Fast, front-wheel drive and full of character, the Veloce edition of the Alfa Romeo Junior is pretty good. In fact, it’s an electric vehicle and takes the form of a small crossover, I think it would possibly be the greatest “Alfa” Alfa Romeo ever built in years.
Let me explain. First, the company that bore that name. As you may recall, this car was first announced as Milano in April 2024, but as Alfa planned to manufacture it in Poland, the Italian government temporarily intervened and banned its use in the Lombard capital. After searching the archives for inspiration, a few days later the car was renamed Junior. Classic Alpha.
Then there are the looks. Obviously, it’s not the most conventionally exciting, but some of our favorite Alphas have been visually. . . Let’s go through “difficult”. Take, for example, the V6-powered SZ and RZ from the late 80s and early 90s. Having those cars built rather than designed through Zagato was an attractive choice from Alfa, but how we love those blocky lines now. The Junior may not age like the SZ, but it does have some interesting details. Higher-performance versions, such as the Veloce, take advantage of the cut-out of the Alfa Romeo badge on the grille, while the Giulia TZ encourages the staggered rear. The Veloce versions also get advantages from the excellent slim-looking 20-inch Venti alloy wheels. Alfa is smart with wheels.
And then there’s his driving. I was concerned about the UK launch and drove this slightly disappointing popular car on the roads of Lincolnshire. Then it was time to test the 276 hp Veloce version, but Alfa only had a few lefties. They drive cars and can only drive on a rented kart track. Do you sense a theme here? And yet, the difference between the popular car and the Veloce is notable. Not only does the car get additional power, it also gets a wider track, a new rear torsion bar, Sabelt right-hand bucket seats, larger front brakes, a stiffer suspension, and the Torsen Limited Slip Differential. Many paintings have been faithful to this.
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It might be a small crossover, but the Veloce actually feels like a true front-drive hot hatch. There’s a bit of torque steer, but it corners remarkably well and in dynamic mode (which relaxes the ESP) the rear will start to spin if you don’t accelerate. The differential means that you will be able to reactivate the force much faster than expected. Whisper it, but it might have a bit of the vibe of a grown-up 147 GTA. You also hear a false noise, which of course cannot withstand a Busso V6.
And it has to be a crossover, because that’s what sells. In the 1990s, Alfa Romeo released a decent number of cars (often near or above 200,000 per year). Lately, those numbers haven’t come close, but building a small crossover on a shared Stellantis platform will always keep sales from rising again. And if it survives by making slightly crazy versions of its popular cars, then we’re all in favor of that strategy.
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