Alfa Romeo Junior review

"There’s no such thing as bad publicity," said showman PT Barnum – a sentiment echoed by Alfa Romeo’s head of PR as the Alfa Romeo Junior was launched after a bit of a gaffe over its name.

Why? Well, the Junior – which is Alfa Romeo’s first electric SUV – had been unveiled a few months earlier, but as the Alfa Romeo Milano. It was renamed the Junior after the Italian government objected to a car built in Poland being named after Milan (just as Champagne has to come from the Champagne region of France).

The Junior name refers back to the 1966 Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior, a model known for being an attainable and fun compact car. And that’s what Alfa hopes its new Junior will be seen as, because while it shares a platform with the Fiat 600e, Jeep Avenger Electric and Peugeot e-2008 (all fellow Stellantis models), a greater emphasis has been put on driver interaction.

So can the Alfa Romeo Junior compete with the best small SUVs and would we recommend buying one? Read on to find out…

The electric Alfa Romeo Junior comes with the same 50.8kWh (usable capacity) battery as the Jeep Avenger Electric, Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric but unique to the Junior is the option to upgrade to a more powerful electric motor.

The entry-level Junior and mid-spec Speciale both get a familiar 154bhp set-up, which gives you an official 0-62mph sprint time of nine seconds. That’s respectable acceleration, and enough for the real world, but way behind the Smart #1 Pro and Mini Cooper E Electric – it feels it, too, when you put your foot down for a burst of acceleration.  

If punchy is what you’re after, you’ll want to go for the range-topping Veloce. That version has been re-engineered to "feel like an Alfa Romeo" and gets 278bhp.

Better still, it gets a mechanical limited-slip differential (LSD) to improve traction, a faster steering rack, 25mm lower suspension, a wider track (the distance between the wheels left-to-right), stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars to limit body lean, bigger brake discs and 20in alloy wheels. Like all Juniors, it has front-wheel drive (four-wheel drive isn't an option).

The result is a car that is genuinely joyous to drive. Indeed, it only takes a few hundred yards to realise that Alfa Romeo has put some serious work into how the Junior handles. As you turn in to a corner, you find that the steering is quick, direct and well-weighted, allowing you to place the nose exactly where you want it.

Unlike in most modern electric SUVs, real feedback comes up through the steering wheel. As you accelerate hard out of a low-speed corner, the wheel gently writhes in your hands letting you know that the differential is working away to keep the Junior pointing in the right direction.

The sports-oriented suspension deals with crests and bumps with a fluency and finesse that's usually reserved for the best sports saloons. Body lean is progressive and well-contained, and if you find the front end pushing wide, you can simply correct your line with a quick lift of the accelerator. That’s not the kind of driving dynamics we’d typically expect from a small electric SUV, yet Alfa has delivered. 

Like other Alfa Romeo car models, the Junior gets switchable "DNA" drive modes – Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency – which adjust the weight of the steering, the accelerator response and, crucially, brake feel.

We say crucially because in Efficiency and Natural mode we found that brake feel was inconsistent with the regenerative braking, causing the pedal to gently pulse away underfoot. That makes coming to a smooth stop quite a challenge.

Fortunately, in Dynamic mode regen braking is dropped in favour of full mechanical braking. The result is a pedal that responds faithfully and consistently to your inputs. The lack of regen could, in certain driving conditions, reduce efficiency, but losing a few miles of range in return for a smoother driving experience seems like a good deal to us.

Speaking of range, the 154bhp versions can officially manage up to 255 miles. That’s comfortably further than entry-level versions of the Mini Cooper Electric, Smart #1 and Volvo EX30 – which all cost about the same as the cheapest Junior. However, it’s less than you’ll get from the Cooper SE and #1 Pro+, which line up in price with the mid-spec Junior.

The more powerful Veloce reduces the official range to just 215 miles, which is less than all its rivals, including the Cupra Born VZ (372 miles) and Tesla Model Y Performance (319 miles)

The Junior's lack of range is particularly disappointing because it's a very pleasant long-distance companion. Wind noise is well contained and, despite the Veloce's larger 20in wheels, road noise is perfectly acceptable. It even rides well – firmer than a #1 or EX30 but less brittle than a Model Y. And while the odd pothole or expansion joint does cause the rear suspension to thump, it's an intrusion you hear more than you feel.

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica we're reviewing here is expected to be followed later on by a hybrid car version. That will bring the Junior into line with its equivalent Stellantis stablemates – the Jeep Avenger Electric, the Peugeot e-2008 and the Vauxhall Mokka Electric – which all have petrol-powered equivalents.

"The Alfa Romeo Junior really is great to drive but the brake pedal definitely lessens the experience slightly. I found that in some driving modes it lacked feel and was inconsistent with the regen braking." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Every Alfa Romeo Junior comes with comfy and supportive seats, but the Veloce’s semi-bucket Sabelt front seats are the highlight of the range. They really suit that version's sporty feel, with huge side bolsters that do a great job of holding you in place through quick corners. Our only demerit is that the seat base is quite hard and there’s no adjustable lumbar support. 

