Alfa Romeo Junior Review

Introduction and model history

The Alfa Romeo Junior is the first electric car from the Italian brand, and it’s also the first to really showcase the brand’s shift towards offering global products. The Junior will go on sale in China, Australia, Mexico and many others, as well as the UK and Europe, so it needs to appeal to a very broad audience in lots of different markets. 

Which may also explain why the styling is perhaps a little divisive for European tastes. The C-shape front lights showcase a modern take on Alfa’s classic three-light signature, and the grille is dominated by the unmistakable ‘V’, but it’s also a rather fussy design that some would argue is a long way off the simple, uncomplicated lines of Alfa’s best designs.

I actually don’t mind it; I really didn’t like it in the initial pictures when it was released, and even when I was stood next to it I didn’t think it was pretty, but I do like the aggressive stance – and the fact that it’s demonstrably different to any of its rivals. And there are lots of those, by the way.

As a 4.17-metre long compact electric SUV that starts from under £34,000, the Junior will have to take on the Jeep Avenger, Peugeot E-2008, VW ID.3, MG4, Renault Megane, Hyundai Kona Electric and plenty more besides.

It will be available with a petrol hybrid engine, while the electric powertrain will be offered with 154bhp in the Elettrica and Special trims. The Alfa Junior Veloce that we’ve driven is the hot hatch version, complete with 278bhp, its own equipment level and a whole host of performance upgrades. It’s best to think of the Veloce as something of a separate entity, really; it is to the standard Alfa Junior models what the GTI is to your normal Golf. 

Range, battery and charging 

The Alfa Junior sits on the same recently updated e-CMP platform as the Jeep Avenger, and also gets the same 51kWh usable li-ion NMC battery (54kWh total capacity). That makes for a WLTP range of 250 miles on the lower-powered Elettrica and Speciale, while the Veloce sacrifices a bit of range in favour of performance, and manages 215 miles.

Our test drive was only in the ‘hot’ 278bhp Veloce, and was on a test track and mostly quite fast, so the real range that I was getting was, er, not great! But it also wasn’t in any way representative, and other cars that we’ve driven with this platform have been pretty efficient in the real world. Plus, Alfa has thrown in an efficiency-boosting heat pump as standard, and has delivered good aerodynamics on the Junior, so I’d be willing to bet that even the Veloce will manage around 150- to 200 miles in real world use, while the standard Junior models will likely be more like 200- to 240 miles. 

Still, we’ll have to wait until we get the Junior in the UK before we can bring reliable real-world range results.  

Charging speeds in the Junior max out at 100kW, which is on par with most others in the class, and will get a 10-80% charge in around 35- 40 minutes. Plug into a 7kW home charger and you’ll have a full charge in around nine hours. 

The CCS and Type 2 chargers that the Junior has in its flank – where you’d expect a normal fuel filler to be - are European standard and will be compatible with almost all public chargers in the UK and Western Europe.  

Practicality and boot space  

A 400-litre boot is pretty good for a car of this size, and a variable-height boot floor is useful for storing your cables (and, if you\re anything like me, hiding your hoard of bags for life). There’s even a frunk in the Junior, where you can store a single cable if you’re exceptionally good at coiling your cables very neatly. I can tell you now that I’d give up and just throw the cable in the boot… Naturally, the rear seat backs split and fold flat in a 60/40 split, and there are two pairs of Isofix fittings. 

Rear passenger space is pretty decent; nothing exceptional, but an average-sized adult can sit comfortably behind a fairly tall drive, even with the optional Sabelt sports seats that were fitted to our Alfa Junior Veloce test car. There’s no centre armrest, mind, which the kids might whinge about - the ungrateful ratbags.

Interior, Design/Styling and Technology 

You can feel that this is a fairly compact car in the Alfa. Our test car had no sunroof and felt a touch dark with its dark, part-Alcantara upholstery, although the red contrast stitching all over the place lifts things noticeable, and I absolutely love the slim-rimmed, Alcantara steering wheel; It’s just so tactile and gorgeous, and is one of the key things that makes the Junior Veloce a delight to drive. 

