The 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale could be the SUV the Dodge Hornet wanted to be

The relationship between the European and American sides of Stellantis has always been confusing. On the one hand you have the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram side hoping to be successful in Europe, while brands like Alfa Romeo and Maserati remain somewhat in limbo. I think that’s difficult when you manage fourteen car brands and sub-brands.

This couldn’t be more true than with the Alfa Romeo Tonale and Dodge Hornet. Both cars are essentially the same, with Alfa doing much of the development work. Alfa gambled on the Tonale to make the brand more popular in the United States. A few years after its release, it has largely failed in that duty. Can this 2026 facelift turn things around?

Meaningful updates for 2026

The Alfa Romeo Tonale has received a mid-cycle facelift for 2026 and aims to keep the vehicle relevant to newer competitors. The question is: are these updates enough to keep the vehicle competitive in this already crowded segment?

Italian flair added

Changes in the design of the Alfa Romeo Tonale are quite noticeable. Right up front you’ll see a new concave Scudetto grille, inspired by the 33 Stradale sports car. This is accompanied by equally larger, lower air intakes. The front bumper reflects the design of the exclusive European Junior small SUV, creating a sense of coherence across the Alfa Romeo range. The feeling of athleticism is emphasized by the shorter overhangs at the front, although the rear remains largely the same.

Three versions are sold for the American market: Sprint, Veloce and Sport Speciale. The $36,995 Sprint already comes with LED lighting, gloss black exterior accents and 18-inch wheels. The mid-range Veloce, valued at $41,495, comes with larger 19-inch wheels and red Brembo brake calipers. Finally, the range-topping Sport Speciale (as shown in red), also priced at $41,495, comes with 20-inch wheels, along with gloss black Brembo brake calipers.

Incremental improvements to the interior

The changes to the interior of the 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale are a lot smaller. That may be why Alfa Romeo clearly mentioned new and higher-quality interior materials, such as added contrast stitching on the doors, dashboard and armrests. Also worth mentioning is the redesigned center console, in which you now also get an electronic rotary knob, as well as a new decorative border on the dashboard with a new pattern for the ambient LED lighting. Finally, red interior trim is now available.

Modern tech features such as the standard 12.5-inch digital gauges and 10.25-inch main infotainment screen are still present, with the latter having Amazon Alexa built-in. The basic Sprint comes with fabric interior upholstery, with contrasting stitching and the Biscione logo on the backrests. Stepping up to the Veloce replaces the cloth with ventilated leather upholstery, along with a hands-free power liftgate. Finally, the range-topping Sport Speciale adds perforated Alcantara and leather seats, along with a black Alcantara-wrapped dashboard. Of course, there are a few optional extras to make the Tonale even fancier, like the $750 premium Harman Kardon audio, the $1,500 moonroof and the Active Assist package, which for $1,250 adds an Active Driving Assist system, auto-dimming mirror, parking sensors and a 360-degree camera.

Rearranged powertrain

For the United States, the powertrain of the 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale has been rearranged. Although it is not new, it is what you already saw in it the Dodge Hornet.

Turbocharged punch

That would be the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that produces a strong 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This is sent to a standard all-wheel drive (AWD) via a nine-speed automatic transmission. However, don’t expect any changes to the vehicle’s chassis or suspension tuning. It’s still based on the same heavily redesigned platform as the previous Jeep Compass, but to Alfa Romeo’s credit they’ve done a good job of bringing their trademark sporty driving dynamics to the car. Speaking of which, for $350 the Sport Speciale can be equipped with Dual Mode adaptive suspension.

Plug-in hybrid out

Now if you’re wondering what’s happening with the plug-in hybrid powertrain: that’s going away completely. The Tonale was initially offered exclusively as a plug-in hybrid, but that will end with this midcycle facelift. The plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor on the rear axle, resulting in a system output of 285 hp and 347 Nm of torque.

This is sent via the wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. With its 15.5 kWh battery, the Tonale plug-in hybrid can travel up to 53 miles in pure electric mode according to the EPA, while its combined energy efficiency is 77 MPGe. When the battery is depleted, the hybrid system achieves a combined rating of 29 MPG.

We pick up where The Hornet left off

The Dodge Hornet is essentially a rebadged Tonale, which is a shame for the Italian brand as it was largely them who did the work for the vehicle. The result is that you have a premium compact SUV that now has to move to a lower price range due to the positioning of the Dodge brand, diluting the value of the more expensive Alfa Romeo Tonale.

Production of Hornet has been halted

When the Hornet was released, its more affordable prices, not to mention Dodge’s wider dealer network versus Alfa Romeo, made it the most popular choice. In all of 2024, the Hornet’s first full year, 20,559 units were sold, compared to just 3,383 for the Tonale. Not so good for the company that made the vehicle in the first place.

But that may no longer be a problem for Alfa Romeo, as Stellantis has halted Hornet production since July, as reported by Automotive News. Apparently blame tariffs for this decision, as the Hornet is made on the same Italian production line as the Tonale. This will make the Hornet a lot more expensive than mainstream rivals like the newly launched RAV4 Hybridjust to name a few. The key word is ‘stop’, but we have a strong suspicion that this will be a final decision.

Alfa Romeo’s existential crisis

In retrospect, however, the Tonale somewhat emphasizes Alfa Romeo’s existential crisis. The creation of the Hornet has already hurt Tonale’s sales, as well as devaluing the perceived premium position of its Alfa Romeo sibling. This is reminiscent of Alfa Romeo’s outdated offering. The current Giulia and Stelvio, which are mechanically related models, will continue to exist until 2027. Their next-generation successors, which were supposed to be fully electric vehicles, have been postponed due to a last-minute decision to introduce hybrid versions, extending development times.

Currently, their newest vehicles include the Tonale and Junior, small SUVs for the mass market. The problem with these vehicles is that Alfa Romeo vehicles struggle to differentiate themselves in the already crowded segments in which they already compete. Tonale sales in 2024, as we mentioned, were not high, and that’s already pretty much a low point, as sales of this vehicle have already fallen in 2025. The German luxury car makers are also very competitive with the aggressive changes they are making to their vehicles, putting Alfa Romeo in an even more difficult position than it is already in.

Source: Automotive News, Coach