Alfa Romeo Junior review: Can this small electric SUV revive the iconic Italian brand?

WE should be grateful that Alfa Romeo has not gone the way of other famous marques — Saab, Rover, Oldsmobile, Pontiac — over the last 15 years.

Although now umbrellaed under the Stellantis brands, it was no sure thing that Alfa would survive the blood-letting that comes as part and parcel of corporate mergers and the concomitant cost-cutting, plant closures and worker layoffs.

Unlike the famed Lancia marque, which is now reduced to selling a single car (the Ypsilon, and only in Italy), Alfa has survived various ‘restructurings’.

Although it now only has four models — the excellent Giulia; the Stelvio, which was their first SUV; the mid-sized SUV Tonale; and the new Junior — the legendary Milan brand seems to have redeemed itself.

The launch of the Junior was plagued with hiccups, not least of which was the row when it was originally announced that the car would be called the Milano.

When the proud Milanese realised the company was going to use the city’s name for the car, despite the fact that it was actually built at Tichy in Poland, there was understandable disquiet, not to mention a deal of hysterics.

It was quickly decided to rechristen the model the ‘Junior’ — a nameplate with considerable Alfa heritage — in a volte face that would have brought a smile to the face of any career politician.

The Junior is a hugely important model for Alfa and is a beginning. It has been flagged as the vanguard of a ‘new era’ for a firm which has been an intrinsic and innovative part of the Italian automotive picture for some 115 years now.

In truth, Alfa needs a new era, because its recent past has not generated much confidence about the company’s future.

In 2017, it hit a (recent) peak production level of 150,722 units, but by 2021 that had plummeted to just 44,115 units, before climbing to 69,600 in 2023.

At the turn of the century, it had been outputting more than 200,000 annually.

A lack of product and considerably diminished stock among the buying public were the main reasons for the decline, but Stellantis has promised to breathe new life in to Alfa and the Junior is its first real stab at doing so.

And, after a week with the car (and amid much personal reflection concerning the brand) I believe this might just be the car that will revive Alfa and set it on course for a bright and profitable future.

I certainly hope so.

While many petrolheads would profess that it is a crime to build an Alfa Romeo without an internal combustion engine — heretofore, I would have been one — this electric has enough of the company’s DNA for flair built in to it to convince them (and me) that this is a worthwhile exercise.

The Junior is sharp looking and has enough design quirks — and throwbacks to such as the 33 or even the 75 — to make it instantly recognisable as an Alfa. Now I must say that the rendering of the traditional company emblem (normally in the grille, in a shield shape in chrome) in simple black plastic was a bit of a shock to the system and a dumbing down of Alfa’s hard-earned premium status.

That, too, was reflected on the inside, where there are very many scratchy plastic surfaces instead of soft-touch ones, but, you have to remember, in the company’s new world, things are very different now. For a start, the Junior is a budget car by Alfa standards and is a small SUV, so it is meant to appeal to a very different consumer than may have been the case in the past.

Financial diktats also decree that it share a platform and running gear with several other Stellantis products, such as the Jeep Avenger, the Opel Mokka and the Fiat 600.

Those issues aside, the company has still imbued the car with enough unique touches to stand it out from the pack and to give it a personality and individuality that people will like. Stuff like the suede (probably faux, for sustainability) inserts on the otherwise leather (ditto) steering wheel do set it apart.

The Sabelt seats (albeit an option on the Speciale version we tried) were also a different touch (which is worth it, by the way) and their adjustability and comfort were a pleasing surprise.

The boot space, too, in what is a small car, fell in to the same category.

Much of the instrumentation and switchgear was familiar, coming as it does from the central Stellantis parts bin, but it worked well and the inclusion of actual buttons for the heating system was a relief. The infotainment system was a doddle to use and not too in your face.

On the road, though, is where the Alfa DNA shone. Although an electric and, therefore, almost silent, it went about its business with the alacrity necessary to convince Alfistas that this is as real a deal as is possible with the new world order.

Although a synthesised engine noise is piped in to the cabin (which is actually quite annoying), the way the car drives, handles and rides is a throwback to old times.

Alfa certainly seem to have extracted more from the bits they were allowed to use than any of their Stellantis siblings.

This thing actually has verve.

While the 0-100km/h time is just nine seconds, it seems rather quicker 0-50km/h and it is certainly no slouch when asked to overtake.

There is some 154bhp on tap from the electric motor/battery set-up and while range is a claimed 410km, I could get no more than 400km in to it and if you like to really drive the car, the range falls away quite quickly.

That said, as a family car and one which will probably mainly do urban donkey work, the range is effective and workable.

Oddly, though, this is a car that loves the open road and which particularly seems to relish working the B-road network.

The only real flaw was that the brakes were a little spongy, largely down to the regen system applied here.

It seemed to me that the first 50% of travel movement in the middle pedal was for regen only, while the second 50% applied the actual brakes and this took a bit of getting used to — particularly so as the handling and cornering are so good.

If you were to fully extract its on-road expertise, getting a handle on the brakes was essential.

Issues with the interior décor aside, I thought this was one of the best small electrics I’ve tried and —even without an engine — it displayed the sort of enthusiasm for work that — historically — any Alfa should have.

I didn’t expect much from this car, but I got a lot more than I bargained for, and, at the price, that makes it worth investigating.