The touchscreen system is perfectly decent. The nav map graphics are a bit grainy, but you can access all the system functions easily by prodding through to the ‘application drawer’, and you’ve also got wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, over-the-air software updates, and much-improved journey-routing that can factor in charging stops. 

Motors, Performance and Handling  

The Junior Veloce is just brilliant to drive! I could leave it at that, but it’s worth pointing out that it really is quite different to the standard cars. For a start, the 278bhp power output means that it can hit 62mph in 5.9 seconds. More than that, the suspension has different hardware including a mechanical differential, and it’s also 25mm lower than the standard Junior models. There are also hydraulic bump stops that keep the taut suspension from getting crashy and jarring.  

It is a fairly stiff-feeling car by the standards of compact crossovers, no doubt, but it’s also well controlled and deals pretty well with the coarse, cracked concrete surfaces that were a feature on the historic Balocco test track where we drove the Alfa. 

It steers really nicely, too. There’s plenty of weight, and a good sense of connection, so the Junior Veloce really is quite playful and fizzy in fast corners. I had an absolute ball, and even on the section of the track that mimics a real country road, it felt alive and enjoyable at normal road speeds.  

I also really like the fact that the Veloce’s driving modes switch the brake regen’ off altogether in Dynamic mode, so that you rely completely on the old-fashioned brake pedal. It just means that you get more consistent, feelsome brake response, which keeps any fusty old purist car enthusiasts like me very happy. Or, there is a mild, unintrusive brake regen’ mode in Natural and Active Efficiency modes, or the heavy ‘B’ mode is good for around town – if not quite a full one-pedal mode. 

Overall, the Veloce is an absolute blast, but in more modest driving calms down nicely to feel wieldy yet refined and cosseting. 

Alfa tells us that the standard Junior models which – let’s face it – are going to be much bigger sellers and a much more sensible choice, also have an unmissable Alfa feel, with a sportier character. Obviously, they would say this. It’s their job, and all that. But on the evidence of the Veloce, I’m inclined to believe them. It’ll be interesting to get the more modest Junior in the UK, and up against some of its rivals. 

Running Costs and Pricing 

The Alfa Junior Elletrica starts at £33,895, and includes 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lights, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, variable ambient lighting and an efficiency-boosting heat pump. Upgrade to the £35,695 Junior Speciale and you get an electrically adjusted driver's seat with massage function, leather steering wheel, reversing camera and powered bootlid. 

While I had a properly great time with the Veloce, the price of £42,295 is perhaps asking… a bit much? I mean, it’s not terrible, given the performance and equipment you get, which includes impressive, part-suede Corsa Sabelt race seats and bespoke style upgrades, not to mention very significant power and suspension upgrades. But it's still quite a lot of cash for a small hatchback-SUV crossover, and the range of 215 miles starts to feel a touch limiting next to alternatives like the MG4 XPower – even if the MG isn’t a patch on the Alfa to drive. 

Hey ho. The standard equipment levels are really generous across the Junior range, and this is what you must pay if you want the really fun Veloce hot hatch version. We can only hope for competitive finance deals to make it more attainable when it arrives at the end of 2024 – a few months after deliveries of the more reasonably priced Junior Ellettrica and Speciale models begin in the UK.

Verdict 

D’you know what? I want to give the Junior five stars, because I’m so giddy and overjoyed at there being a properly fun, enthusiast’s car in this electric car class. It’s very nearly up there with the Abarth 500 for being a total giggle, and a genuinely well-sorted driver’s car - only it has a better range and much better practicality than the more extrovert little Abarth. 

But I’m holding back, because I find the price and range of the Veloce a tad hard to come to terms with despite the nagging ‘want one’ feeling. I suspect that you, dear reader, might feel the same. 

Ultimately, the Junior Veloce is really its own entity, so when we’ve got the standard Alfa Junior in the UK for a proper test we’ll update this review and let you know if – maybe – it really is still a great drive, only with a better range and a better price. Maybe an even better star rating, too. 

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