2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale vs. 2024 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring PHEV

2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The all-new 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale is a 285-horsepower small crossover SUV with Italian flair and up to 33 miles of fully electric range. As the Alfa Romeo brand struggles with low U.S. sales, it’s counting on the Tonale plug-in hybrid to drive fresh interest – and the ingredients sound quite promising. 

To fully evaluate the new Alfa, we spent a week testing both the Tonale and a competing luxury PHEV: the Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring. In this review, we’ll compare the Tonale and Corsair in each of eight categories, then name our overall winner. Keep reading to see which one we chose and which one sounds like the right hybrid luxury SUV for you.

Pricing and Features

Every Tonale sold in the U.S. is the “eAWD” plug-in hybrid, starting with the base Sprint model ($42,995). That’s a huge difference from the Corsair. The Lincoln’s base trim levels, while costing as little as $38,830, have gas-only engines and the PHEV powertrain is limited to the top-of-the-line Corsair Grand Touring. It starts at $53,925. 

Now, the Tonale comes with far fewer features than the Corsair – cloth upholstery, a six-speaker stereo, and a manually operated liftgate are unusual items on a luxury SUV. A Tonale with leather upholstery is already at least $47,000. What’s more, the Corsair but not the Tonale qualifies for a $3,750 federal tax credit for certain U.S.-built plug-in vehicles. And the Corsair has a longer list of available features, like massaging seats and Lincoln’s BlueCruise hands-free driving system. But overall, the lower-priced Tonale is the value winner. 

Winner: Alfa Romeo Tonale 

2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Exterior Design

The Tonale and Corsair are almost identically sized compact luxury crossovers, but they look nothing alike. The Corsair is a gentle, genteel design SUV with rounded edges, a gracefully tapering windowline, a forward-leaning rear windshield, blacked-out roof pillars, and a classically Lincoln rear lightbar. An update last year made its chromed grille larger, but the Corsair is still more stately than aggressive. 

The Tonale, meanwhile, looks like a hot hatchback on stilts. It also avoids too many hard edges, but its headlights squint menacingly toward the classic triangular Alfa grille. And the rear of the car has subtly powerful haunches that evoke a Porsche Macan. Another distinction we’ll note is that while both SUVs share parts with mainstream-brand models (the Tonale with the Dodge Hornet and the Corsair with the Ford Escape), the Alfa is a dead-ringer for its cousin except for the grille, while the Lincoln looks entirely different. But overall, the winner comes down to your preference for a sporty vibe or an elegant one. 

Winner: Tie

2023 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Design

The aesthetic differences continue into the Tonale and Corsair’s interiors. But in this case, we feel comfortable declaring a winner: the Lincoln. 

The Corsair’s gracious dashboard includes a big, easy-to-use 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen plus thoughtfully arranged physical controls. A couple of materials look richer than others and our test vehicle had a few squeaks, but the overall ambiance is luxury-grade and relaxing. The Tonale’s cabin, meanwhile, is sportier looking, less swanky, and much less user-friendly. The 10.1-inch touchscreen requires precise taps on small icons for everyday features like heated seats. The wireless smartphone charger kept losing connection to the phone every few seconds (and covering up the screen display to update this progress). The trip computer frequently understated miles per gallon and overstated electric range. And various driver aids temporarily flashed warning lights during our weeklong test before going back to normal. The Corsair’s interior isn’t as spunky as the Tonale’s sporty dash, but we think everyone will appreciate the Lincoln’s ease of use. Lincoln also provides a broader array of colors, while every Tonale has a black dashboard. 

Winner: Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring

2023 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Passenger Space and Comfort

The Tonale is a small SUV, but it’s not a cramped one. Adults can fit in both the front and rear seats, and unlike some sporty crossovers, you sit up high in this Alfa Romeo. Still, it’s cozy. There isn’t room to stretch out or spread out. 

The Corsair is more accommodating. Not only is it roomier in both the front and rear seating areas, but it’s also available with Lincoln’s “Perfect Position” seats with up to 24-way power adjustability and a choice of five massage settings. The Tonale may be comfortable, but the Corsair is decadent. Do note that the Corsair Grand Touring gives up a bit of rear legroom to the gas-only Corsair, due to the positioning of the PHEV battery, but it's still more spacious than the Tonale. 

