Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce review

Alfa Romeo is a historic brand with a heritage of sports cars and racing few can match. It created some of the prettiest vehicles the world has ever seen, and some of the most sensational to drive. However, quality problems in the past couple of decades have tarnished the once beloved brand and led to financial trouble. Now Alfa Romeo is trying to stage a comeback and we are here to see how far along it has come.

Table of Contents:

• Exterior
• Interior
• Storage & practicalities
• Driving experience
• Tech features
• Ride comfort
• Cabin noise
• Acceleration and braking
• Consumption
• Charging speed
• Competition
• Verdict

Alfa Romeo's first fully electric vehicle joins the ever popular segment of compact crossovers. But does it have what it takes to compete with the vast number of competitors out there?

The model we are testing today is the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce. It comes with a 280 hp motor attached to its front axle, making it the most powerful version. The platform is also shared with petrol versions and the design is largely similar on those.

Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica 240 Veloce 2024 -

• Dimensions: 164.3 inches x 70.1 inches x 60.3 inches, 100.9 inches wheelbase.
• Drivetrain tested: Elettrica Veloce - FWD 207 kW (280 hp), 254 lb-ft, 54 kWh total battery capacity, 50.8 kWh usable battery capacity
• Other drivetrains: Elettrica - FWD 115 kW (156 hp), 192 lb-ft, 54 kWh total battery capacity, 50.8 kWh usable battery capacity
• Charging: 100 kW CCS
• Range: 208 miles WLTP
• Weight: 3,605 lb unladen, 4,530 lb gross
• Other features: V2L charging, digital key, OTA updates.

Exterior

Alfa Romeo is famous for creating attractive designs and the Junior Elettrica certainly has some flair to it. It's not quite Alfa's prettiest creation, but in a sea of bland, similar-looking vehicles, the Junior has plenty of character. The lines are typical for Alfa and feature some throwbacks to older models.

From the front, we immediately notice the "trefoil" front grille that has been a staple of Alfa models ever since WWII. It is a triangular grille, which also incorporates the snake from Alfa's logo to create a unique fascia that is instantly recognized everywhere.

Even the cooling vents from the ICE version are carried over to the electric one, even though they are certainly not needed here.

The headlights are narrow and aggressive. They create a menacing face for the Junior and a characteristic light signature. More importantly, they light up the road ahead incredibly well without blinding oncoming traffic.

From the side, the Alfa Romeo Junior is a typical compact crossover with the usual "lifted" hatchback look. The roof is usually a different color than the rest of the body, making the car appear lower and sleeker.

The rear door handle is hidden behind the window near the roofline, contributing to a cleaner look. Alfa's snake also finds its place next to the door handle to make sure the car can be recognized as an Alfa Romeo from all angles.

Our test car came with the bigger 20-inch wheels, which certainly don't help with the range, but they look amazing. A modern interpretation of Alfa's famous "quadrifoglio" spokes, those complement the design perfectly.

The rear-end of the Junior is a throwback to older models with the bar that connects the tail lights together. It is underlined by a beautiful "Alfa Romeo" inscription.

The rear LED bar also works as a tiny ducktail spoiler. Without such a striking piece of design, the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica would look like just about any other crossover on the market, as it has no other particularly distinct features around the back.

Interior

The interior is beautiful in typical Alfa fashion. All of the materials you frequently touch are very nice and soft, but the plastics used in the lower part of the interior are among the cheapest we've seen, and we can't see those aging well. Still we would rate the overall material quality as good, especially for the segment.

Once the door is opened, you get to hold a nice multifunctional steering wheel with a mix of Alcantara and leather. It feels good to the touch and fits nicely into the palm.

Behind the steering wheel are the stalks for the wipers and turn signals, which feature buttons at their ends to control the driver's display. This is a very clever integration that takes some getting used to, but enables a cleaner design.

The driver's display measures 10.25" and offers a choice of several nice-looking layouts. It isn't the most functional we've seen, but is more than acceptable for a small crossover.

Sadly, to the left of the steering wheel is a row of blank buttons that would’ve been acceptable if we were reviewing a lower trim, but our test unit is the highest possible spec and blank buttons like that should never be in it. This cheapens the overall feeling of the interior.

The top part of the dashboard is occupied by air vents and four quick buttons to be at your disposal at all times. Those are the hazard lights, home button for the infotainment, the door lock and a shortcut for the car's assistant features.

Slightly lower compared to most modern vehicles is the central display, which is 10.25" in diagonal and has good resolution and quick response times. It is shared with multiple Stellantis models and while hardly a technological marvel, will not cause you much headache either.

Underneath the screen is a row of physical buttons that control the air conditioning. They are simple to use and eliminate the need to go through multiple menus on a screen. If you prefer to, however, they are duplicated in a menu in the center screen.

The center console begins with a wide wireless charging pad that can also be used for storage as it is placed in a very convenient spot. The entire console in our test vehicle is trimmed in Alcantara and feels great to touch.

Unlike most recent Alfa Romeo models, the Junior's start/stop button isn't on the steering wheel, instead it is right in the middle of the center console, surrounded by the gear controls. That implementation is slightly wasteful as it seems to take more space than needed, which could boast storage instead.

