2023 Alfa Romeo Tonale First Look: Alfa’s Small SUV Is Finally Here

I did not win the efficiency contest here in Immendingen, Germany, home of the sprawling Test Center of Mercedes-Benz even though I had a handicap: the supremely slippery Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX, a drivable concept car that can travel more than 1,200 km (745 miles) on a single charge.The problem was not the car, it was me. I could not help busting out of the recommended conservative driving habits to gun it when the speed limits on the handling course allowed, which hurt my score, as did the need for manual braking when a speed limit was momentarily exceeded, prompting a warning. The benchmark was 7.9 miles per kWh; I recorded only 6.4 kWh of average consumption over the 10-mile course. On the plus side, after each burst of acceleration, I used the most aggressive of the four settings for regenerative braking and racked up more than three times the extra energy and range of the benchmark driver.Which is to say, the beauty of the EQXX is that it can be fun, with a mighty torque pull, as well as efficient—I still recorded a single-digit consumption figure—so best of both worlds.And that is good because this Vision concept is the future of Mercedes EVs. The learnings and stylings will show up in new vehicles coming in 2025 and beyond from the new Mercedes Modular Architecture or MMA. The EQXX is a street-legal prototype and the only one of its kind in the world. At 110.2 inches, it is a compact car, roughly the same wheelbase as the Mercedes-Benz EQB.Its impressive range, beating the Lucid Air Grand Touring's 516 miles and the Tesla Model S Long Range at 405 miles per EPA, is attributable to a number of factors. The EQXX has a 100-kWH battery pack, similar to the one in the Mercedes-Benz EQS large sedan, but in the EQXX concept the unit is half the size and weighs 30 percent less, the cells are packaged differently and it has a carbon fiber top cover. The anodes use more silicon and hold more energy. While the rest of the Mercedes EV lineup have a 400-volt system, and some competitors have 800V, the EQXX system is more than 900V. Stumbling onto the Teardrop ShapeThe design team came up with the car's teardrop shape with the rear track two inches narrower than the front, a tapered cabin, and a long tail with an active diffuser which extends almost 8 inches. "We didn't set out to create this shape, we found it," Malte Sievers, project manager for the Vision EQXX tells us.The result: a claimed drag coefficient of 0.17—more streamlined than a football—making the EQXX the most efficient model Mercedes, or perhaps anyone, has built. It could become a car for the ages as 0.17 will be hard to beat, physics is physics, says Sievers. And this slippery missile could never be built if it had to accommodate an internal combustion engine. "The whole thing falls apart," he says. "It shows the capability EVs brings to the industry."Engineers say 62 percent of the EQXX's efficiency is from aerodynamics; meaning every change to aero affects everything else by 62 percent. You can make changes to rolling resistance, for example, but your efforts will never impact more than 20 percent of the total efficiency. And everything else amounts to an 18 percent impact. The team looked at every part to see if it was necessary and if so, how to make it light, efficient, and not heat up. The cooling plate underneath allows the car to be cooled by airflow and the overall efficiency means there is little to cool.The summation of all the engineering efforts is a car where 95 percent of the energy sent from the battery makes its way to the wheels. For reference, the EQS sends 90 percent of its energy to the wheel well, which means the team had to make the EQXX twice as efficient.First Outsiders to Drive the Mercedes-Benz EQXXWe were part of a media program that let non-Mercedes people drive the Vision EQXX for the first time. To date, only Mercedes employees have put it through its paces. That includes two road trips, the first April 5 from Singelfingen, Germany, to Cassis in northern Italy, 1,008 km (626 miles) and using 8.7 kWh/100 km or 7.1 miles per kWh, with 140 km (87 miles) left at the finish. The second run, June 21-22, was from Stuttgart to Silverstone in France, a distance of 1,202 km (747 miles) in summer heat requiring the air conditioning to run for 11 hours. Average consumption was 8.3 kWh/100 km or 7.5 miles/kWh, and it included 11 laps on the track when the car reached Silverstone to empty the remaining energy.To work out the bugs, the team created a test mule by squeezing a 100-kW battery, DC/DC converter and DC charging controls, battery management system, other aspects of the EQXX powertrain, as well as testing equipment, into a Mercedes-Benz EQB. The mule is known as EMMA (the MMA for Mercedes Modular Architecture). EMMA