I had to learn a new word while I was testing out the Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce.
The word is “cannocchiale” and it’s Italian for telescope. Simple enough, but I love how Alfa Romeo sticks with the word even for the U.S. launch of this fun, sporty small crossover.
It was the first thing I noticed as I sped around a country road and enjoyed the spritely handling. Known as the Cannocchiale Digital Instrument Display, the 12.3-inch display sits above the steering wheel and makes you want to push things a little more just to see how the instruments change. Big surprise, that’s exactly what I did.
Interesting. Alfa Romeo has created an instrument panel that hearkens back to their earliest racing cars. As the product pages mentions: “Vestiges of our famed craftsmanship and Italian style are made evident in the shape, structure and design motif of the instrument display.”
What it means for practical driving is that you can change the view to suit your driving. What that meant for me is that I could change the “telescope” display to show navigation, wide and easy to view without having to glance over to the center display as is normal on most cars.
With the nav front and center, the Tonale felt like it was meant for serious driving and focus on the road while also being able to spot landmarks.
I was surprised on a long drive north of where I live to see two lakes separating the interstate. I glanced over right and left and, sure enough, I spotted the lakes — something I have never noticed before. For city driving, I was able to detect exactly where to turn by glancing down.
On a round-about, also known as the curse of modern roadways since there are so many of them now, I could spot which exist to use without having to rely on cryptic voice nav (e.g., take the third turn”). I always get confused by that because I’m trying to avoid hitting anyone on the roundabout and not great at counting exits.
Of course, the instrument cluster also tells you the current speed and finer details like the fuel gauge and range. I liked being able to adjust how the display looks and what is shown on the screen, especially since so many modern cars offer fairly limited customizations.
The display also shows safety alerts and an icon showing the car on the road and if you are veering outside of the lane.
On my trip up north, I found myself using the navigation screen the most and was better able to keep an eye on my speed and the turbocharge level. Complementing the center console screen that measures 10.25-inches, the center display was one of the most useful I’ve tested.