The cupholders are deep with adjustable width, which is really convenient.

The armrest is also covered in Alcantara and adds to the great sensation of luxury inside.

The air vents throughout the interior are nicely styled and combined with an ambient light inside truly create a wonderful setting inside. They are a great touch that doesn't seem like much at first glance but make the entire experience of riding inside more memorable.

The ambient lighting inside is spectacular!

On the other hand, the sun visors don't come with lights on them, which is rather puzzling on a modern vehicle, let alone one that also has the ambitions to be a lifestyle object.

The ceiling lamps are also a bit of a disaster in that once you turn them on it's very hard to turn them off. This borders a safety hazard and is an unacceptable integration for something that is supposed to be easy and convenient.

On a more positive note, the Sabelt Corsa seats in the Alfa Romeo Junior are marvelous, offer tremendous support and fit your body like a glove. Putting them in a small electric FWD crossover almost feels like a waste, since most customers will not really appreaciate their benefits. In this segment it’s much more important to offer comfort and easy access and those are compromised, despite the exotic feeling and amazing looks.

Sabelt delivered amazing seats for the Alfa Junior!

The rear seats are almost laughably small. Accessing them is hard too because of the irregular door shape and the space is limited due to the bulky front seats. In the video below you can see our reviewer trying to climb in. He is 1.95 m (6’4”) tall and the front seat is pushed almost all the way up front. He is a tall guy and we wouldn’t make that much of a deal for a small car, but even in this segment the competition does better.

There are no amenities around the back except for a single USB-C port for charging your electronics.

Storage & practicalities

The trunk of the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica is average for the size of the car. It offers 14.1 ft³ of storage space. Due to the sloping roof and not that wide apperture they are not the easiest to fully utilize though.

With the seats down the storage volume rises to 44.7 ft³, but that's even harder to utilize due to the fact the seats don’t fold fully flat.

A good addition is the frunk (front trunk), which is very tiny. It can hold just about a single charging cable, which is still better than having no storage up front at all.

Driving experience

Driving the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce is the highlight of owning the car. Even though a FWD crossover doesn't exactly inspire confidence, it handles sharply and tackes all kinds of corners with great precision. Thanks to the low center of gravity due to the batteries it feels planted and stable even at higher speeds.

There is a reminiscence of an older Mini or Abarth, which are also eager to conquer corners and bring joy while driving. The Junior's suspension features aggressive camber that helps with the grip. The Junior Veloce weighs in at 3,605 lb, which is considered low nowadays, but it feels even lighter than that.

The power is delivered smoothly and you are not left craving for more. There isn't an instant punch when you accelerate from a standstill, because that would result in wheelspin, instead the Junior accelerates smoothly and confidently. Power is sufficient for a FWD model, but we would highly appreciate an AWD version with even more punch and similar driving characteristics.

The steering gives precise feedback from the road underneath and you can always feel the levels of traction you have. The Junior Elettrica is also a very maneuverable vehicle. The car can be pointed to the exact point you want to and that is a wonderful sensation to experience, much more fitting for a sports car.

Safety assistants are easy to turn off in the Alfa Junior thanks to the shortcut button on the dashboard. They aren't too bothersome so you don't really feel the need to turn them off all the time but it’s good that this procedure is simplified.

The rear-view camera has phenomenal quality and you get the shape of your surroundings as you reverse. This is a primitive version of a 360-degree camera, but we would rather just have the real thing.

Ride comfort

The ride is harsh and there is no way of hiding it. Bumpy roads and bad surfaces turn are readily felt inside the cabin. While this enables the amazing driving experience, we reckon in the segment of city-oriented vehicles most people would prefer extra comfort instead.

Tech features

Alfa Romeo uses the infotainment system many Stellantis models currently use and we've reviewed it on multiple models. It is a good system with a lot of functionalities and great responsiveness. A common downside is the small font for some of the settings, which makes finding the right buttons to press hard while driving.

The home screen menu is practical and gives you access to most of the applications and settings you might need. The fact there is a physical button you can always use to get to the home screen is a nice touch that adds practicality. You can also customize what is shown on it and in which part.

Even though there is a row of physical buttons for the climate controls, there is also a menu on the screen that has the exact same functions.

Alfa Romeo has preinstalled games you can play while waiting to charge to pass the time. Such features are becoming more popular and you can see why.

The navigation system isn't something special but works well and precisely. It also shows you if you need to recharge while travelling on longer routes and suggests charging stations along your way.

The ambient lighting inside is wonderful and even some much pricier and more premium vehicles can take a note on how Alfa has done it. There are a lot of colors available and they underline every piece of detail fabulously. The air vents, center console and the dashboard are illuminated to highlight the design and create a cozy setting inside.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available and eliminate the need of using most of the infotainment features and menus.

One thing that's highly irritating is the seat heating. Instead of being part of the row of climate control buttons or a fixed button on the screen like most manufacturers do, it is buried deep into the menus. You can add a shortcut for the drop-down menu or the home screen, but will still need to press multiple buttons just to turn it on or off. It is a terrible integration of a function that is meant to be quick and easy.

