2025-26 Wheels Car of the Year Contender: Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida

Nothing brightens a Car of the Year contest quite like an Alfa Romeo. The Italian brand has always created cars to make people smile. An Alfa has never claimed a COTY crown, despite the enthusiasm of the Alfisti – the brand’s traditional fans – and the appeal of cars like the classic GTV.

Although this year’s COTY hopeful managed to tap into Alfa’s history for its name, the Junior of 2025 is unrecognisable from the 1960s sporty coupe of the same name.

This one is a compact SUV and its roots are as deeply embedded in the USA as they are in Italy. That’s
because, under the skin, the Alfa Junior is actually a Jeep Avenger. Yes, a Jeep. And the same mechanical package is also used for the latest Fiat 600, perhaps thankfully not sold in Australia.

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The Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida – the model name translates as hybrid, or cross-breed – is the third and smallest of the Italian company’s SUV line-up. It joins the Stelvio and Tonale as the brand pivots well away from its go-faster roots towards 21st century families.

Priced from $45,900, the Junior Ibrida is a mild hybrid with a three-cylinder petrol engine and 48-volt starter assistance, claiming impressive economy of just 4.1 litres/100km. But it also has a relatively miserable 107kW of power, with just 230Nm of torque to feed to the front wheels through a six-speed double-clutch gearbox.

What that means is a ‘sprint’ time of 8.9 seconds to 100km/h. Hmmm…

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The Junior was a favourite with Peter Robinson from the get-go. It’s an Alfa, after all, and Robbo lived in Italy for close to 20 years. It definitely looked like an Alfa, with traditional design cues on the nose, a dashboard with all the right style despite too much hard plastic, and even racy red paint. The body was compact, with relatively cramped space for adults in the back and not much room in the boot.

If you want to know how far Alfa Romeo has fallen in the age of Stellantis – the global conglomerate trying to blend brands as diverse as Jeep and Peugeot, Vauxhall and RAM – then you only have to dig into the Junior.

It might look like an Alfa Romeo but that’s about it. It is underwhelming in almost every way once you’re underway, even if the price line might look enticing.

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It doesn’t even have an Alfa snarl from the exhaust when it starts. Or the lovely induction roar under full throttle. It’s all about the quietness and efficiency of the hybrid package, and parking prominently outside a cafe for a latte. The same approach was obvious from the driving experience. No passion or enjoyment.

The suspension was under-done in every way, wobbly around corners and bouncy over the bumps. It also felt tippy in direction changes, not rooted to the ground in any way, with a wayward rear end which didn’t want to follow the nose.

Twice it was up for culling in the early rounds, and twice it was saved by Robbo. But then even he had to concede the Junior was a loser, after taking it on a personal exploration on some of the rugged local roads outside the Lang Lang proving ground. It did not do well.

“I’m crestfallen,” Robinson finally admitted.

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Specs