Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida review

If variety is the spice of life, the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida could be the recipe Alfa needs. Its arrival means you can now choose between the all-electric Junior Elettrica and this  petrol-engined version.

It's not just any petrol engine either: Ibrida is Italian for hybrid, and this Junior has mild-hybrid tech. In fact it has the same Hybrid 136 engine as you’ll find in Stellantis rivals, including the Jeep Avenger, Peugeot 2008 and Vauxhall Mokka.

Underneath, the Junior shares a platform with those models, but Alfa Romeo maintains that it’s more stylish, sportier and better to drive. Is that true? And can it fight off the best small SUVs, including the Ford Puma and Lexus LBX?

Well, read on as test the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida against the best small SUVs...

The Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida's 134bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine gets it off the line quicker than a Jeep Avenger or Peugeot 2008, with 0-62mph taking 8.9 seconds. It's more than fast enough for everyday driving, with overtakes and getting up to motorway speeds proving a doddle.

For maximum effect, and as with other Alfa car models, the Junior gets switchable DNA drive modes – Dynamic, Natural and Advanced Efficiency. They adjust the weight of the steering, accelerator response and brake feel (which is handy because the brake pedal can feel a little inconsistent in less sporty modes).

The Junior Ibrida is best experienced in its sportiest Dynamic drive mode, when the six-speed automatic gearbox is most responsive and the engine feels more lively and eager to work. If you want a manual gearbox your options are quite limited now, but you could consider the Ford Puma 125.

Key to the Junior's oomph is the way the Ibrida’s mild-hybrid system allows you to set off on electric power and fills any gaps between gear changes, helping to remove any hesitation. While we’re on the subject, unlike a full hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the Ibrida won’t drive on electricity for miles on end. Instead, it uses the system when driving slowly – parking or in traffic for example.

It doesn’t take much driving to realise that Alfa has put serious effort into how the Junior Ibrida handles. Despite its relationship with the Avenger underneath, it’s a better car to drive, with firmer suspension to keep body lean in check and better weighted steering to give you more of an idea what the front wheels are up to.

True, even in its most dynamic mode, it’s not sharp enough to worry any sports SUVs but as something for occasional fun when you stumble upon a winding B-road, it feels small, grippy and nimble.

Luckily, Alfa’s focus on sportiness hasn’t come at the detriment of comfort, with the Junior’s suspension remaining settled at speed and soaking up even larger imperfections with little more than a slight thud. The softer Citroën C3 Aircross will soak up imperfections better but will also float more over undulations.

Refinement is mostly impressive. There’s some wind noise around the front pillars at motorway speeds but little road noise, making it more hushed than a Puma.

Unless you put your foot down, the Junior Ibrida's engine remains hushed, quickly fading into the background at a cruise. However, the stop-start system is clunky and could be smoother when firing up the engine. In comparison with the Puma’s snappy response to the brake pedal, the Hybrid 136 feels a bit antiquated.

"I like how Alfa Romeo has judged the regenerative braking in the Junior Ibrida. It replicates engine braking and allows you to avoid using the inconsistent brake pedal." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Inside, the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida is very similar to the Junior Elettrica, with the same comfortable driving position and plenty of adjustment from the seat. The standard seats are a bit flat and could do with more side bolstering, and while you can option a pair of wonderfully shaped Sabelt ones up front, they’re part of an optional Sport pack costing more than £4000.

You sit just as low down in the Ibrida as you do the electric version, and that affects visibility. You see, while your view out to the front and sides is good, over-the-shoulder visibility is restricted by a rising window line and chunky rear pillars.

Thankfully, every Junior comes with rear sensors to make parking easier. Front sensors and a rear-view camera are available as options.

As well as the Sabelt seats, the optional Sport pack adds suede-like Alcantara elements to the centre console and dashboard, and a sportier steering wheel. Oddly, it costs the same to add the pack as it does to add the seats individually.

Unfortunately, even with those upgrades, the interior has lots of scratchy plastics in places you’ll touch often – on top of the doors for example. That’s a bit of a shame and means the interior can’t compete with the Peugeot 2008 let alone the much plusher Lexus LBX.