made the Sindelfingen to Cassis trip first in a test run with its share of breakdowns, a learning curve that proved to be a total success as the EQXX did not have a single mishap in either of its long-distance tests.We drove EMMA, who was a little clunky as the suspension was not adapted for the weighty equipment added or the fact that most of it bears down on the rear axle, throwing off the balance.Then we hopped in the EQXX which was much quieter, balanced, nimble, and downright supple by comparison, riding on Ultralight 20-inch forged magnesium wheels with Bridgestone Turanza tires that are also lightweight and have ultra-low-rolling resistance. The car cornered nice and flat, the suspension was not challenged by the course, but neither did it stumble.Impressive Regenerative BrakingBoth cars have one-pedal driving with four degrees of regenerative braking—mild, two aggressive settings, and the option to have no reclamation at all, which works infinitely better on the EQXX. On one long straight in EMMA, we turned off regen and saw our speed drop about 9 mph within seconds. In the EQXX the speed never dropped at all.Manual braking was harsher in EMMA, it was less grabby in the EQXX, but engineers wince if a foot ever touched that pedal because it means energy is being lost. We used the most aggressive regen setting for most of the EQXX drive; it was highly effective without being too harsh.There is a satisfying weight to the EQXX's steering and the vehicle is not flighty at all. Input and response are nicely married. Acceleration on the 21-minute lap was not neck-snapping but the car picked up speed quicky and smoothly. It was easy to exceed the course's varying speed limits that were being closely monitored.The big takeaway is that it felt like a production model more so than a concept.Attempting the ImpossibleThe EQXX prototype was pulled together in 18 months, a project launched with a request in June 2020 from the board of management to build an electric vehicle capable of driving 1,000 km (621 miles) on a single charge. Almost all the teams involved worked to achieve the seemingly impossible target of 10 kWh/100 km, Sievers said. The car relied on expertise from Mercedes' Formula 1 and Formula E race engineering groups as well as the research department and production development team.There are 117 heavy solar panels on the roof that send energy into a 12V system that powers many of the car's ancillaries which equates to a roughly 25-km (15-mile) bump in range. Engineers say the energy gains from the panels are greater than the losses due to the extra weight.You cannot see out the glass of the back window; nor are there cameras for the rearview mirror—they would consume too much energy.It all adds up to a highly efficient EQXX that exceeded the mandate.Loving the Luxury InteriorThe beautiful navy and white interior of the EQXX is serene and modern without looking too sci-fi or clinically cold, with sustainable vegan materials that look high end. There are 47.5 inches of curved OLED screen, perfect for using the real-time 3D navigation display—but only when absolutely necessary. The mini LEDs that backlight and dim the screen make for crackling crisp graphics. Dimming zones save power by not illuminating the parts of the screen not in use; there is zero energy consumption when the LEDs shut themselves off.Mercedes provides eco guidance. The car knows the route conditions of the trip programmed into the nav system and tells the driver to speed up or slow down to be more efficient. The driver can look at data to show energy usage, solar energy produced, air pressure and wind direction, and forecast how much energy the trip will require. Almost ready for production is an Intelligent Avator to suggest movies to watch or restaurants to stop at, saving the driver from scrolling through menus on the screen and using energy.They are tools I clearly need. Said the engineer who tried to keep a straight face as he analyzed the data spikes in my EQXX run: "I think you had fun." Then he confirmed Mercedes would not be hiring me anytime soon for their EV testing.BASE PRICE Not for sale LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD, 2+2-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE  MOTOR  DC DC induction, electric, 100-kWh battery TRANSMISSION  1-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 3,900 lb (mfr)  WHEELBASE 110.2 in L x W x H 195.9 x 73.6 x 53.1 in 0-60 MPH EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 250 mpg-e (est) EPA RANGE, COMB 747 miles ON SALE never Show All