Winner: Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring

2023 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Cargo and Utility

The Corsair’s size difference is even more apparent when you’re ready to carry cargo. The Lincoln fits 26.9 cubic feet behind its rear seat and 56.2 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. That’s not incredible for a compact luxury crossover, but it’s class-competitive.

The Tonale, meanwhile, feels significantly tighter – especially with the rear seat in use. Its 22.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat is particularly limiting if you don’t remove the rigid cargo cover. We felt the pinch when trying to load up suitcases (and ended up leaving the cargo cover behind). And folding the rear seat provides a maximum of 50.5 cubic feet. The Corsair isn’t hugely spacious, but it has a bit more breathing room when you’re packing. Also, the Lincoln can tow up to 3,000 pounds while the Tonale’s own (already respectable) limit is 2,000 pounds. 

Winner: Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring

2023 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Range and Mileage

Though it costs less than the Corsair, the Tonale has the bigger electric battery – and that gives it a longer range per charge. In EPA testing, the Alfa Romeo can travel 33 miles without needing its gasoline engine, while the Lincoln manages 27 miles. In chilly fall weather, we averaged about 32 miles in the Tonale and 22 miles in the Corsair, and the Lincoln’s engine switched on more frequently even when the battery was charged. 

If you’ll frequently exceed the electric range, the Corsair does have the advantage. The EPA pegs it at 33 mpg using gasoline versus 29 mpg from the Tonale. (We averaged 31 mpg in the Lincoln and 28 mpg in the Alfa Romeo.) But we’re more impressed with the Alfa Romeo’s ability to get around gas-free for a longer distance. 

Winner: Alfa Romeo Tonale 

2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ride and Handling

The Tonale and Corsair drive the way you might expect from their styling. The Tonale is lively and fun, while the Corsair is smooth and comfortable. 

Particularly in our Veloce test vehicle with an adaptive suspension system, the Tonale proved eager and responsive around corners yet also decently smooth-riding. The ride is firm but not uncomfortably stiff. Still, the Corsair is cushier and quieter. The Lincoln’s ride isn’t perfect either, but it’s more relaxing than the Alfa Romeo. The Corsair is decently agile, but the light steering is meant for two-fingered driving more than back-roads hustling. Or, if you use the optional BlueCruise system on one of the 100,000 miles of approved highways, you can set the Corsair to drive fully hands-free. You know whether you prefer a car that makes things fun or one that takes things easy. 

Winner: Tie 

2023 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Acceleration

Alfa Romeo wasn’t kidding about Veloce. The Tonale is a feisty little SUV that’s eager to burst off the line, growling to 60 mph in an estimated 6 seconds flat. Its turbocharged engine pairs with its electric motors for a total output of 285 horsepower and a mighty 347 lb-ft of torque. 

Lincoln takes a more relaxed approach to acceleration. The Corsair Grand Touring has a non-turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine that works with electric motors to generate 266 hp and an unspecified but certainly less hearty amount of torque. Expect to take an extra second to reach 60 mph, and with the engine humming hoarsely if you drive it hard. The Tonale rewards you for driving fast, while the Corsair – while not slow – rewards you for driving gently. 

Winner: Alfa Romeo Tonale 

2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale is a spunky, fun-to-drive luxury crossover that happens to also be a fuel-saving plug-in hybrid. With a lower starting price, broader model range, and longer all-electric range, it can seem like the obvious choice over the 2024 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring. And to many buyers, this blend of efficiency and driving enjoyment is the perfect alternative to an everyday luxury SUV. 

Still, we think more people will prefer the Lincoln. Roomier, cushier, and more opulently finished than the Tonale, it’s an economical take on a more conventional luxury vehicle. It regains points on value and efficiency if you were looking for all its standard features and when you take a longer trip between charges. And we also welcomed its easy-to-use controls and the fact that everything simply worked – no fuss. The Corsair isn’t speedy, and not as many people can get around without burning any gasoline as they could in the Tonale. But if you’re interested in a comfortable, upscale SUV that cuts your fuel usage, the Corsair Grand Touring PHEV is an easy vehicle to fit into your life. 

Winner: Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring

2023 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring ・ Photo by Brady Holt