A mild hybrid that can drive in pure electric mode

Alfa Romeo Junior is the second mild hybrid car that I've tested and which can drive fully electric, albeit at lower speeds and with the accelerator pressed gently. But, for driving in a traffic jam or around the bloc at night, this is very impressive and translates into pretty good fuel economy.

The first mild hybrid car that I drove and that gave me a similar impression was the Jeep Avenger, also with a 1.2 liter PureTech engine from PSA, also a mild hybrid. But that one was a 100 horsepower model, probably limited from the software, and the exterior conditions were pretty rough aka a winter like we used to get in Bucharest.

On the Junior you'll also find a 1.2 liter 3 cylinder PureTech engine, but this time with 136 horsepower to play with and a healthy 230 Nm of torque. The car has two additional electric motors (on the front side, so no all-wheel-drive here), which add 9 more horses to help the petrol engine.

The individual power of each electric motor is 21 kW or around 28 HP and the traction battery is under 1 kWh in terms of capacity, but given that we're talking about a mild hybrid system running at 48 volts, they can get the car going in pure electric mode for a good-few minutes, if you press the accelerator gently and keep it constant.

For example, I was driving around the bloc one morning at speeds of less than 20 km/h for around 3-4 minutes, while I also reversed once because I got a bit lost, but what I want to emphasize is that the petrol engine didn't kick in once during that time. It only started when I reached the boulevard and I accelerated a bit more consistently.

For those unfamiliar, a mild hybrid system involves an electric motor at 48 volts with pretty limited power of at most 25-30 HP and torque that wouldn't rival too many old and entry-level cars, but there are a few exceptions. This is also the main reason why a mild hybrid car can't drive in pure electric mode, especially when accelerating. Sure, if you're already up to speed, even on the highway and you have the cruise control set to a certain speed and the car only needs to keep that speed, it will use the less powerful electric motors to do so no problem, which will help save some fuel, but not much.

At Stellantis, the engine system developed by the French engineers at PSA employs such a mild hybrid electric motor that manages to get the car going using only the electric power, which makes it feel very close to what a full hybrid would be. Another interesting thing is that you will also hear how the electric motor shifts through the gears when the car is running in pure silence and the same can be said when you are braking consistently, especially from higher speeds.

This is something I've mentioned in my test drive for the Jeep Avenger and it's a very interesting sensation, which is more perceived by gearheads, rather than your average driver.

What you need to know is that, if you drive this system efficiently, the way it was meant to be driven, you will get pretty good fuel economy even on the motorway, but especially in the city. One morning I drove for an hour in a packed, but not completely jammed traffic, and got to the destination around 16 kilometers away with a fuel consumption of 5.6 liters per 100 kilometers, which is very good for a car equipped with a mild hybrid system. I have to mention, however, that I didn't use the air conditioning, because it was not needed.

The same commute done in another day, on a rainy afternoon, resulted in a significantly higher 8.2 l/100 km, but in that day the air conditioning worked continuously and I wasn't used to the way the accelerator responded, meaning that the accelerations weren't as smooth.

The electric motors can operate the air conditioning system on their own, but this will drain the traction battery quicker, so the petrol engine will start more often to charge it.

In the city, I recommend using the advanced efficiency driving mode, which lowers the accelerator's response, without completely cutting the power, and which favors driving in electric mode.

For the moments where you want to have a bit more fun, the dynamic mode will ensure a more supported acceleration response and the suspension and steering will stiffen, while the normal driving mode is for the every-day commutes.

How dynamic is the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida

Alfa Romeo Junior, regardless of the version you pick, is a car made with city-driving in mind first and foremost (ok, maybe the Veloce model is an exception, but that has 280 horses under the bonnet). The one I had for testing was the base Ibrida, with a few optionals that were purely cosmetic.

On a longer journey, the Alfa Romeo Junior shows some of its limitations, but also a lot of its potential. On the motorway, the. car tends to get a bit noisy after 110 km/h, because of its hatchback shape, although it's clear that Italian engineers worked with soundproofing, since at lower speeds, you don't hear much.

The fact that it is a city SUV doesn't help much with the road balance at higher speeds and when you'll pass a large truck, you will feel that specific vacuum created by the gap between the tractor and the trailer, but that's also due to the weight of the car, a little over 1.300 kilograms. It doesn't mean that it's necessarily unstable, but rather not pleased to be driven very fast.