We've all known a Ford Bronco Raptor was coming, but nobody in the public Broncosphere has known for sure how Ford Performance planned to endow the Bronco with F-150 Raptor-worthy performance—would it do so using an EcoBoost V-6 (and if so, which one?) or a Coyote V-8? Well, now we know: The Ford Performance gang has worked its magic on the 3.0-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 from the Explorer ST, modifying it extensively to suit the Bronco Raptor's mission, which is to "reward the revs." (For more on the V-6/V-8 decision, head here.)That means the engine should produce meaningful power all the way out to the far reaches of the tachometer while the standard 10-speed automatic transmission's gearing ensures that power is easy to explore the top of the tach. Here's what it took to turn a family SUV motor into a desert stormer for a hardcore 4x4, plus the modifications needed to get that power safely routed to the ground.What's Under the Bronco Raptor's Hood?You'll recall that the 3.0-liter EcoBoost is basically a bored and stroked EcoBoost Nano family sibling of the compacted-graphite-iron-block 2.7-liter powering other Broncos, so it bolts in with relative ease. Relative to the Explorer application, this Bronco Raptor 3.0 features unique cylinder heads that eliminate the exhaust-gas recirculation and emphasize maximum air flow into and out of the engine.A giant high-flow intake airbox and filter drop air straight down into the turbos on each side, helping to reduce the overall restriction on the low-pressure side by 50 percent. The turbos themselves are new for the Raptor, and the plumbing to, from, and through the intercooler is improved to lower restriction. The combustion chambers flow more air, then aft of the turbos there is a full true dual exhaust system with 2.7-inch pipes and a new-to-Bronco four-position active-valve (Quiet, Normal, Sport, and Baja) that reportedly helps deliver a total drop in backpressure of 20 percent.The combined effect of all these mods is greater "boost durability," which means the boost sustains to enhance high-end power and prevents that feeling of power falling off a cliff as you near the engine redline. The new Baja drive mode also activates an anti-lag turbo calibration that further maximizes performance during high-speed desert running. As of press time, the team is still six weeks or so from finalizing the engine's state of tune and certifying it with the EPA, but we're assured it will make north of 400 horsepower. Considering this engine makes 400 hp at 5,500 rpm and 415 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm in the Explorer ST, we'd expect a healthy increase in peak power, probably at a higher rpm, with peak torque rising less but remaining available over a wider plateau (final calibrations are underway with peak output specs expected by late February).Driveline ModsIt takes a lot more torque to get a big 37-inch tire spinning than it does a 30-inch 255/70R16 or even a 35-inch 315/70R17 Sasquatch tire—especially if one tire ends up pulling the entire vehicle, due to locked axles and slippery conditions under the other three tires. Then there's the driveline shock that comes when a big, spinning tire suddenly finds traction and stops or slows upon landing from, say, a jump. To cope with these magnified driveline forces, both front halfshafts and both ends of the stronger front drive shaft get beefy constant-velocity joints—no simple universal joints here. The outer hubs and bearings are also strengthened.Following the torque aft, the rear drive shaft is also beefed up and it feeds a stronger new Dana 50 Heavy-Duty AdvanTEKrear axle (up from a Dana 44) made of thicker (9-mm) steel tubes capped at each end by a unique forging that helps widen the track. The differential is fitted with a bigger, stronger 235 ring gear (up from 220) and pinion, retaining the Sasquatch model's 4.70:1 axle ratio. Ford Performance developed both these axles and fits them to the Bronco DR race truck. They increase the track width by 8.2 inches front, 6.7 inches rear, relative to the Sasquatch package.Upstream of all this, the transfer case gets a stronger clutch for 4A automatic on-demand engagement, but it carries over the 3.06:1 low-range ratio and overall 67.8:1 crawl ratio. The standard 10-speed automatic is unchanged but for a revised torque converter and the addition of a second transmission oil cooler.Fearless Bronco Raptor 0-60 Time PredictionFord doesn't estimate acceleration times, but it says the base Bronco Raptor's curb weight should come in just under 5,750 pounds. If we conservatively estimate engine output at 430 horsepower, that gives a weight-to-power ratio of 13.4 pounds/horsepower. That's almost exactly what we measured on the last Ford F-150 Raptor 37 pickup we tested (13.3 lb/hp), and that full-size truck took 5.6 seconds to hit 60 mph on the same tires, with virtually the same transmission and a slightly taller axle ratio. So we're guessing the smaller truck will improve on that just slightly and lay down a 5.5-second 0-60 time, shaving at least a second off the quickest Bronco time we've measured.

