Alfa Romeo Junior Review - Appealing to the Masses
The Alfa Romeo Conundrum
We’ve all been there. The heart ruling the head, quickly followed by: “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Cars are notorious for this and arguably the one brand which really does make you do something you’ll regret is Alfa Romeo.
Alfa has made some daft decisions over the years. My favourite is when they collaborated with Nissan to create the Alfa Romeo Arna. If somebody told you about these two companies working together, any sane person would assume that the result which rolled off the assembly line would be bodywork that had a blend of Alfa style, Alfa glamour and Alfa iconic flair, matched with typical Nissan mechanical reliability with the oily bits.
Wrong. You ended up with a car that was deadly dull to look at because it was largely based on a Nissan, while underneath the yawn-inducing bodywork was a heap of Alfa Romeo mechanicals which were hopelessly unreliable. It was a disaster.
Solving the pressing issues
The overwhelming majority of Alfa Romeo models, which everyone wants, have glorious V6 engines. They sound wonderful and look fantastic. The only snag is that sales of those cars have been at a glacial rate. Something had to be done otherwise Alfa Romeo would seemingly go under.
They’ve tried small cars before (remember the Alfa MiTo and Giulietta?) but since it was withdrawn in early 2019, Alfa has been left floundering. MiTo sales were hardly earth-shattering in any case.
So, Alfa Romeo has done two things. First, they are now part of the massive Stellantis empire which means they can share bits and pieces with other stablemates like Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Vauxhall, Fiat and Jeep. Secondly, they’ve gone headlong into the small hatchback market and, most notably, gone electric.
Please welcome the Alfa Romeo Junior.
Which version to choose…
The Junior is now on sale with other versions set to arrive in due course. First up is the all-electric model known as Elettrica. Its power comes from a 154bhp electric motor and has recently been joined by a 276bhp Veloce model. In the middle of 2025, there’ll be the Junior Ibrida which uses a 3-cylinder, 1.2-litre petrol hybrid power unit. The petrol model wasn’t originally going to be launched here in the UK but Alfa had a change of mind.
I’ve been trying the entry-level Junior Elettrica which starts at £33,895 (Feb 25). You can also go for a version with additional kit called the Speciale for an extra £1800.
Alfa Romeo Junior speed, range and charging time
The first two questions everyone asks when it comes to any electric car are how far will it go and how long does it take to charge the battery? The Junior Elettrica will cover an estimated 250 miles on a single charge. Accelerating from 0-60mph takes around 9 seconds and its top speed is 93mph. If you plug it into a rapid charger, you’ll go from 20-80% charge in around 27 minutes. If you use a wall charger, you’re looking at about 4.5 hours. Standard stuff.
The powerful Veloce should be a bundle of fun. It hits 60mph in a shade under 6 seconds and can reach 125mph. The downside is that the range takes a hit and drops to an estimated 215 miles. If you use any of the performance, you’ll easily dip below 200 miles, which is a tad disappointing. You’ll certainly become familiar with a lot of service stations.
Design and Interior
The big plus point with the Junior is that it still looks very much like an Alfa Romeo. You’ll easily spot it in your rearview mirror and there are plenty of nice design touches that make it stand out from the crowd.
The interior is a bit of a mix, however. There are a lot of the switches, dials, TFT screens and levers which have come straight out of the Stellantis parts bin. Drivers of other Stellantis brands will feel right at home. If you are looking for typical Italian flair, you’ll be disappointed. However, what this does mean is that everything should be reliable and work well for the simple reason that so much of it is already in use elsewhere. Alfa’s Junior is one of the later arrivals at the Stellantis small hatchback/crossover party, so any gremlins should have been ironed out ages ago.
Everything at the front of the cabin is dominated by a couple of 10.25-inch screens - one for the driver and one for the infotainment. The driver’s screen looks smart because it’s set into a rounded fascia in typical Alfa Romeo style. I’d shell out the extra dosh for the Speciale version because it adds stuff like sat nav, body kit, reversing camera, heated front seats, auto climate control, power adjustment for the driver’s seat, and some additional speakers. It’s worth it and makes the car a bit more special(e)!
What is it like to drive?
I definitely like the driving position. You sit fairly low, but there’s a comforting feel because the centre console is quite high and the dashboard is close behind the steering wheel, giving it a wraparound sensation.
Out on the road, the Alfa Romeo Junior offers three driving modes - Eco, Natural and Dynamic. What this does is vary the amount of available power. Eco feels very underpowered, so only use it if you’re starting to get desperate in terms of low battery charge. Normal is fine if you’re ambling around town, but Dynamic is the one I’d choose because it makes the car feel lively. It’s certainly the setting to use on quicker roads.
The ride is comfortable, and the handling is nicely controlled, making the Junior a thoroughly nice car to punt around…even touching on being fun. Alfa says it’s injected some Italian brio into the way the car has been set up in an effort to make it different from fellow Stellantis products. Hmmmm, I’m not too sure about that one, but it could be possible.
Is it a good or bad car?
All in all, the Alfa Romeo Junior is a good car. It’s not a quantum leap forward, but it’s the sort of car which will attract old and new buyers to the brand, which is exactly what Alfa Romeo wants….and needs. Put it this way, if this is the first taste of what we can expect from Alfa Romeo as we head into the electrified future, the omens are good.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Alfa Romeo
