(By Tom Lohnes) – Alfa Romeo has always struggled in America. Although the Italian automaker has made some truly fantastic vehicles in the past, they’ve never really caught on stateside. Currently, they have the Stelvio small SUV and Giulia sedan, which are great vehicles but are consistently at the bottom of their respective classes in terms of sales. Well, they have had a small crossover positioned below the Stelvio in development for nearly half a decade now, and it’s finally here. Meet the Alfa Romeo Tonale, the Italian CUV aimed straight at the Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X1.

First off, this is not the Alfa Romeo enthusiasts want. This one will fund the brand to make those awesome vehicles, because this one will be by far the best-selling model in the lineup. This is also a very important vehicle for Alfa, because it begins their road to electrification. No, this isn’t a full EV yet, but there is a PHEV offered. This plug-in hybrid setup offers a miniscule 1.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 plus an electric motor at the rear axle to make 272 horsepower, which is an extremely solid number for the segment. All of this goes through a 6-speed automatic, and AWD is standard on the hybrid due to the electric motor in the rear. If you don’t want a hybrid, you can get the same 2.0-liter turbocharged Inline-4 that is more or less the same engine that is in the Giulia and Stelvio, but it is detuned to 256hp to give the PHEV a slight edge. This engine gets a 9-speed auto, and AWD is also standard.

On the outside, the Tonale ushers in a whole new era of styling for the Italian marque. Sharing a platform with vehicles like the upcoming next-generation Jeep Compass and Maserati Grecale, the Tonale wraps a pretty great looking shell around a rather mundane chassis. Every line is sharp, and there are LED lights all over. The rear end looks reminiscent of the Stelvio, but has a cool lightbar to differentiate it.

Inside, the Tonale makes great strides for Alfa Romeo as a brand. There are still standard Alfa touches like a steering-wheel mounted start button and massive paddle shifters, but the rest of the interior is pretty much new. There is a new digital gauge cluster, an updated infotainment system, and a more traditional console mounted shifter. The front seat looks very nice, but the backseat looks rather cramped.

Overall, the Tonale isn’t the Alfa we want, but it is the Alfa we need. Prices should start in the high $30,000 range, and combine that with the good looks and we have a hot seller on our hands. These should arrive at dealers later this year, and expect other versions to come soon, like a full EV and maybe even a hot Quadrifoglio version.