No filter. That's the best way to describe what it's like to drive the Morgan Super 3. In most modern vehicles, from a Porsche 911 GT3 to a Tesla Model 3 to a Ford F-150, you're protected by an invisible electronic army, digital shape shifters that seem to warp the laws of physics, changing not just your perception of the road, but also of your talent behind the wheel.Not in the Morgan Super 3. Driving the Super 3 is, essentially, driving the way it used to be, before stability control and lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control established their guardrails of ones and zeros, when the wind streamed through your hair and your elbows stuck out over the bodywork as you wrestled with the steering wheel through turns. It's raw, and it's real.Make the perfect heel-and-toe downshift in the Morgan Super 3, carve the perfect corner, and you know it's all down to you. Make a mistake, and you own it. No filter. And that's what makes the Morgan Super 3 such an irresistible little sports car.The three-wheeled Super 3 takes Morgan back to its roots. The first car this eccentric English automaker built 113 years ago was a three-wheeler, a single driven wheel at the back, and two up front for better steering and stability. Indeed, Morgan built nothing but three-wheelers until 1936 and didn't end full-time production of three-wheeled cars until 1952.The three-wheeler concept was revived in 2012 with the determinedly retro Three-Wheeler, which was powered by an air-cooled, American-made S&S V-twin motorcycle engine mounted transversely across the nose of the car, echoing the powertrain format and layout of Morgan three-wheelers built until 1939.The Super 3 might channel Morgan's origins, but it's anything but a retro car. Look past the number of wheels and lack of electronic frippery, and the rest of it is a thoroughly modern machine.The chassis is a superformed aluminum monocoque, Morgan's first ever. Bolted to the front of it is a large cast aluminum structure that cradles the engine and provides all the pickup points for the multilink front suspension. The single rear wheel is located by a twin-beam swingarm with coil-over shocks on either side, and the beetle-backed bodywork enveloping it is, yes, also superformed aluminum.The floorpan is a non-structural aluminium piece that allows for future powertrain upgrades, including full electric drive.Speaking of drive, the Super 3 rekindles a relationship with Ford Motor Company and Morgan three-wheelers dating back to the F-Series Three-Wheeler built between 1933 and 1952 that was powered by Ford side-valve engines. Under the stubby hood of the Super 3 is a naturally aspirated version of Ford's light and compact 1.5-liter, three-cylinder Dragon engine, used in turbocharged form in the Ford Bronco Sport, as well as the European-spec Ford Focus and Fiesta hatchbacks.The Ford engine drives the Super 3's single rear wheel through a Mazda Miata five-speed manual transmission connected to a bevel box and carbon-fiber-reinforced drive belt. The engine produces 118 hp at 6,500 rpm and 110 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm, which makes the Morgan Super 3 the second-least-powerful car we've driven since the 89-hp Smart ForTwo. (The other car? The 2020 Toyota Yaris XLE, which pumps out 106 hp.) None holds a feeble candle in the wind to Mitsubishi's Mirage, the least powerful new car for sale in America today, which is equipped with a 78-hp 1.2-liter triple.But the headline output numbers don't tell the full story. Because the Morgan weighs little more than 1,400 pounds, those modest outputs deliver spritely performance. The company claims the Super 3 will scoot to 60 mph in about 7.0 seconds and hit a top speed of 130 mph.It feels much faster. That's because the Morgan Super 3 delivers such an elemental, visceral, almost heroic driving experience. It rides so low, you can simply reach over the side and touch the tarmac with your fingertips. It has no roof, no doors, and only vestigial aero screens to keep the bugs out of your teeth.You see the front wheels shimmy and shake and swivel and feel the feedback through the non-assisted steering. You sense millimetric lateral motions through your butt as the single rear tire rides the bumps and cambers the front wheels straddle.The little Ford triple pulls smoothly from low revs, but it really starts percolating from about 3,000 