New Alfa Romeo Junior launched in South Africa – Pricing and features
Alfa Romeo has officially launched the new Junior in South Africa.
Originally called the Milano, the carmaker had to change the name after the Italian government threatened legal action.
It argued that the vehicle cannot be named after an Italian city, given that it is built in Poland, and that this was against Italian law.
Consequently, Alfa changed the name of its new crossover to the Junior.
In any case, the Junior has finally arrived in South Africa with an initial offering of two models.
On paper, it is the brand’s new entry-level car, as it is smaller than the Tonale and Stelvio, but this is complicated by the fact that the Junior is Alfa’s first fully-electric vehicle, with prices starting at R799,900.
Powertrain
In South Africa, the Junior is being offered exclusively in its electric form with two variants – the Electtrica and Veloce.
In other markets, the Italian crossover also has access to an “Ibrida” spec with a mild hybrid 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine, but Stellantis has given no indication that we will receive this option.
As for the EVs, both units feature a single front-mounted electric motor, though the output varies.
The Electtrica generates 115kW and 260Nm, which lets it accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 9.0 seconds, and reach a top speed of 152km/h.
It also has a 54kWh battery, which gives it a range of 410km.
Alternatively, you can pick up the Veloce, which has substantially more power at 207kW and 345Nm.
This gives the compact SUV hot hatch-level performance with a 0-100km/h time of 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 200km/h.
The catch is that the battery is the same size, and the added power means the range is reduced to 334km.
It supports 11kW AC charging speeds, which will top up the cells in five hours and 45 minutes, but you can also use a 100kW DC charger that achieves 80% in less than 30 minutes.
Features
The Junior is 4,173mm long, 1,781mm wide, and 1535mm tall, equivalent to other compact SUVs like the Opel Mokka, Kia Sonet, and VW T-Cross.
As you’d expect from an Alfa, the styling is quite striking with a black lower front grille, three-point LED daytime running light clusters, automatic Matrix LED headlights, and a V-shaped “shield” above the grille.
On the Elettrica, the word Alfa Romeo is written on the shield, while the Veloce has a cut-out in the shape of the brand’s Cross and Serpent logo.
The Electtrica has 18-inch alloy wheels, while the Veloce gets larger 20-inch rims, red brake calipers, a two-tone paint scheme, and tinted rear windows.
Standard features on the crossover include keyless entry and start, a hands-free tailgate, blue-and-black “Icona” fabric seats, an artificial leather multifunction steering wheel, a wireless charger, a six-speaker stereo, automatic climate control, a 10.25-inch customizable digital driver display, and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It also comes with a Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance System with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera.
On top of this, the Veloce adds electric seats with ventilation and massage functions, partial suede upholstery, ambient lighting, and the aforementioned visual and performance upgrades.
Pricing
The South African pricing for the new Alfa Romeo Junior is as follows:
This includes a 5-year/100,000km warranty, a 5-year/100,000km service plan, and an 8-year/150,000km battery warranty.
Alfa Romeo Junior
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