Overview
ALFA ROMEO recently launched its Junior compact SUV into the local market, the model available from $46,990 plus on-road costs.
Rivalling the likes of the Jeep Avenger (with which is shares a platform), Nissan Juke, and Volkswagen T-Cross, the Alfa Romeo Junior is offered in Ibrida (hybrid) and Elettrica (electric) formats, each featuring an “emotional” design Alfa Romeo says reinterprets its typical stylistic features.
Measuring in at 4170mm in length, 1780mm in width, 1500mm in height, and with a kerb weight of 1545kg, the Alfa Romeo Junior combines several features linking to classic Alfa Romeo design language.
These include a fascia comprising the iconic “leggenda scudetto” (legend shield) on a blackened grille, Alfa Romeo lettering in acrylic, paying homage to the Alfa Romeo sports cars of the 1920s and 30s, 3+3 styled adaptive LED matrix headlights, and dual side air intakes in the front bumper.
In profile, the Junior is said to offer a sleek and dynamic form that is carefully crafted to reduce aerodynamic drag, while at the same time providing practical interior accommodation for five adults and their luggage.
Staying inside the cabin we find a blend of premium materials and driver-centric ergonomics as well as customisable 10.25-inch digital instrument and infotainment screens, the latter of which supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Under the bonnet, the Ibrida variant offers a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine assisted by a 48-volt system comprising lithium-ion battery and 21kW electric motor (it’s a mild hybrid, or blanda ibdrida to be more accurate).
Drive is to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Alfa Romeo quotes system output at 107kW/230Nm, 0-100km/h acceleration time at 8.9 seconds, top speed at 206km/h, and a combined cycle fuel consumption of 4.1 litres per 100km (NEDC).
Meanwhile, the Elettrica offers a front mounted Hybrid Synchronous Motor delivering 115kW/260Nm. Power is drawn from a 54kW battery pack to deliver a 0-100km/h time of 9.0 seconds and a driving range of up to 407km (WLTP).
AC and (100kW) DC charging is supported, the latter said to provide sufficient charge in 10 minutes for 100km of travel, or a 10-80 per cent charge in approximately 30 minutes.
All variants are equipped as standard with a comprehensive list of safety inclusions, such as active lane management, adaptive cruise control, automated parking assistance, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, driver behaviour warning system, high beam assist, lane keeping assistance, six airbags, and traffic sign recognition.
In terms of standard equipment, we find both the in Ibrida and Elettrica offering 18-inch alloy wheels, body-coloured door handles, dusk-sensing headlights, a gloss black body kit and wing mirror covers, LED taillights, two-tone black roof, rain-sensing wipers, and rear privacy glass.
A sunroof is available optionally at $1990 and was fitted to the test vehicle.
In the cabin, the Junior is finished with Spiga black cloth and leatherette combination upholstery, a leather-bound steering wheel, aluminium pedals and sill covers, 60:40 split-fold rear seats, and a height adjustable cargo area floor.
Further to the dual 10.25-inch screens listed above, we also find technologies including native sat nav, DAB+ radio reception, six-speaker sound, Alfa Connected Services suite, a wireless device charging pad, front USB-A and USB-C charging ports, a rear USB-C port, single-zone climate control, a six-way power adjustable driver seat with two-way lumbar support and massage function, front seat heating, a self-dimming rear-view mirror, and powered tailgate.
The 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior will be offered in a choice of six paint colours including White Sempione (NCO), and cost-option ($1990) hues including Arese Steel, Black Tortana, Blue Navigli, Galleria Light Grey, and Red Brera.
Alfa Romeo Australia backs the Junior with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty inclusive of roadside assistance. An eight-year/160,000km warranty applies separately to the high-voltage battery on the Elettrica variant.
Driving Impressions
A Dutch-owned company built an ‘Italian’ car on a French platform at a Polish factory. Then, it tried to give that car an Italian name, before the Italians themselves said the car was not “Italian enough” to deserve it.
It sounds like the start of a bad joke – and after driving the car this week, we think it just might be…
The Alfa Romeo Junior is a car that is gorgeous to look at, and one that at the same time proves beauty is merely skin deep.
In short, the car’s ergonomics are compromised, its human-machine interface clumsy, and its suspension and driveline noisy (the latter whining and whistling relentlessly at city speeds).
It also presents considerable wind noise at highway speeds, its dashboard and instrument binnacle rattle ad nauseum, there are plastic crackles somewhere in the rear of the cabin, and the hybrid system feels disjointed to the point of distraction.
Yes, Alfa Romeo has once again clutched defeat from the jaws of victory, presenting the world with a car that promised so much and delivered so very little.
It is also considerably dearer than many of its segment rivals.
For $46,990 plus options and on-road costs (our car was fitted with $1990 worth of metallic paint and a $1990 sunroof for a pre-ORC price of $50,970) there is plenty of competition we would happily live with instead.
Heck, there are even some cars we’d buy two of for similar money!
Alfa Romeo says the Junior “elevates your driving experience with superior driving dynamics, great agility, and lightness on the road”. Yet, at around 1280kg kerb it is hardly a lightweight, and its “superior” dynamics feel masked by distant steering and a nose-heavy attitude that is easily upset by surface imperfections.
The Dutch-Italian-French-Polish manufacturer further claims that the Junior offers “amazing performance” and “cutting edge technology” that promises to “boost your everyday life”.
Yet we found the driveline disjointed and rather noisy, haphazardly slipping between electric and petrol power with no obvious agendum – and at times leaving you feel as if you’ve stalled when entering an intersection or roundabout.
The combination of a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and 21kW motor jerking through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission is one we struggled to bond with. It steps from the line with initial urgency, before quickly falling flat, only to recover and surge as it finds its feet.
It’s a driveline that doesn’t like to be hurried, despite claims that the Junior can accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds.
Simply, it doesn’t feel “amazing” or even very brisk. If anything, performance is tepid, and far better suited to around-town travel. The Junior’s open-road performance is acceptable, but hardly what we’d call “sporty”.
Fuel economy was also something of a letdown. During a highway run north of Melbourne – and noting some hill climbing and winding roads – we saw a result of 7.1 litres per 100km on the readout.
We chiselled that number down to 5.8L/100km through careful driving, before settling at a figure of 6.3L/100km at the end of our loan period.
But perhaps one of the strangest experiences of the Junior was our experience with the HMI (or human-machine interface). The touchscreen is set quite low in the centre of the dashboard, meaning considerable time is spent with your eyes off the road when changing settings etcetera.
While Alfa Romeo claims the “Junior offers advanced onboard connectivity for seamless interaction and a convenient experience”, our experience was anything but. The infotainment system dropped the connection with our Apple iPhone on several occasions, and on others would not “find” the phone at all.
We also experienced issues with the inconsistent climate control system, the power windows – which rushed to open and close but were difficult to park midway – the gearshift controller with its impossibly small Park switch, the laggy ignition switch, and best of all with the proximity key fob and alarm.
For the majority of the week, the keyless entry system and ignition performed as expected, though as time wore on, we found the car unable to recognise the key, which at one point saw us driving the car with the alarm sounding, as if it recognised enough of the key to start, but not to deactivate the alarm. Talk about turning heads!
When you add these issues to suspension that thumps over expansion gaps and a brake pedal that lacks both consistency and progression the Junior is hardly a car that we’d say boosts our everyday life.
With ripping same-segment rivals like the Volkswagen T-Cross or the next-size-up Honda HR-V and Hyundai Kona available for roughly the same money, the Alfa Romeo Junior is difficult to endorse.
It’s costly, it’s quirky, and it’s far too compromised for us to recommend. And that’s no joke!