Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Published: 8 November 2024

Overview

Although I’ve seen a glut of high-performance electric cars over the last few years, a lot of them just aren’t much fun. The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce takes a different approach, shunning dual motors and explosive acceleration for a lighter, more delicate driving experience.

Sitting at the top of the Junior range, the Veloce shares its 54kWh battery pack with lesser models but ups the ante elsewhere. Power is up from 154hp to 280hp with 0-62mph taking a quick 5.9 seconds. Top speed is promised to be over 124mph, although driving range does take a hit. The Veloce hasn’t been certified by WLTP yet, with Alfa predicting 210 miles+ as opposed to the 255 of the regular car.

It’s not just the extra power that drags the range down, there are also plenty of chassis changes to make it drive like a performance car. Most noticeable from the outside are a set of 20-inch alloy wheels with bigger brakes and colourful calipers. A new steering mechanism has been installed with faster responses, the suspension has been firmed up and lowered, it’s wider, and there’s a limited slip differential (LSD) between the front wheels.

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This helps divert power to the wheel with the most traction and is found in all the best hot hatches. The Honda Civic Type R has one, as does the Hyundai i30 N and Volkswagen Golf R. It’s not something that’s common on electric cars, though. You won’t find an LSD in electric rivals, with this crucial bit of chassis tech missing on the Cupra Born, MG4 XPower and MINI Cooper SE.

To find out how it stacks up, read on for our first drive. If you’re wondering how we go about this, have a look at our how we test cars page.

What’s it like inside?

That depends on where you’re sat and what seats you’ve got. All test cars provided were fitted with optional Sabelt sports seats which proved great for those up front, less so for rear seat passengers. They’re chunky items and have cutouts that are well placed for rear occupants’ knees. Even so, a six-footer will feel cramped behind another similarly tall adult up front.

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Space in the front is good, although you’re aware of the Junior’s compact size from its width. Storage is perhaps not as good as it could be in the cabin, with too much space dedicated to the wireless phone charger and no cubbyhole beneath it. The 400-litre boot does help make up for it, as does a neat tray under the bonnet that’s just big enough to house your Type 2 charging cable.

While there is some very familiar switchgear, this is an interior that’s appreciably different in character compared to other cars on this platform. The twin binnacle cowling for the digital display is very Alfa, and both infotainment and heater controls are canted towards the driver. The heating controls are worthy of note as they’re physical switches that make changing temperature a breeze.

The 10.25-inch screen is a little low for my liking, but I do appreciate the physical shortcut buttons and responsiveness of the system. Graphics for the driver’s display and main screen are sharp, and neither are particularly hard to navigate. It’s a huge step on from the dated system found in the Giulia and Stelvio, if some way behind Kia’s system.

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With the Junior range likely to start well below £30k for a hybrid, plenty of hard plastics are to be expected, although they perhaps could have been hidden a little better. Crucially, the steering wheel feels good with its Alcantara and leather coating, as do most other areas you interact with regularly.

Comfort

The Sabelt seats strike a fine balance between comfort and support, holding you in place well during cornering without causing aches and pains. Some may wish they went a bit lower, although we must remember that this is an SUV after all.

Automatic climate control is standard and does a great job of fending off 30-degree heat. It’s also reasonably quiet with not too much wind noise or road roar filtering in to the cabin. You do hear the suspension thudding away at times, but better you hear that than feel a jolt through your seat.

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Safety

At the time of writing Euro NCAP hadn’t crash tested the Junior. The closely related Vauxhall Mokka should give us some clues, having gained a four-star rating back in 2021. We’d expect the Junior to perform similarly well, although we’ll need to wait for the results to know for sure. To help prevent a collision, all Junior Veloces get automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and lane centring.

What’s it like to drive?

An absolute hoot, and far better than you might expect given the Junior’s underpinnings. Where the 600e, Avenger, Mokka and others are inoffensive but unexciting, the Veloce immediately grabs your attention. The steering transfers far more information about the road’s surface to my fingertips, and it’s quick at only 2.6 turns lock to lock.

It’s also lighter than I was expecting especially after sampling the heavy MINI Cooper SE’s steering, helping the Veloce feel nimbler. You feel the LSD tugging at the steering when you’re heavy on the power, although it’s not off-putting. The upshot is that I’m able to tighten my line in bends by trampling on the throttle and letting the diff pull me towards the inside of the corner rather than washing wide.

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I also feel the Veloce tightening its line if you go quickly into a corner whilst braking or off-throttle. The stability control is always there to save you – with a little less intervention in Dynamic mode – but it’s judged well enough that both speed freaks and normal motorists should be satisfied. Grip levels are high, so I suspect most people will enjoy driving the Veloce near the limit rather than over it.

Performance is some way off the Volvo EX30 twin motor and MG4 XPower and I couldn’t be happier about it. Where they are fast in a straight line but overpowered in the bends, the Veloce is quick enough without feeling OTT. Brake pedal feel isn’t the best in Normal mode, yet still is far more confidence inspiring than other more expensive EVs. Dynamic mode turns off the regen braking, hurting efficiency but improving brake feel massively.

I’ve only sampled the Junior Veloce on track so far, albeit one designed to replicate a winding Italian country road. It feels more supple over ridges and uneven paving than the jarring Cooper SE, which does mean there’s a bit more body roll. If anything it makes it easier to judge the car’s limits, and feels appropriate on a road-biased SUV.

Range and charging

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I can happily tell you than the Junior can recharge at up to 100kW for a sub-30 minute 10-80% rapid charge time. However, as the Veloce hasn’t been WLTP tested, we don’t yet know the confirmed range. Alfa says 210 miles+, although I got less than that by some margin.

I drove it reasonably gently around the 11km Langhe circuit and recorded 3.6 miles per kWh – good for a calculated range of 184 miles based on the 51kWh usable capacity of the pack. With the regen turned off and driven hard, the range tumbles even more rapidly.

What models and trims are available?

There will be a lesser Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica that uses the 54kWh battery pack with the usual 154bhp electric motor, and a hybrid that’s not yet confirmed for the UK. The Veloce is electric only and will cost just shy of £43,000 when it goes on sale late in 2024 after the less potent versions.