One very welcome feature of the Junior Ibrida is the inclusion of physical buttons and knobs for the climate controls. In most small SUVs you have to adjust the temperature and fan speed using the infotainment touchscreen, which is fiddly. One minor demerit is that they are tucked away into the dash more than in other Alfas, and because they’re not backlit, it’s difficult to identify some of the buttons.

The shortcut buttons for the Home screen, hazard warning lights and central locking are nestled between the centre air vents and easy to overlook, which take time to get used to. It also doesn’t help that this section of the dashboard is tilted towards the front passenger as though this is a left-hand-drive car.

Every Junior Ibrida has a 10.3in touchscreen. It's angled towards the driver and the clarity of the display is good enough, but it's a bit slow to respond when you touch it and the software isn’t particularly impressive.

Luckily, you can get around the basic software by using the standard-fit Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring – although that won't make the screen any quicker to respond when you touch it.

"Manoeuvring in the Junior Ibrida can be a tad unnerving because the thick rear pillars almost entirely block the view over your shoulder. You might want to add the optional Technology pack so you get blind-spot monitoring." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Even if you’re 6ft tall you’ll have no issues when sitting up front in the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida. Indeed, you’ll have plenty of head and leg room, and enough shoulder room that you won’t be rubbing up against your front seat passenger.

That said, it feels more confined than the Peugeot 2008, which feels more open and airy in comparison. The Vauxhall Mokka is about on a par with the Junior, and its design makes it feel quite claustrophobic for even shorter people.

Taller people will find space in the rear quite tight, with the Ibrida offering less head and leg room than most rivals. Indeed, if you want a car you can regularly fit people into the back of, you'll be better off trying a Skoda Kamiq or Volkswagen T-Roc. The Ford Puma provides better access through the rear doors.

The Junior Ibrida misses out on the handy front boot you’ll find beneath the bonnet of the Junior Elettrica. However, it does get 15 litres more boot space to make up for that. Its overall capacity is 415 litres.

That’s more than the petrol Jeep Avenger but slightly less than a Peugeot 2008 or VW T-Roc. Even so, it should still be more than enough space to carry several carry-on suitcases.

For those times when you need more space, you can split the Junior Ibrida’s rear seats 60/40 and fold them flat. That’s fairly par for the course in the small SUV class but it’s a shame the Ibrida doesn’t have a ski hatch like the T-Roc does.

"Interestingly, with the sportier seats installed I found that I had more knee room while sat in the back of the Junior Ibrida. The reason is the large cut-outs in the seat backs." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As a cash purchase, the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida will cost you slightly more than an entry-level Jeep Avenger but less than most of its other rivals, including the Peugeot 2008 and VW T-Roc. A Ford Puma Titanium can be had for slightly less if you are willing to go for a manual gearbox.

Better still, the Junior Ibrida is predicted to hold on to its value pretty well, depreciating more slowly than all its small SUV rivals. That can have an impact on how much you pay on PCP finance, helping to lower monthly payments.

Being a mild hybrid means efficiency should be good, with the Ibrida promising up to 59mpg and low CO2 emissions that are competitive against a Toyota Yaris Cross. If you're looking for a company car, you'll find that the Junior Ibrida attracts fairly low BIK tax payments – but not as low as an electric SUV (the Junior Elettrica for example).

The entry-level Ibrida trim gets plenty of standard equipment, including 17in alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control, automatic climate control and keyless start.

The high-spec Intensa version has styling differences, including gold 18in wheels and a gold strip lower down on the doors. You also get the Technology Pack as standard, which adds keyless entry, wireless charging, adaptive cruise control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, adaptive matrix LED headlights and parking sensors (front, rear and side).

Alfa Romeo did very badly in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing in 30th place out of 31 brands (only MG did worse). We don't have data for the Junior yet, but we can tell you that it comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. That's similar to the warranty you get with most rivals.

Euro NCAP has yet to test the Junior for safety, but you can be safe in the knowledge that it comes with a good amount of standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) and traffic-sign recognition. You can add blind-spot monitoring, lane-assist and traffic-jam assist by selecting the optional Technology Pack.

"Thanks to the Junior Ibrida’s very competitive pricing, I’d be tempted to add a couple of options packs. That way you’ll get a bunch more equipment and the price will probably match rivals." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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