Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce Driven on Track

We seldom turn down the opportunity to drive a new car on a racetrack. The most recent invite was accepted with a bit of trepidation. But the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce did not disappoint…

Alfa Romeo SA recently introduced its newest model to the local market. The Alfa Romeo Junior is the little brother to the Stelvio. However, the smaller SUV is unique in the brand’s line-up as it is available solely in electric guise in the SA market.

We missed the national ride-and-drive event a few weeks ago. So when the automaker’s national brand manager extended a personal invite for us to drive it in the Cape we were keen to get first-hand experience of the newcomer. It did not hurt that the drive would take place at Killarney International Raceway.

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New and Old

Alfa SA tacked its drive on to an Alfa Owner’s Club track day. As a result, there was an abundance of tasty old machinery in attendance. It was a drool-fest for any Alfisti. From older GT Juniors, 155s, 147s to Berlinas and Giuliettas older namesakes lined up next to modern-day counterparts. There were also newer cars from stablemates Fiat and Ferrari.

The latest Junior is a completely new direction for the marque, offering only electrified drivetrain options (there are hybrid versions abroad). The newcomer’s shape is a far cry from the timeless lines of its classic coupe namesake. At any rate, only Alfa’s designers can make an SUV really stand out.

There are eye-catching details on the model such as the ‘cut-out’ logo within the shield on the front, an intriguing rear-end design and massive, 20-inch alloys. The latter are four-spoke items and, somehow, Alfa has managed to make this usually awkward design work. Add them to the list of great-looking standard alloys offered on an Alfa.

On Track

Alfa SA brought only Veloce (fittingly, speed in Italian) versions to the track for us to drive. This version dishes up 207 kW of power and 345 N.m of torque. The car at our disposal also had some tasty Sabelt deep bucket seats along with a few other goodies. And those seats really came in handy.

EVs are all about instantaneous acceleration, and the way the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce burst from Killarney’s pitlane should not have been a surprise. However, what did surprise us was the way the car slowed for the first corner. Those spindly alloys hide massive clamps and they do an incredible job of slowing the SUV, so much so that we severely underestimated its abilities on our first hot lap.

Proper Fun

Even more impressive is the way that the high-up ‘hatch’ handles. There is excellent grip from the platform, which feels very much as though it has been honed for driving dynamics and playfulness. A mechanical limited-slip differential (LSD) ensures that one can control understeer by simply climbing back on the, err… gas pedal. The LSD working to pull the nose of the car through the apex of any corner rather than washing wide in squealing understeer.

In Dynamic mode, which is what we used for all our laps, the electronic nanny loosens its grip a little. As a result, the rear end of the car can arc around if you shut the gas mid corner… again, massively entertaining. Those massive clamps did a great job of slowing the SUV time and time again without any hint of fade. Under acceleration and cornering we were grateful for the deep seats which kept us firmly in place.

Summary

We did about a dozen laps of Killarney over a few stints. Each time we left the cabin with a smile on our faces. The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce isn’t fun for a EV it’s just fun to drive. The one aspect that did take some getting used to was the lack of downshifting in braking zones, a weird sensation on a racetrack. Other than that this little EV SUV does a darn good impression of a hot hatch.