When was the final time you considered Alfa Romeo? Until you’re an proprietor, or a potential purchaser, it has in all probability been fairly some time.
And that’s a disgrace, as a result of the historic Italian auto model is steeped in heritage and boasts a vibrant portfolio of attractive, iconic fashions and race automobiles, together with however not restricted to the 33 Stradale, the Montreal and, extra lately, the 8C Competizione and Giulia Quadrifoglio.
These automobiles are identified for his or her modern, attractive silhouettes, and whereas they differ in exclusivity, objective, and definitely value, all of them embody a very sporty essence that Alfa Romeo instills into each one in all its automobiles with nice pleasure.
However on the different finish of the spectrum are the extra ‘common’ fashions, those that promote in Europe’s most reasonably priced market segments to drive gross sales and income with a purpose to make these halo automobiles potential. Alfa has an extended historical past there too, with fashions just like the discontinued Giulietta being a much-loved, red-blooded hatchback.
In Australia, the model isn’t fairly as well-known or widespread as it’s in Europe, and hasn’t operated in these smaller gross sales segments for the previous few years. However that has simply modified with the arrival of its latest international mannequin: the Alfa Romeo Junior.
Whereas the Junior title is a delicate nod to the GT 1300 Junior sports activities coupe of the Nineteen Sixties, this new mild SUV was truly meant to be referred to as the Milano, referencing Alfa’s origins in Milan. Nevertheless, Italian rules state that imported and exported items are unlawful in the event that they bear false or deceptive origin labelling, and the Junior is inbuilt Poland… so Junior it’s.
The Junior holds a way more essential distinction than only a enjoyable title although, as a result of it’s additionally Alfa Romeo’s first electrical automobile (EV), a mannequin obtainable with a totally electrical powertrain. The Elettrica, because it’s referred to as, and the mild-hybrid Ibrida type Alfa Romeo Australia’s two-variant, one-trim Junior vary, and whereas they’re not sports activities automobiles by any means, Alfa says it labored arduous to inject its well-known Italian flavour.
In fact, Alfa Romeo is owned by Stellantis, which implies the Junior shares a platform with quite a few fashions from six different manufacturers underneath the worldwide company’s umbrella, together with the Jeep Avenger and Peugeot 2008. Australian gross sales are sluggish for these automobiles, however Alfa will probably be hoping the Junior can faucet into new purchaser teams to show that round.
Each powertrains are actually on sale domestically, however Alfa Romeo made solely the Ibrida obtainable for media to drive at its native launch occasion. Is the brand new Junior price a glance, at the very least in Ibrida type?
How a lot does the Alfa Romeo Junior value?
The Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida is priced at $45,900 earlier than on-road prices, making it $12,000 cheaper than the all-electric Elettrica flagship.
| Mannequin | Value earlier than on-road prices |
|---|---|
| 2026 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida | $45,900 |
| 2026 Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica | $57,900 |
There’s just one trim degree obtainable in Australia, which implies the Ibrida and Elettrica are virtually equivalent when it comes to tools, if not their differing powertrains.
Given its platform-sharing association, the Junior’s most direct rival is the Jeep Avenger, which for now could be solely obtainable in electrical guise in Australia, matching Alfa’s Elettrica, however may be provided right here with mild-hybrid energy to rival the Ibrida. With three variants, the Avenger EV begins at $49,990 earlier than on-roads and tops out at $60,990 earlier than on-roads, that means the Junior Elettrica is cheaper than solely the Avenger Summit flagship.
In fact, we’re focusing right here on the mild-hybrid Junior Ibrida, for which there are fewer direct opponents. You can evaluate different mild SUVs just like the mild-hybrid Suzuki Fronx ($28,990 earlier than on-roads), however you wouldn’t – the Alfa is a way more premium product than lots of its section mates.
Due to this fact, we suggest the Lexus LBX hybrids (from $47,550 earlier than on-roads), the Audi Q2 (from $49,400 earlier than on-roads), and the Peugeot 2008 Hybrid (from $42,490 earlier than on-roads) as nearer comparisons, though they’re categorised as small SUVs.
To see how the Alfa Romeo Junior stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability software
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What’s the Alfa Romeo Junior like on the within?
It isn’t truthful to match the Junior to different automobiles in Australia’s mild SUV section, as a result of its inside is leagues above what’s provided at school stalwarts just like the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota Yaris Cross.
Stellantis followers will discover that a lot of the Junior’s switchgear is carried over from different fashions based mostly on the identical platform, however there’s nonetheless a uniquely Alfa Romeo high quality to the way in which every part’s designed. As such, the quirky gear selector is the one factor from the Stellantis components bin that basically stands out.
There’s a slender, padded centre console that leads right into a dashboard with distinctive shapes and sculptings, headlined by a ten.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This unit blends into a big, piano-black panel that angles in the direction of the driving force, although it feels just like the distinctive design has left various empty house right here.