The gauge cluster display is well designed and shows all the needed information with big numbers and pictures that are easy to decipher while driving. You can also select the middle part to be whatever you like so that you can have exactly the information you need right in your line of sight.

The gauge cluster can display multiple pieces of information.

There are also several laouts for the display and they all look great. They can be selected based on the drive mode and add up to the entire experience.

The gauge cluster display can have a different outlook.

Cabin noise

The cabin of the Junior Elettrica is among the noisier we've experienced. It is not much worse than its direct rivals as the combination of a raised body, short wheelbase and cheap insulation means that you get a lot of wind and tire noise inside. Still, the Peugeot e-2008, which shares a platform with the Junior does significantly better.

Sound level tests are carried out with a specialized sound level meter placed in the car's cupholders. The test is conducted with air conditioning and radio off and while maintaining a steady speed.

Acceleration and braking

Even though the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce is the most powerful version of the model, it is far away from a drag monster by modern standards. With a sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 5.9 seconds in our test, the Alfa is slightly quicker than the manufacturer's claims. These results are respectable for the segment and are nothing to complain about.

Braking is highly impressive with just 32 m (104'11") and even more impressive is that this result is constant and was repeated multiple times in a row. The brake pedal is very sensitive and takes some getting used to, but if you use regenerative braking you will hardly ever need to use it. Sadly, there is no option to come to a complete stop with one-pedal driving.

Acceleration and deceleration are measured with a RaceBox device inside the car. Testing is done with a single person inside the car, with air conditioning and traction control off.

Consumption

The Alfa Junior Veloce can be classified as an "electricity guzzler" since it has sub-par efficiency for its category. It only yield decent ranges at low speeds and any sudden accelerations will noticeably increase the consumption. The small battery combined with the inefficient powertrain makes the Junior Elettrica Veloce one of the models with the lowest range we've ever tested. For our detailed opinion on the Junior’s efficiency check out our dedicated range test article.

We measure consumption by driving at constant speeds on an identical test route during the day. Testing is conducted with air conditioning, all safety systems and radio on. The data comes from the vehicle's board computer. Specific testing parameters such as ambient temperature are mentioned in the text on a case by case basis.

You can use the widget below to find out the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Junior's range in every combination of speed and temperature you might need. We've used our real world tests and a complex model to provide an estimate that should be as close to the actual performance as possible.

Charging speed

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce charges at up to 100 kW on a DC charger. We tested that and the advertised charging time of 10-80% in 30 minutes completely matched our testing results. This isn’t super fast these days, but it's good enough for the occassional trip beyond its single charge range.

Competition

The rivalry among small crossover electric vehicles is fierce and will continue growing based on the neverending customer demand. Alfa Romeo has managed to make the Junior distinct enough and give it way more character than the majority of available alternatives.

The first alternative you might want to consider is the Peugeot e-2008, which sits on the same platform, but utilizes it in a much different way. There is no powerful version of the Peugeot like the Veloce and it costs slightly more. What you get for the price is a more practical and refined interior with more usable space and better sound insulation. The Alfa has better material choices and a more appealing design inside and out.

Then there's the Smart #1, which has a wider range of motors available and offers RWD as base if that's what you prefer. The design of the Smart is much simpler and the interior quality isn't as good as on the Alfa. Passenger space is greater in the Smart, though, but Alfa takes the points for practicality with a much larger trunk.

Peugeot e-2008 SUV 2023 - • Smart #1 Pure / Pro 2024 -

Verdict

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce is a vehicle that feels like a breath of fresh air in the world of boring crossover EVs. It looks distinct on the outside and uses great materials inside to make the driver and passengers feel special. There are unique touches around the car that show it was made with passion, rather than just math. The driving experience is sublime for the segment and you can feel the Italian charisma coming from the car.

However, the Alfa Junior is flawed by design, especially in the Veloce trim, which explains the limited sales. It offers something customers don’t seem to want. Decent acceleration, but is only offered in FWD. It handles brilliantly, but has a harsh ride. It has fabulous bucket seats, but they limit practicality and negatively impact daily driving. It's just those everyday conveniences that a more boring approach to car design would have made sure are on board.

On its own, the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce is a good car. Sadly, it doesn’t stand up that well to rivals that have perfected the craft of the small crossover and falls in a gap between greatness and uselessness. Its virtues will thus likely remain underappreciated by the vast majority of intended buyers and can even be interpreted as downsides when looking for a city-oriented crossover. Still, the less powerful version, which is also significantly cheaper, comes a long way toward addressing the issues. Better range and less harsh ride, along with superior value for money should get it at least some chance.

Pros

• Great styling.
• Fantastic, supportive seats.
• Pretty interior with nice material choices at key areas.
• Good audio system.
• Great cornering and handling.
• Non-intrusive driver aids.

Cons

• Small and hard to access back seats.
• Stiff suspension.
• Blank switches even in top trim.
• No lights on sunvisor mirrors.
• Hard to operate ceiling lights.
• Complicated heated seats operation.