Compare the2024 Volkswagen ID.4VS 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen ID.4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Alfa Romeo Tonale doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The ID.4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Tonale doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the ID.4 and Tonale have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The ID.4 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Tonale’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The ID.4 has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Tonale doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the ID.4 and Tonale have rear cross-traffic warning, but the ID.4 has Rear Traffic Alert (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Tonale’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the ID.4 and the Tonale have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the ID.4 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Tonale has not been tested, yet.

Volkswagen’s powertrain warranty covers the ID.4 4 years and 50,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Tonale. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Tonale ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The ID.4’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Tonale’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the ID.4 for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for tire rotations, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Alfa Romeo only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Tonale.

There are almost 5 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the ID.4’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Alfa Romeo.

The ID.4 Pro’s standard electric motor produces 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (402 vs. 350) than the Tonale’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The ID.4 Pro’s optional electric motors produces 50 more horsepower (335 vs. 285) and 151 lbs.-ft. more torque (501 vs. 350) than the Tonale’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the ID.4 gets better mileage than the Tonale running on electricity:

On the EPA test cycle the ID.4 gets better mileage than the Tonale running its gasoline engine:

The ID.4 can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 206 to 291 miles. The Tonale has to start its internal combustion engine after only 33 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen ID.4 higher (10 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Tonale (6). This means the ID.4 produces up to 12.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tonale every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the ID.4’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Tonale:

For better traction, the ID.4 has larger standard tires than the Tonale (235/55R19 vs. 225/55R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the ID.4 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Tonale. The ID.4 Pro S Plus’ 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Tonale.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ID.4’s wheelbase is 5 inches longer than on the Tonale (108.8 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better maneuverability, the ID.4’s turning circle is 6.4 feet tighter than the Tonale’s (31.5 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The ID.4 AWD’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Tonale’s (36.42 feet vs. 37.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the ID.4 has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tonale (6.8 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the ID.4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the ID.4 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tonale doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The ID.4 has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tonale.

The ID.4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tonale with its rear seat up (30.3 vs. 22.9 cubic feet). The ID.4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tonale with its rear seat folded (64.2 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

The ID.4’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tonale’s (2200 vs. 2000 pounds).

When the ID.4 Pro S Plus is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Tonale’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the ID.4 and the Tonale have standard heated front seats. The ID.4 Pro S Plus also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Tonale.

The ID.4 S/S Plus has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Tonale.

The ID.4 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Tonale doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volkswagen ID.4 outsold the Alfa Romeo Tonale by over 18 to one during 2023.