Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida Q4 set to add all-wheel drive to hybrid version
New crossover will have two electric motors and offer “excellent traction” for winter
Back in October at the Paris Motor Show, the wraps came off the hybrid-powered Ibrida version of Alfa Romeo’s new Junior small SUV. The Ibrida is set to join the all-electric Junior Elettrica in the UK in 2025, and now we’ve learned there will also be an all-wheel-drive Q4 variant.
The newly-announced Junior Ibrida Q4 will be on display at Belgium’s Brussels Motor Show in January, alongside new Intensa-trimmed versions of the Stelvio and Giulia. The Junior and Tonale will also benefit from the Intensa specification.
The Junior is Alfa Romeo’s entry-level model and although pricing hasn’t been revealed yet for the Ibrida version, it could feasibly lower the car’s entry point to less than £30,000 – well below the £33,895 Elettrica. The Jeep Avenger e-Hybrid costs £9,000 less than its EV alternative, meaning a starting price of just under £25,000 for the Alfa isn’t out of the question when it reaches UK showrooms. Given the Q4 will have all-wheel drive compared to the standard car’s front-wheel drive layout, we expect this version to cost a bit more.
The Q4 has the same mild-hybrid powertrain used by Stellantis siblings including the Peugeot 2008, Jeep Avenger and Vauxhall Mokka. It matches a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a small battery and an electric motor on each axle (as opposed to the standard Ibrida’s single motor on the front), although the total output of 134bhp and 345Nm of torque is shared by both the front-wheel-drive Ibrida and the all-wheel-drive model.
Alfa Romeo says the Q4 hybrid system allows for “optimal torque distribution” and “provides excellent traction”. The car also features a new ‘Q4’ mode which has been developed for low-grip conditions.
Power is sent through a six-speed automatic gearbox and in the two-wheel-drive Ibrida there’s a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds (0.1 seconds quicker than the Junior EV). Fuel consumption stands at 54.3mpg with CO2 emissions of 117g/km. No figures for the Q4 have been released yet.
The look of the Ibrida is almost identical to the Elettrica, although as standard the Ibrida will come in the ‘Speciale’ edition. There’s a new interpretation of the Scudetto grille with ‘Alfa Romeo’ script, dual exhaust tips, 18-inch “Fori” alloy wheels and ‘Bera’ red paint.
Along with a dual 10.25-inch screen layout on the dash, the interior features a leather steering wheel and Sabelt sports seats as standard, plus eight-colour ambient lighting on the air vents, central tunnel, and the driver’s display. Level 2 autonomous driving, in-built sat-nav, a 180-degree rear camera, a powered bootlid and keyless entry are all included. One interesting quirk of the Junior Ibrida is that it’ll come with up to 415 litres of boot space, rather than the 400 litres offered by the pure EV; we suspect the latter’s battery packaging is the differentiator here.
The Ibrida’s trim level structure is expected to begin with a base Ibrida, followed by an Ibrida Speciale and possibly even a sporty Ibrida Veloce to top off the line-up.
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