Compare the2024 Audi A4 AllroadVS 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 Allroad 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 A4 Allroad’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 A4 Allroad and Tonale have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A4 Allroad 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 Audi A4 Allroad has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tonale doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Tonale doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A4 Allroad’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Tonale doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the A4 Allroad and Tonale offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the A4 Allroad with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (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 A4 Allroad and the Tonale have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

The A4 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Tonale’s (12 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Audi dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the A4 Allroad’s warranty.

The Audi A4 Allroad’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Tonale’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A4 Allroad’s reliability 12 points higher than the Tonale.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Alfa Romeo.

The A4 Allroad has 4.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tonale (15.3 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Audi A4 Allroad, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Tonale.

The A4 Allroad offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Tonale doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A4 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Tonale doesn’t offer launch control.

The A4 Allroad’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tonale are solid, not vented.

The A4 Allroad stops much shorter than the Tonale:

For better traction, the A4 Allroad has larger tires than the Tonale (245/45R18 vs. 225/55R18). The A4 Allroad’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Tonale (245/45R18 vs. 235/45R19).

The A4 Allroad’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tonale’s 55 series tires.

The A4 Allroad has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Tonale; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A4 Allroad’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the Tonale (110.9 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The A4 Allroad Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tonale Veloce (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the A4 Allroad has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tonale (6.5 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the A4 Allroad to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Audi A4 Allroad may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Tonale.

The A4 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tonale with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 22.9 cubic feet). The A4 Allroad has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tonale with its rear seat folded (58.5 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the A4 Allroad. The Tonale doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The A4 Allroad’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tonale’s (3968 vs. 2000 pounds).

The engine in the A4 Allroad is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Tonale. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Alfa Romeo. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 64% lower rating, Alfa Romeo is ranked 32nd.

The A4 Allroad Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Tonale doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Allroad Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Tonale doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A4 Allroad to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Tonale doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the A4 Allroad with available tilt-down mirrors 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 A4 Allroad and the Tonale have standard heated front seats. The A4 Allroad Prestige 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 Audi A4/S4 outsold the Alfa Romeo Tonale by over six to one during 2023.