Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, the 280 hp electric test: how the Biscione baby suv is made and goes

The Veloce is at the top of a range that also includes a hybrid and an electric variant. The former is powered by an evolution of the PureTech engine (developed in-house at Psa) three-cylinder 1.2-litre, 136 bhp engine with chain-driven distribution (the oil bath belt, it is known, has caused problems for various brands and Stellantis models). The three-cylinder, an architecture that psychologically never ceases to please, works on the Miller cycle and boasts a variable geometry turbo. It is a 48-volt lithium-ion mild hybrid and a 21 kW electric motor integrated in the 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Tested on other models, it is a mild that behaves almost like a full hybrid. The hybrid is offered in two-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive versions. The basic electric, on the other hand, adopts the familiar 156 hp electric motor, powered by a 54 kWh lithium-ion battery and offers 410 km of range. It only supports 100 kW (not the top) direct current, but it takes less than 30 minutes to charge the battery from 10 to 80 per cent. Both the hybrid and the electric are offered in the full optional Speciale version and prices range from 29,500 to 32,000 euros for the MHEV and from 39,500 to 41,500 for the 156-horsepower electric.

The Veloce, on the other hand, is a story in itself because it focuses on performance and the fact that it is electric with zero emissions is secondary. In the Veloce, the electric motor is at the service of driving pleasure and performance, not sustainability: its task is clear. To show that an Alfa Romeo can be electric and go fast. Even without sound. In fact, the engineers of the "biscione" have avoided digital sounds, sound bars and ridiculous gadgets, but have staked everything on Alfa Romeo handling. And in our test at Balocco on the track and on the 'Langhe' circuit, a 20 km track that simulates a particularly winding suburban road full of curves and ups and downs, it showed off true sports car qualities. Despite being a baby suv and the type of engine.

Where is the trick compared to its Fiat 600 and Jeep Avenger cousins? In small but important things: specific dampers, a well-thought-out rear wishbone (the more critical would prefer a nice multilink), but in the end the scheme chosen by Domenico Bagnasco, responsible for vehicle dynamics, is rewarding and precise in bends and goes well with front-wheel drive. The steering is specific and more direct (with a 14:6 ratio). In addition, in the service of handling, the Veloce boasts a sports set-up lowered by 25 mm, front and rear anti-roll bars with sporty calibration, and a braking system at the front with 380 mm discs and 4-piston callipers. Among all the devices that make the little Alfa very fun to drive, especially on the mixed road, the TorSen D differential stands out. Applied for the first time to a front-wheel drive car (it was born with the 147 all-wheel drive Q2 in 2006), it distributes the torque of the front drive wheels dynamically and continuously. The result? On the one hand there is the roadholding of a front-wheel drive, but on the other hand it improves stability on release, reducing understeer under acceleration. And in this respect the Veloce seemed to us as precise as a Japanese blade and able to take more than one satisfaction from us. Quick and precise cornering entry and contained body roll complete the picture. These are, of course, driving impressions of the top model, which, as mentioned, finds its ideal terrain in curves and in the mixed, with a powertrain that pushes hard and the front wheels that follow the trajectories with precision and optimal management of load transfers. In September it will be the turn of the mild hybrid versions, which of course are expected to be less performance oriented but suitable for a wide audience, including corporate fleets.

The Bisione's compact SUV is 4.17 metres long, 1.78 metres wide and 1.5 metres high. The mass of the Veloce version is 1590 kg, a good figure for an electric car. The styling by designer Alejandro Mesonero is original and at times divisive, especially in the font where a rather daring reinterpretation of the classic Alfa Romeo trilobo stands out. Aesthetically there are many references to iconic models of the past, such as the truncated tail that brings to mind the Giulia TZ. At the front, the '3+3' headlights and adaptive Full Led Matrix light clusters stand out. There is no shortage of details typical of a Biscione car, such as the legendary shield present on the variants named Leggenda and Progresso. Of the Junior, everything can be said less than banal: perhaps the least harmonious part is the rear with the C-pillar junction, but it certainly stands out for its light signature with a coast-to-coast lighting. All in all, the Mesonero team has done a great job: concealing any kinship with the group's cousins with which it shares the platform.