rpm and spins happily to 6,900 rpm, emitting a throaty bark from the optional sport exhaust that exits just past your right ear. The Mazda five-speed transmission is as snickety-snick quick and crisp through the ratios as ever, and the bottom-hinged pedals are beautifully weighted and aligned, perfect dancing partners for your feet.There's a lovely economy about the Morgan Super 3's controls, from the quick throw of the shifter and the short arc of the clutch pedal to the meaty feel of the brake pedal and the lively throttle response. The expressive steering initially feels low geared even though it's only 2.5 turns lock-to-lock. It's then you realize the Super 3 doesn't have a particularly tight turning circle—no bad thing when there are only three wheels on your wagon.It feels a little odd to drive quickly at first, the Morgan Super 3. But you quickly learn that's all part of the three-wheeler experience. The default handling mode is mild understeer, the bespoke, vintage-profile 130/90 Avon Speedmaster tires on the modernist 20-inch alloy wheels hardly offering the footprint to promote instant turn-in responsenor overcome the thrust from the rear wheel.That said, the Super 3 is unlike any four-wheel car when you do get on the power. You don't get the same sensations of roll and squat across the rear axle as you do in a four-wheel car because, obviously, there isn't one. Also, there's no differential, so the drive you do get is instant and unfettered. Get aggressive with the throttle, and you can easily spin up the rear wheel in slower corners—the 15-inch rim is shod with a 195/65 all-season tire—and the Super 3's tail will swing wide, but it all happens progressively.What's so bewitching about the Morgan Super 3 is that from 40 mph to 70 mph on any winding two-lane, you're totally engaged with the art and science of driving. It's a sports car, in the truest sense of the term.Yes, it's minimalist, but cleverly so. You learn to step over the side of the cockpit and brace your feet on an aluminum crossbar in front of the seat before sliding down behind the reach and rake steering wheel. The fixed seats are surprisingly comfortable, and the adjustable pedal box means even those over 6 feet can get comfortable behind the wheel.The interior has been designed to cope with the elements. The seats can be trimmed in water-resistant leather or a vegan technical fabric that's 100 percent waterproof and can be cleaned with bleach. The digital instruments, housed in cast aluminum pods at the center of the dash, along with all the switchgear, will withstand a quick blast from a jet wash.The rectangular "barge boards" along the side of the car that manage the airflow through the cooling radiators on either side of the engine can be fitted with a patented clip system—Morgan's first ever patent—that allows specially designed hard cases, waterproofed soft bags, or racks to be attached to them. The clips, and the hardware that attaches to them, will carry up to 44 pounds. A CNC-machined luggage rack that sits atop the Super 3's bug-tail is also available as an option.We can't buy any of the current four-wheeled Morgans in the U.S. The Super 3, however, is being homologated for sale here, and the first cars are scheduled to arrive stateside in January 2023, priced from $54,000 plus destination and taxes.That sounds pricey when you consider you can buy a well-specified Mazda Miata or one of the Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ twins for under $40,000, cars that are more practical, sensible daily drivers. But the Morgan Super 3 doesn't play in that territory; it's a sports car that can steal the limelight from noisy, mega-horsepower supercars that are only marginally more practical, can't legally be driven any faster, and cost a whole lot more money.Ferraris and Lambos and Porsches are dime a dozen in places like Beverly Hills and South Beach and Houston and Long Island. But a Morgan Super 3? Now that'll turn heads.2023 Morgan Super 3 Specifications PRICE $55,500 (MT est) LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 0-door roadster ENGINE 1.5L/118-hp/110-lb-ft DOHC 12-valve I-3 TRANSMISSION 5-speed manual CURB WEIGHT 1430lb (MT est) WHEELBASE 99.7in L x W x H 141.0 x 72.8 x 44.6 in 0-60 MPH 7.0 sec (mfr) EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/HWY/COMB Not yet rated EPA RANGE (COMB) N/A ON SALE Now Show All