- Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida; quick road test review
- Hybrid crossover has impressive handling
- Aggressive styling without expensive running costs
- Lease the Junior Ibrida now with Select Car Leasing
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Looking to lease something ‘hot’ without it burning a hole through your wallet? Then you should check out the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida.
The Alfa Romeo Junior is available to lease in two distinct flavours - as the fully-electric Junior Elettrica or as the mild-hybrid Ibrida.
It’s the Ibrida model we’re focusing on here, having recently enjoyed a spirited test drive in one at the famous Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.
Is the Junior Ibrida as hot as its electric sibling? Is it practical enough for families? And, more importantly, should you lease this compact Alfa Romeo?
Keep reading and we’ll answer five pertinent questions:
What is the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida?
The Junior is Alfa Romeo’s most compact and most affordable offering. It’s a stylish hatchback-SUV crossover built with trademark Italian flair and which you could almost consider a pint-sized version of the Alfa Romeo Tonale SUV.
The Junior was launched as a fully-electric model, the ‘Elettrica’, which gets a range of around 250 miles between charges and can also be enjoyed in properly hot ‘Veloce’ guise, which comes with 280 hp and the ability to sprint from 0-62 mph in just 6.0 seconds.
The ‘Ibrida’ incarnation of the Junior is not fully electric… though it is electrified. Instead it’s a mild-hybrid, with a small battery and electric motor supporting a traditional 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
It’s nowhere near as potent as its electric Junior sibling - but with cheeky Italian looks and a smile-inducing burble from twin exhausts, the hybrid Ibrida still makes a compelling case for itself.
The exterior styling is bang on the money, with Alfa lettering on the front grille and the firm’s famous snake logo written emblazoned on the side of the car itself.
A large 415-litre boot trumps lots of similarly-sized hatchbacks and turns the Ibrida into a genuine contender as your next family car, too.
Is the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida a hybrid?
The Alfa Romeo Junior is mild-hybrid. And if you want greener motoring without having to go fully-electric, it’s a powertrain set-up that makes an awful lot of sense for a whole lot of lease customers.
The hybrid system never needs to be plugged in as it charges itself.
It’s underpinned by a 1.2-litre petrol engine and 21 kW electric motor that’s integrated into a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Power of 136 hp translates to a 0-62 mph acceleration time of around 8.9 seconds, which isn’t particularly scintillating, but (as we explain below) it’s still heaps of fun to drive.
That electrified powertrain also means you get fuel economy close to 60 mpg, which is very decent indeed if you’re looking for a sporty commuter or family car without the big fuel and insurance costs associated with hotter hatches and crossovers.
Is the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida good to drive?
After road testing the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida, we can confirm that it boasts a level of road-going handling that’s rare for the class.
At motorway speeds, the Junior Ibrida is as cool as a cucumber, calm, composed and thoroughly settled. There’s a bit of wind noise at higher speeds, but it’s still a car that’d be easy to live with if you cover a lot of highway miles.
It’s when you point that Ibrida at twisty roads where it really comes alive.
As we’ve pointed out above, 136 hp (even for the range-topping models) isn’t a massive amount of power in the grand scheme of things. But as cars like the Mazda MX-5 proves, motoring enjoyment isn’t all about horsepower.
The mild-hybrid powertrain is surprisingly potent, particularly lower down the rev range, while 230 Nm of torque also helps you to get a wriggle on when overtaking slower-moving traffic.
It’s a powertrain that also impressed us in the Fiat 600 Hybrid (Fiat and Alfa Romeo are both owned by Stellantis and the two cars are closely related, as is the Jeep Avenger) and, like the Fiat, things feel a lot brisker than the 0-62 mph stats (officially 8.9 seconds) tell you.
There’s little in the way of body roll, there’s a decent amount of feedback through the steering wheel, and it rewards those with a heavier right foot. The 'Dynamic' drive mode sharpens the throttle response and elevates the experience further.
A throaty roar from the exhaust will have you chuckling, too, and definitely puts the Junior Ibrida firmly into the ‘mild hatch’ (if not the full fat ‘hot hatch’) bracket.
The other great thing about this particular mild-hybrid is that it’s capable of moving in pure EV mode; only at slow speeds and for short distances, but it’s useful enough when it comes to creeping along in stop-start traffic or for noise-free parking.
What’s the interior like in the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida?
The Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida’s cabin is (like the powertrain and handling) something of a pleasant surprise.
Moody red ambient lighting catches the eye, as do the seats swathed in red stitching
There are soft touch materials either side of the central console and (for the purists) physical buttons abound, particularly underneath the large touchscreen.
Speaking of which, the infotainment system supports loads of games, including hangman, meaning you’re unlikely to get bored waiting for your drive-thru takeout.
A compact, chunky steering wheel feels reassuring when gripped and the rest of the interior feels similarly well bolted together.
What equipment comes as standard on the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida?
There are two trim levels to choose from when you lease the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida.
The entry-level is simply called the ‘Ibrida’, and it ain’t short of kit.
You get, as standard, 17-inch alloys, twin 10.25 inch screens, wireless smartphone mirroring, paddle shifters on the steering wheel, rear parking sensors, and safety tech like adaptive cruise control.
After that, you can then add various packs (which you’ll see listed next to the various cars available to lease with Select).
The ‘Sport’ pack unlocks goodies like a sports steering wheel, unique exterior styling and Sabelt seats clad in Alcantara.
The ‘Technology’ pack brings you extras like a reversing camera, keyless entry, uprated sound system, keyless entry and LED projector headlamps.
And the ‘Premium’ pack adds a plusher leather steering wheel, black painted body kit, and posher, massaging seats.
The range-topping ‘Intensa’ trim level, meanwhile, comes pre-loaded with Alcantara upholstery, larger 18-inch alloys, and the LED ambient lighting which we loved on our test model.
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