The display additionally sits fairly low on the dashboard, which implies it’s important to look down from the street forward to see it. Navigating the system’s native menus may also be complicated, as button shortcuts for the house display and automobile settings are initially not seen.
They’ll take a second to seek out, however they’re nestled alongside the air vents above the display. I felt like facepalming myself after struggling to seek out these.
Alfa has nonetheless discovered house for a bodily local weather management array under, which inserts properly on the softened edge that spans the decrease portion of the dashboard. This form leads properly in the direction of the instrument housing, which seems like a missed alternative.
The Italian model made specific point out of the dual-circle gauge housing, a convention in its automobiles. The issue right here is that the digital instrument cluster is rectangular, during which the 2 circles aren’t absolutely displayed.
It will have required loads of additional effort and cash to design and manufacture a display that matches this housing completely, however it might’ve been a really tasteful element. Because it stands, the way in which the analogue-style gauges on the display don’t fairly match the round cutouts appears to be like cheesy.
Fortuitously, the Junior’s wonderful steering wheel masks the clumsy show from the comfy and supportive driver’s seat. And it’s the one actual blemish on this in any other case stylish cabin, which options loads of different Alfa Romeo easter eggs just like the clover-inspired air vents.
The leather-wrapped tiller presents a satisfyingly small diameter, befitting of a automotive with the Junior’s diminutive proportions. Its thickness is excellent, and the form of its rim makes it nice to carry – and simple to throw round.
Sadly, there’s a little bit of smudge-prone piano-black plastic on its horizontal spokes, visually offset by tasteful metallic accents. These buttons will entice fingerprints, however they’re clearly labelled and simple sufficient to determine.
Distinctive right here is the way in which you navigate the varied instrument shows, as there’s no clear button on the steering wheel. As a substitute, it’s executed through a button on the tip of the left stalk, which can take some getting used to should you’re coming from a automotive that makes use of that button to function its windscreen washer.
On that be aware, the stalks and every part else within the cabin really feel stable. Clearly, we are able to’t touch upon long-term sturdiness, however we didn’t discover any creaking, and each part that presses or strikes did so with a sturdy really feel.
A theme with the Junior is that it feels tiny inside. This isn’t shocking for a lightweight SUV, however you’ll really feel such as you’re sitting a lot nearer to your passenger than in most different automobiles.
Equally, there’s not a lot house to place issues up entrance. In entrance of the passenger is a small glovebox, within the center is a compact storage field, and there are two cupholders and a reasonably sized cubby forward of the gear selector, which features a wi-fi telephone charger. It’s habitable however on no account beneficiant.
The second row is even tighter. Even at my common 173cm top there wasn’t loads of house between my head and the roof, whereas the rear door openings are tiny and make it tough to squeeze out and in.
It’s potential to seat three passengers again right here on a brief drive, however they’d higher be comfy with each other, and modestly sized. As for connectivity, there’s a USB-C port within the second row, whereas the entrance incorporates a USB-A and USB-C port – one in all every.
Upon first impressions, the boot is way of the identical. At a quoted 415 litres (it’s unspecified whether or not that’s measured to the roof or the highest of the rear seats), the Ibrida’s boot is supposedly bigger than the Mazda CX-3’s with simply 264 litres, in addition to the Lexus LBX with 402 litres, and the Audi Q2 with 405 litres.
Both manner there’s first rate cargo capability, and the Junior’s boot is practical. The load ground is excessive, flat, and huge sufficient to suit three or 4 small suitcases slotted in sideways.
It’s price noting that the Elettrica’s boot is smaller at 400 litres, nearly definitely as a result of battery packaging. Nonetheless, a powered tailgate is customary in each variants, and it has a foot-operated hands-free operate in case you have the important thing close by.
All up, the Junior has an inside that’s much more characterful than most different customary SUVs, and it’s a pleasing place to spend time in supplied you’re not compelled to share the second row with two different folks.
| Dimensions | Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida |
|---|---|
| Size | 4173mm |
| Width | 1781mm |
| Top | 1539mm |
| Wheelbase | 2557mm |
| Cargo capability | 415L (rear seats up) |
To see how the Alfa Romeo Junior stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability software
What’s underneath the bonnet?
