I have a 2021 Stelvio and 2021 Giulia. My Tonale PHEV seat time came from 2 Weeks as a loaner when the Stelvio was getting the fixed glass roof panel replaced.

First driving dynamics are much, much better in the Stelvio vs Tonale. It drives like an Alfa should, sharp responsive steering, good power in the 2.0L. Behind the wheel of the Tonale, I felt nothing special, could have been any small SUV.

Next reliability, any post 2020 model of the Stelvio is on par with any of the Euro brands. I had a 2017 Giulia, and it required many visits to the dealer for SW updates, recalls, failed relays, turbo O-ring replacement, etc. by comparison, virtually no issues on the 2021s.

Tech, no 360 camera, so if that’s a deal breaker, stop reading now. Only rear view with marginal resolution. Other driving aids are all there, adaptive cruise, blind spot, lane keeping, highway assist, traffic jam assist, etc. 2020+ had updated Infotainment system, which I think is more than adequate.

Rear seat is tight, not sure how it compares to the Tonale. Cargo space is adequate, not sure how it compares. Sure you can pull that data off the web.

Interior, seats are leather. Cabin materials quality and all interior touch points are better in the Stelvio vs Tonale.

 

Thanks, sounds really promising. 360-deg camera is not an absolute deal breaker but here in Europe it’s all so tight everywhere and it helps a lot. I don’t care much about rear legroom since 99% of the time it’s my 7-year old daughter back there but still, would be embarrassing if I need to carry two adults there and they won’t fit in a rather big SUV (for European standards that is 😃). But you saying how better it drives… wow, that’s great ❤

 

I had a stelvio ti sport for three years and now a tonale plug in hybrid for two. Here are my impressions of the two. Completely agree with excommunicated on the drvining experience. Tonale is not an alfa at all. It was the stelvio which made me sign up to pre-order the tonale. Stelvio's back seat and cargo area both felt larger. The center seat folds down in the stelvio so skis can be put there with 4 adults in the car. With tonale you loose one of the passenger spots. There were zero reliability issues with the stelvio, it never went to the dealer except for routine service. My tonale has had its hybrid battery and charging system replaced with a two month stay at the dealer and numerous recalls and shorter dealer stays. The touch screen, camera, cooled seats etc in the tonale is nice, mileage is way better. With regular city driving, I go weeks before filling in any gas when the battery is functioning...lol. Seat comfort and styling is as great as the stelvio.

 

In addition to the correct descriptions from @Excommunicated the infotainment itself is a 2010 iDrive technology, so you'll be giving up on screen size, usability and features. The rearview camera is the quality you used to find on a Hyundai 2013, HORRIBLE, not just marginal resolution (usable but that's it). The gauge cluster was 'upgraded' to digital in 2024 (I think) but it doesn't display the maps or gives you all the same info as in the Tonale (integration of old infotainment and digital cluster is half-ass cooked. The adaptive cruise control and related features are more refined on the Tonale with greater capabilities on highway and other roads, where the Stelvio is only reserved for interstate highways.

If you're leasing, yes, go for the Stelvio (but beware of the technology downfalls), if you bought the Tonale, keep it since you seen to have worked out those kinks....IMO.

 

I recently had the opportunity to drive a brand new Stelvio as a loaner while my wife's Tonale was being serviced. I found the Stelvio to be slightly more comfortable due to a little bit more cabin width and slightly longer seat bottom. Ride I felt was choppier in the Stelvio and found no discernable difference in handling between the two in urban and interstate driving. Sounds like sacrilege, I know, but I said it. I'm sure if I took both to the racetrack I could find a reason to prefer the Stelvio's more advanced suspension but for everyday spirited public road driving I call it for the Tonale. The Tonale PHEV also wins for the drivetrain due to the Stelvio's (4Cyl) turbo lag. It is much easier to sprint through traffic with 120 instant extra HP. The Tonale's infotainment screen is another big win over the Stelvio. The Stelvio's screen seemed smaller (I didn't compare measurements, its just my impression), it was harder to see in the bright sunlight due to the matte finish on the screen. It also seemed to be mounted lower.

FWIW my wife's Tonale has been very reliable, the only complaint was the driver assist dropping out when it was sunny or rainy or foggy.... That was fixed with a software update very early on. Other than routine service and recalls like the vehicle loading data sticker, its not needed any repairs in 18k miles.

 

A lot other replies talked about various matters so I won't repeat, just add what I think wasn't mentioned yet.

