The warmed-up Veloce was revealed a few months ago with an adequate-sounding 237bhp and is now officially rated at an appreciably meatier 278bhp – identical, coincidentally, to the Veloce versions of the Giulia, Stelvio and Tonale.
The floor covers a familiar 54kWh battery (usable capacity) – with enough juice for a pretty poor 208 miles of range and a faintly unimpressive 100kW maximum charge speed. That battery will be shared with the cooled-down standard car, launching shortly with 156bhp, a more acceptable 255-mile range and a more sedate chassis set-up.
There’s a pair of petrol cars inbound, too, one mildly hybridised and front-driven, and the other with an EV motor at the rear for four-wheel drive – though don’t expect the latter to cross the Channel any time soon.
On paper, the Veloce would seem to represent the biggest bang for your buck. It’s quick, too, but not with that tiresome and rather passé whip-crack pace that’s amusing once or twice but then rarely ever deployed again.
Even in full-bore Dynamic mode, the Junior’s generous reserves are dished out considerately and predictably, rarely overwhelming yet always sufficient for a rapid exit from corners. The urgency tails off some way short of the claimed 124mph top speed, but there’s always a hefty dose of punch in reserve for overtakes at a cruise.
Based on experience of the Junior’s platform-mates, I’d expect even the entry-level 156bhp EV to have enough shove on tap for zipping around town and whisking you up to a motorway cruise with no hassle, though it won’t have quite the same grin factor.