Powering the Ibrida is a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 100kW of energy and 230Nm of torque. The mild-hybrid system incorporates an electrical motor outputting 21kW, bringing peak system energy to 107kW, with drive despatched to the entrance wheels by way of a dual-clutch computerized transmission.
| Specs | Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.2L 3cyl turbo-petrol |
| Engine outputs | 100kW/230Nm |
| Electrical motor outputs | 21kW |
| System outputs | 107kW |
| Battery | 0.9kWh li-ion |
| Transmission | 6-speed dual-clutch auto |
| Drive kind | Entrance-wheel drive |
| Tare mass | 1280kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 8.9s |
| Gas economic system (claimed) | 4.1L/100km |
| Gas tank capability | 44L |
| Gas requirement | 95-octane premium unleaded |
| CO2 emissions | 92g/km |
| Emissions customary | Euro 6 |
| Braked tow capability | 1100kg |
We didn’t get sufficient time in anybody Junior to file a consultant real-world gasoline economic system determine, however we noticed numbers roughly round 6.0L/100km. This assorted barely from automotive to automotive.
The Junior Elettrica, in the meantime, will get a single-motor, front-wheel drive powertrain, which is fed by a 54kWh lithium-ion battery. Peak outputs are 115kW and 260Nm, and WLTP driving vary is 407km.
To see how the Alfa Romeo Junior stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability software
How does the Alfa Romeo Junior drive?
Alfa Romeo automobiles are imagined to be sporty, providing a driving character that units them other than their direct rivals. Expectation is subsequently the enemy of the Junior, however not for the explanation you would possibly assume.
The very first thing you discover when leaping into the driving force’s seat is how compact the automotive feels. You may have a real sense of how a lot (or little) automotive is round you, which makes it really feel extra like an outsized go-kart than one other run-of-the-mill mild SUV.
On the similar time, it’s unassuming. The considerably stilted stature tips your mind into considering the automotive will probably be wobbly and a bit of unwieldy in bends, with related street manners to the user-friendly and unintimidating CX-3.
In fact, the mild-hybrid powertrain doesn’t assist with these expectations. It’s simple to stereotype mild-hybrid methods and assume they received’t do far more than merely flip the engine on and off sometimes, with an absence of any actual electrical oomph to help the combustion engine.
However the Junior quells lots of these preconceptions when you begin transferring. For one, the powertrain is surprisingly well-sorted, and can truly run on electrical energy as much as a sure pace, and even when coasting on the freeway.
It feels far more like Audi’s ‘mild-hybrid plus’ system than Toyota’s V-Lively setup, and that’s an excellent factor. We have been impressed by how usually it was in a position to drive as an EV, even when there isn’t a lot energy readily available, though it may possibly’t do it for lengthy.
That’s to not say there aren’t any quirks, although. You’ll discover some stumbling at low speeds, which is a product of the dual-clutch computerized transmission – it’s not undriveable, however sadly it’s not masked by the hybrid gubbins both.
The automotive additionally sounds prefer it units off from a standstill at very low revs, labouring the engine because the pace picks up. It’s a behaviour that just about makes the automotive really feel prefer it’s bogging down, nevertheless it does it persistently and presumably deliberately.
That apart, the Ibrida powertrain is peppy, enjoyable and has no points milling round city or getting as much as freeway speeds. A claimed 0-100km/h dash time of 8.9 seconds doesn’t sound fast, however there’s nonetheless a good push whenever you lay into the throttle.
Heading full-throttle up a brief, uphill freeway on-ramp proved this, since we simply noticed 110km/h earlier than it was time to merge. There are Alfa’s ‘DNA’ drive modes too (Dynamic, Pure, and ‘Superior Effectivity’), which have actual impacts on how potent the drivetrain is.
By way of dynamics, the Junior feels far more planted than you would possibly anticipate, and whereas we needed to overcome a few of these mild SUV preconceptions we talked about earlier earlier than throwing it right into a flip at will, the diploma to which it caught caught us off guard.
There isn’t actually one other mild SUV that steers the way in which the Junior does. As with its value, it’s important to step as much as the small SUV class earlier than you discover one thing comparable in terms of dealing with.
Composure and confidence are phrases that come to thoughts. You don’t need to be in any particular drive mode to harness this pointy dealing with both; the usual suspension and steering setup is geared in the direction of agility out of the field.
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The Junior’s steering is direct and responsive, although dialling as much as the extra aggressive Dynamic drive mode will make it a bit of firmer. The small steering wheel contributes to the go-kart vibe, making the Junior an unexpectedly pleasurable automotive to drive.
As clichéd as it might sound, the time period ‘soul’ suits the Junior nicely. It’s one thing lacking from most new automobiles today, so we admire the way in which Alfa has been in a position to current a novel little SUV with actual on-road character. On the threat of utilizing marketing-speak, the Junior is joyful to drive.
None of that Italian sportiness compromises the journey high quality both. It’s a bit of taut and definitely on the firmer aspect, however on no account uncomfortable – you may very simply dwell with the Ibrida each day, and its well-sorted springs and dampers contribute to the well-engineered aura the automotive offers off normally.
Even sudden bumps don’t upset the automotive an excessive amount of, and also you’ll discover it may possibly sort out most inner-city street imperfections with the identical confidence it exhibits over greater hits and undulations at freeway speeds.
