking over at our latest long-term test vehicle. ‘I love it!’ 

Whether she was struck by the striking colour of the Alfa Romero Tonale (ours is Montreal Green) or by its classy Italian-style looks with its eye-catching 19-inch alloy wheels, I didn’t ask, but she’s not the only person to have given it some serious attention. 

It’s parked outside my study window when I’m homeworking and I’ve seen a handful of people pause as they walk past to have a good look. 

The Tonale is Alfa's first electirifed model, offered with a mild-hybrid or a plug-in hybrid engine. We've opted for the latter, which pairs a 1.3-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and a 15.5kWh battery pack. The official electric range for our test car is 40 miles, placing it in the 8% benefit-in-kind tax band.

But at £51,000+ with options, whether I would recommend it is as an ideal company car, is a tad early to say, as there are some electronic niggles that I’ll be keeping our eye on. 

First, about the car. As you’ll have gathered, it turns heads – not just for its looks either. The petrol engine is quite noisy at low speed even with a light foot on the accelerator. It seems to struggle to find the correct gear when setting off but I’m trying different driving styles and modes to see if I can correct this. 

While the powertrain lacks refinement, it's certainly not sluggish. Power output is rated at 280PS, making this plug-in model the most potent available.

The colour is subjective but it’s representative of the car and how people perceive it. I love it, my partner doesn’t. But there’s no denying it stands out from the crowd. Other choices include Misano Blue and Alfa Red. 

Options fitted to our Veloce grade test car are ‘techno pack’ at £1,700, which includes autonomous driving with navigation, powered liftgate, front parking sensor, parking assist and 360-degree camera, plus £1,500 for the striking colour scheme. 

Standard equipment includes 19” diamond cut alloy wheels, Apple car play/Android auto, wireless charging pad, dual zone air conditioning, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist and much more which we’ll be getting grips with over the coming weeks.