Instead, it really likes being taken around corners and on more winding roads, where you'll drive at around 70-100 km/h at most, where it'll be quieter and more stable. Around corners it's clear that this is an Alfa Romeo and it's pretty stable, with minimal roll for a city-focused SUV. If it was lower and has wider tires, the stability would have been even better, but it had to fit in this certain category.

You can pick between a set of 17 or 18 inch rims, I've had the 18 inch versions and I think they do a great job looking good and performing well, both dynamically and for comfort.

Like I said earlier, the car comes equipped with a 1.2 liter 3 cylinder engine outputting 136 HP, the most powerful version of this engine, helped by the two electric motors. This engine has in this case, just like the Jeep Avenger and all other new Stellantis models, chain timing belts, much more durable than the previously-used oil-soaked belt.

Behind the steering wheel you'll find the paddles for shifting between the 6 gears of the double clutch e-DCT gearbox, another important thing to appreciate on a car made by a dynamic-focused carmaker.

Interior space and technologies on the Alfa Romeo Junior

On the inside, the Junior is fairly spacious, despite what its name might suggest. Just like I saw on the Avenger, you'll find plenty of space for the passengers in the front, but a bit more limited for those in the back, while the trunk is very roomy at 415 liters. This is impressive for a subcompact SUV like this one, despite the coupe-like tailgate.

The seats that my car came equipped with were the ones made of textile materials with manual settings and no heating to speak of, but they were pretty comfortable, without any armchair expectations. Simply put, these seats will adapt pretty well to your body and they offer a bit of side support, as well, but on the superior versions you'll find more "sculpted" seats. Their design, nevertheless, is chic, and they sport the brand's logo on the headrest and the seat itself, which adds to the design factor.

Otherwise, the materials on the interior are nice, if not premium. You'll find some soft materials on the door and other than that, good quality plastic with varied textures, softer or more rugged, depending on the surface that it covers. You will also find the same softer synthetic material on some of the dashboard, as well as the center console and the armrest.

Speaking of the center console, it's very roomy itself offering plenty of space to put your things and there is even a dedicated spot for your phone, flanked by 2 USB-A ports. Also, the center console houses the buttons for starting/stopping the engine, gear selector, the electric handbrake (without autohold) and the drive mode selector with the 3 specific modes.

The dashboard and the center tablet are similar to those on the Avenger, meaning they are simple, but easy to use. I still believe that navigating through the dashboard's display is a bit difficult, because it's being done through the two levers behind the wheel and not by buttons on the actual steering wheel. The upside to this is that the steering wheel is very clean and the buttons found there are physical and are the ones that matter. So, you will find on the steering wheel buttons for volume and the adaptive cruise control settings, as well as for activating the speed limiter and answering or declining phone calls.

The car benefits from Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which should work flawlessly. I used CarPlay and there was no delay, everything was smooth and bug-free.

The base version of the Junior that I've tested costs 26.000 euros, but there are a few things missing that I consider to be essential on a new car, especially on an Alfa Romeo. My testing unit came with parking sensors only in the rear and there was no reverse camera to speak of. Also, on my Alfa, there was no blind spot monitoring, meaning that the side mirrors weren't automatically defrosted, but they had electric adjusting. On the superior trims, called Q4 and Speciale, you get them, alongside a leather-wrapped steering wheel instead of the synthetic leather one that I had, but which still feels fine.

Also, on the base version of the Junior, you get a 4 speaker no-name system, while on the upper trims you get two more drivers, but still no brand associated with the sound signature. Still, even the base sound system has a pleasant sound, it is only missing a bit of the low-end rumble, but that's it.

Who is the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida for

Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida is an easy choice for those that had an Alfa before and still want an Alfa, but in the shape of a small city-focused SUV, as these are popular among drivers that commute to work and back home and that drive their kids to school.

The competition is very fierce in this segment, not just from other brands, such as Volkswagen with the T-Cross or Toyota with its Yaris Cross, but also from Stellantis' own offering. The Peugeot 2008, the Citroen C3 or the Jeep Avenger that we tested are just a few of the models that Junior competes against to earn its place in your garage. If it will manage that it's completely up to your preferences and what you're looking for in this type of city car, but if you want something more dynamic, surprisingly spacious and comfortable with the spirit of an Alfa Romeo, then Junior might be an easy choice.

If you decide to buy it, please pick at least the Ibrida Q4 version, so that you can get access to some important optionals, but the price will also climb by a few thousand euros.