Alfa Romeo Junior review

Perhaps that’s hardly surprising when you consider the Junior is spun off the same e-CMP platform as the Peugeot (and the Vauxhall Mokka, Citroën ë-C3, Jeep Avenger and, well, you get the picture). Alfa claims to have given the underpinnings a sprinkling of Italian brio, but essentially it's an identical strut front suspension and torsion beam rear axle, while power is provided by the now ubiquitous front-mounted 154bhp electric motor and 54kWh battery. 

For the range-topping Veloce, there's a bespoke 278bhp motor, a 25mm-lower ride height, revised dampers, thicker anti-roll bar, four-pot calipers for the larger, 380mm front brakes, and most intriguingly, a proper mechanical limited-slip differential. However, the standard car's battery is carried over unchanged. Either way, the extras add 15kg more to the total kerb weight, taking it to 1560kg. Alfa claims the Veloce is around 200kg lighter than rivals, but while those competitors offer similar performance, they are also from the class above and feature bigger batteries.

The petrol-engined Ibrida relies on altogether more humble mechanicals. It’s powered by a combination of a 134bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a 0.42kWh battery and a 28bhp electric motor in the six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. This set-up is offered in everything from the Vauxhall Corsa to the seven-seat Peugeot 5008, and as in those models, the electric motor can drive the car by itself, but the electric element is much weaker than in the Toyota Yaris Cross or Renault Captur E-Tech.

A four-wheel-drive hybrid version with an electric motor on the rear axle will follow but is unlikely to make it to the UK, and while an unhybridised manual version would be technically possible, it's currently not on the cards.

Our brief taster of the Veloce, however, suggests that this is the Junior version most heavily infused with Alfa DNA. Sitting 25mm lower and with bespoke dampers, stiffer roll bars and a mechanical Torsen limited-slip differential, the fast flagship also features 380mm ventilated front discs and bespoke Michelin Pilot Sports for a dash of extra stickiness. 

On our brief blast around a tight and twisty kart track, the Veloce's performance was promising. Those beefed-up suspension components keep roll in check but do allow a sense of the weight transfer around the chassis in tight corners. There's also plenty of turn-in bite and the trick diff does a good job of finding traction as you power out of corners.

Yes, the nose will run wide of the apex if you’re overly boisterous with your inputs mid-corner, and you can feel a dip in traction as you really start to unload the inside front tyre, but after a couple of quick laps, you quickly adapt your driving style to get the most out of the Junior. It’s a car that’s fun and rewarding to push to the limit, and not just in the context of small crossovers. Crucially, though, it is fun - although we will wait to see how it deals with the unique demands of a British B-road before giving it our full seal of approval.

The petrol Ibrida is fine in the context of small crossovers, but you would do well to detect any Alfa DNA. Handling-wise, all of the CMP-based cars are quietly decent, and this Junior is no different. There’s a good amount of grip and turn-in immediacy and the steering has a bit more meat to it than, say, the Peugeot 2008’s. Fun? Not exactly. For that, it lacks sharpness and adjustability. The ride quality is pretty tough, too.

Pricing and trim structure haven’t been announced yet for the petrol in the UK, but in Belgium, for example, it costs the equivalent of £23,500, or £26,000 in Speciale form. That’s in line with rivals like the Ford Puma, Seat Arona, Lexus LBX and the five-door Mini Cooper. We wouldn’t be surprised if only the Speciale comes here anyway, since British buyers tend to have little interest in the cheapest trims.

We haven't spent enough time in it to get a sense of real-world economy, but experience of other cars with this powertrain suggests mpgs in the mid 50s should be achievable.