You get a good amount of front-seat adjustment in all versions – manual in the entry-level Junior model and electric in the mid-spec Speciale and top-spec Veloce. The Speciale does get adjustable lumbar support and also has a massage function.

You sit quite low down in the Junior but visibility to the front and the sides is good, which is handy when negotiating junctions. On the minus side, over-the-shoulder visibility is really restricted by a rising window line and chunky rear pillars. Thankfully, every Junior comes with rear parking sensors to make parking easier, and Speciale adds a rear-view camera. 

Most of the Junior’s interior functions are controlled using the 10.25in infotainment touchscreen, which is angled towards the driver. It’s not the most impressive system, with slow response times and a basic lay-out, but you can at least bypass the Alfa Romeo software and use your phone’s instead, thanks to standard-fit Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

More successful is the bank of physical climate controls below the screen, which are easier and less distracting to use than the touchscreen-based buttons in the Smart #1 and Volvo EX30. The Junior also has a 10.25in digital driver’s display.

In terms of interior quality, the Junior is a bit of a let-down compared to its closest rivals. While we love the leather and suede-covered Sabelt seats and the suede inserts on the dashboard (standard on the Veloce, or part of the Sport pack on other models), almost every other material you regularly come into contact with is a form of hard plastic.

"You don’t get built-in sat-nav with the entry-level Alfa Romeo Junior, but I didn't find that a problem because of the wireless smartphone mirroring." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Alfa Romeo Junior doesn't feel as open or airy inside as a Cupra Born or Volvo EX30 but in the front seats even tall occupants will find plenty of head room and decent leg room.

There’s also a reasonable amount of storage space, including a well-sized glovebox, a couple of good-sized door bins and a surprisingly large storage tray at the bottom of the dash. The tray take a hefty wallet or a large smartphone, and on Veloce models it includes a wireless phone-charging pade.

Space is much tighter in the back of the Junior – especially if you’re more than 6ft tall. On the plus side, the sports seats on the Veloce models have heavily carved-out seat backs, which does help with knee room behind them.

If you often carry adults in the back, we’d recommend taking a look at the Volvo EX30 instead. It has more leg room, and – unlike in the Junior – there's no large bulge in the floor in front of the middle back seat to get in the way of passengers' feet.

It’s a shame the Junior doesn’t offer sliding or reclining rear seats. They're split 60/40 rather than the more versatile 40/20/40, limiting your options when you have passengers and luggage to fit on board. There’s also no ski hatch to allow you to carry long items with a couple of rear passengers sitting in comfort.

There's a small front boot for your charging cables, and the main boot is a reasonably good size by small electric SUV standards, with 400 litres of storage volume. That's more boot space than you get in the Cupra Born, Jeep Avenger Electric and Smart #1 so there should be enough room for your weekly shopping or several carry-on suitcases. The Junior's boot floor is height-adjustable, allowing you to separate the space into two compartments.

"I found the neat little compartment under the Junior's bonnet really handy. It's not huge, but it is big enough to store the charging cables and saves you space in the boot." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Alfa Romeo Junior’s pricing is quite close to that of the Jeep Avenger Electric – which isn’t hugely surprising given that Alfa Romeo is one of the more premium brands in the Stellantis family. Even so, while the Junior isn’t as cheap as the entry-level Volvo EX30, it does manage to undercut the Cupra Born and Smart #1.

Better still, the Junior is predicted to lose its value more slowly than most of those rivals, helping to keep PCP finance rates competitive. You can make sure you get the best price by checking our new Alfa Romeo deals page.

Whichever trim level you go for, you’ll be happy to know that it’ll be well-equipped, with even the entry-level Junior coming with 18in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control and climate control, and there are plenty of option packs so you can add one or two more luxuries without stepping up to the next trim level.

Upgrading to mid-rung Speciale will get you tinted rear windows, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, metal sports pedals and kickplates, an electric tailgate and a six-speaker stereo (upgraded from four speakers). On top of that, you also add a built-in sat-nav app as part of the infotainment system and electrically adjustable seats.

We think the version to go for is the Veloce, with its plethora of mechanical upgrades and added luxuries such as its 20in diamond-cut alloy wheels, contrast roof and Corsa Sabelt sports seats. 

All electric Juniors come with an EV heat pump for more efficient warming of the interior. Charging speeds are not particularly quick, with all versions offering a maximum charging rate of 100kW – that's some way behind the Smart #1 (150kW) and Cupra Born VZ (185kW). A 10-80% top-up of the Junior's battery should take around 25 minutes with a suitably powerful public EV charger.

The Junior is too new to have featured in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Alfa Romeo as a brand performed pretty terribly, finishing in 30th place out of 31 manufacturers, and above only MG. You get a three-year/unlimited mileage standard warranty with the Junior, which somewhat makes up for Alfa’s infamous reliability rating. 

There was no Euro NCAP safety rating for the model at the time of writing, but the Junior comes with plenty of safety aids as standard, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection.

"I'm impressed with the level of standard equipment in all versions of the Junior, but it's hard to resist the top-spec Veloce because of its extra performance tech." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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