Alfa has additionally managed to properly tune a reliable suite of security gear. Techniques like adaptive cruise management labored reliably each on rural highways and inter-city freeways, whereas the surround-view digicam and its compact proportions make it a straightforward automobile to park.
Our solely gripe is with the pace restrict warning system, which beeps at you when the automotive exceeds the pace restrict by any quantity. It isn’t a very loud or obnoxious noise, however it is going to bug you each time the pace restrict adjustments. Fortunately, it may be toggled off.
As a complete, the Junior may be very full and completed package deal. We haven’t pushed the Elettrica, however the Ibrida offers most of what a small SUV purchaser may need, whereas additionally including a sizeable dose of the enduring aptitude for which Alfa is understood.
To see how the Alfa Romeo Junior stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability software
What do you get?
Just one trim degree is obtainable for the Junior at launch.
2026 Alfa Romeo Junior tools highlights:
- 18-inch alloy wheels in 215/55 R18 tyres
- Tyre restore equipment
- Matrix LED headlights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Privateness glass
- Electrical park brake with auto maintain
- Palms-free energy tailgate
- Leatherette/fabric upholstery
- Heated entrance seats
- Massaging driver’s seat
- 6-way energy driver’s seat
- Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel
- Tilt and telescopic steering column adjustment
- Paddle shifters (Ibrida)
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- DAB+ digital radio
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Wi-fi telephone charger
- 6-speaker sound system
- Single-zone local weather management
- 8-colour ambient lighting
- Aluminium pedals
- Proximity entry with push-button begin
- Alfa Romeo Related Companies
Accent highlights:
- House-saver spare wheel – $314
- Progresso Scudetto Grille – $1184 (excludes colour-matched paint)
- Sunroof – $1990
To see how the Alfa Romeo Junior stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability software
Is the Alfa Romeo Junior secure?
The Alfa Romeo Junior is but to be assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.
Commonplace security tools highlights:
- 6 airbags, incl:
- Adaptive cruise management
- Autonomous emergency braking with susceptible street person detection
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Entrance, aspect and rear parking sensors
- Lane-centring
- Lane-keep help
- Encompass-view digicam
- Site visitors Jam Help
- Site visitors signal recognition
To see how the Alfa Romeo Junior stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability software
How a lot does the Alfa Romeo Junior value to run?
The Alfa Romeo Junior is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee. Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.
| Servicing and Guarantee | Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 5 years, limitless kilometres |
| Roadside help | 5 years |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
Although no capped-price servicing is printed for the Junior, Alfa Romeo’s on-line service calculator gives value estimates for 12 years of servicing. Correct as of October 9, 2025, the Junior’s first 5 companies are detailed under:
| Service | Value |
|---|---|
| 12 months, 15,000km | $465.84 |
| 24 months, 30,000km | $854.16 |
| 36 months, 45,000km | $465.84 |
| 48 months, 60,000km | $854.16 |
| 60 months, 75,000km | $465.84 |
| Common annual service value over 5 years | $621.17 |
| Complete service value over 5 years | $3105.84 |
For additional context, the sixth and eighth companies are each priced at over $1100. The Junior Elettrica, in the meantime, prices a median of $232.32 to service, totalling $1161.61 over 5 years.
To see how the Alfa Romeo Junior stacks up towards its rivals, use our comparability software
CarExpert’s Tackle the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida
We went into the Junior launch anticipating a automotive that drives like most different mild SUVs, fitted with a barely extra upmarket inside. Suffice to say, our expectations have been far exceeded.
That is what we imply once we say expectation is the Junior’s enemy. It’s all too simple to take its compact SUV positioning at face worth and dismiss it as too costly alongside mainstream rivals, and doomed to promote in smaller numbers than equally sized autos.
However the driving expertise makes all of it make sense. Alfa Romeo actually has captured a few of its allure and bestowed it upon an in any other case unremarkable Stellantis platform.
Commendable journey and dealing with permits the Junior to be in contrast with pricier rivals from Lexus and Audi, and gives one thing meaningfully completely different to the Jeep and Peugeot fashions with which it shares DNA.
In fact, the Alfa’s comparatively steep price ticket will maintain it again, and so may its beepy pace restrict info system, which can get in your nerves after some time.
The Junior’s cabin format can be considerably unintuitive. We discovered ourselves misplaced when making an attempt to navigate again to the infotainment system’s residence display on extra events than we’d wish to admit. And it might be nice if the instrument show fitted the cluster housing a bit higher too.
However as a package deal, the Junior gives a enjoyable drive and a gorgeous inside that makes it really feel like your cash has gone someplace worthwhile. Whether or not the identical is true for the Elettrica stays to be seen, however the Ibrida is greater than worthy of attracting just a few well-heeled, red-blooded mild SUV consumers.
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