Stelvio is level up or two on mechanicals - Q4 normally RWD dominant, with up to 50% (or 40% various sources say different) added to front axis. It has carbon fiber driveshaft, it has alloy wishbones and engine support bed, has plenty of alu in construction, has real wood/alloy/carbon on panels (all mid/higher trims). Tonale here is cheapo - steel only everywhere on body/suspension, fake alloys panels inside and FWD in majority of versions (PHEV has electric rear, and there was 2.0 offered in US/Canada with some kind of Q4, but not anymore as far as I know)

Stelvio drives like sporty car and offers a lot of fun. Tonale with DSV suspension set firm is not bad (really does the job on curly roads driven at speed - tested e.g during 2 visits to Hungary), but it is not level of stelvio.
However, Stelvio 2.0 is fuel hungry if you drive it dynamically. In oppose our Tonale 1.5 MHEV is quite economical, though does not have power output (160HP + 20HP out of MHEV) it is fine for my wife daily and for holidays with family though)

Tonale PHEV has small boot (I think it is 380L vs 510L or so on non PHEVs) - other Tonale versions are comparable to Stelvio I would say on volume of the boot.

2.0GME multiair module (replace cost in poland in independant workshop approx 2.5kUSD) may fail at say 100kkm (sometimes earlier, for other users never no matter of much bigger mileages) - possibly a lot depends on oil quality, intervals, maybe MY20+ are less prone for fail?, style of driving (does not like eco driving - needs full throttle from time to time). Other minor - like seals beside turbine may do small leaks after years - this one is cheapo repair.

BTW, there is Maserati Grecale which is Stelvio based really, I think it has other multimedias etc Maserati is using (this uconnect like Tonale uses), so much more up to date for those who needs modern goodies in the car. Not sure about price tag though nor service costs - here may be step up vs Stelvio.

 

I test drove the Stelvio today. It was a Veloce Q4 280 HP. I quite liked the car and indeed it felt more precise, more stable on the road, more refined, basically it was better in any respect, except for response after a kick-down where there seems to be quite a lot of turbo-lag before it starts accelerating. This is much different than the Tonale PHEV in D where there's an instant response from the electric motor that provides a lot of power until the ICE kicks in. But I guess that's expected for a pure turbo-gasoline engine and is not such a big deal. I tested a Veloce without adaptive dampers and the ride was comparable to the Tonale, however they have one green Tributo Italiano which is absolutely stunning both externally and internally, with black 21" wheels and with adaptive dampers, so it should improve the ride comfort but there's no test car with those dampers to confirm. I'm pretty tempted at the moment because the Stelvio looks like a better car in almost any respect (except for that low-res reverse camera). However, it would be a bit expensive to do the swap, the depreciation of the Tonale is almost 50% for just two years which means the Stelvio would cost me a lot. And it's not so much better to be worth it. But the heart still wants it ❤ I'll have to think a bit about all that.

 

I think the ”lag” you reference isn’t really turbo lag, it‘s a function of the ECU or transmission programming. Most people actually find it more pronounced if you try to stomp the accelerator all the way to the floor. You get better results giving it half throttle, then laying on the accelerator. Other people think the addition of a simple throttle control (like Madness GoPedal) dramatically improves the situation, but that wasn’t my experience.

Whatever it is, it’s a thing with Giulia and Stelvio. It bothers some people more than others. Me not so much. The expensive solution is to just buy a Maserati Grecale Modena! Same basic engine with a mild hybrid setup and still on the Giorgio platform. But it’s set up for a more cushy vs sporty driving experience.

The depreciation hit on these cars is hard to swallow. I went through that when I traded my low mileage 2017 Giulia for my 2021 Giulia. But, I wanted it and life is short. I at least got the benefit when I purchased my used low mileage 2021 Stelvio last year — someone else took the hit!

Good luck with the decision.

 

After a brief thought and a phone call with one of my ex-colleagues who owns a Stelvio and is very enthusiastic about it, I decided to give it a go and will swap my Tonale for a 2025 Stelvio Tributo Italiano Q4 2.0 280 HP. It’s an expensive exercise but you only live once as they say. Big part of the decision is the number of issues I’ve had with my Tonale, the most recent being the oil leak that required removing the transmission…

The Stelvio should be with me in about 10 days.

 

Enjoy one of best if not the best SUV in this price class (at least taking into account driver fun criteria). I wish you will be happy with it and use will be trouble free. I also share your approach - we live once, and if you have some dreams, make them to come true - in my case it meant Giulia Veloce own order config (plus a lot of mods/improvements over years), spider busso (to have 2 seater convertible with iconic busso engine and red leather I could not order for misano blue giulia), Tonale to have calm/comfortable and economic enough car daily for wife, spacious enough for holidays (2+1 family), and now Ghibli Gransport recent add to make other dream come true (fall in love with ghibl body shape when I first seen it 12 years ago; current one is special limitted Ribelle edizione with extra Ribelle plus pack)

 

Is there a similar forum to this one but dedicated to the Stelvio? Apparently the domain of this is tonaletalk.com, so it’s not a more general Alfa Romeo forum.

 

https://www.stelvioforum.com/forums/

 

I'm on both sites as well, same user name as here. I don't own a Giulia but a lot of the mechanics are the same as in the Stelvio (except for the diverter valves, which are much lower and harder to access in the Stelvio!! )

It really all boils down to your needs and wants. If you're happy with the Tonale, keep it or get a newer model. There are pros and cons to both of them and both of them are perfectly imperfect! 😁