Compare the2026 Acura ADXVS 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Acura ADX 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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the ADX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tonale doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acura ADX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the ADX deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The ADX’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Tonale’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Acura ADX achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Alfa Romeo Tonale has not been tested.

Both the ADX 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, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Acura ADX achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Tonale has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Acura’s powertrain warranty covers the ADX 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Tonale. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Tonale ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Acura dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the ADX’s warranty.

On the EPA test cycle the ADX gets better mileage than the Tonale:

The ADX has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tonale doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the ADX’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Tonale:

The ADX has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Tonale doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The ADX AWD has a standard space-saver spare (not available on FWD) 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 better maneuverability, the ADX’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Tonale’s (37 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the ADX has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tonale (7.3 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the ADX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Acura ADX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 350 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Tonale.

The front grille of the ADX 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 ADX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Tonale doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The ADX has .2 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front shoulder room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tonale.

The ADX has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tonale with its rear seat folded (55.1 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than Alfa Romeo. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 20% lower rating, Alfa Romeo is ranked 19th.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the ADX has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tonale only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

When the ADX 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.

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

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its June 2025 issue and the Acura ADX A-Spec AWD won out over the Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce.

The Acura ADX outsold the Alfa Romeo Tonale by over 8 to one during 2025.