Auburn Hills — Amidst the sea of SUVs in today’s market there are a few rebels. With unusual designs, features, accessible pricing and different personalities, they defy convention.

Call them quirkboxes. Two new entries for the 2023 Quirky Qar Qlub are the plug-in hybrid Kia Niro and manual-transmission Volkswagen Golf GTI.

While aimed at different audiences, both hatches are fundamentally utilitarian while coming loaded with state-of-the-art technology, big screens and — most important for this comparo — off-beat features for those who want more from their transportation than a competent appliance.

With lamb chop sideburns right out of a ’70s crime movie, the Niro plug-in offers the duality of gas-or-battery power coupled with unique interior features. The Golf GTI, meanwhile, is that rare driver’s car that offers a manual transmission while modeling the coolest fog lights in Autoville.

I took the quirky qouple for a drive that warmed my soul on an otherwise hideously cold overcast April day.

Niro debuted six years ago in a 2017 Super Bowl ad as a granola-eating, Earth-saving hybrid with (plug in your cloying Hollywood celebrity here) Melissa McCarthy at the wheel saving the Earth for whales, trees, ice caps and rhinos (what, no polar bears?). Oh, please. The ads haven’t gotten any better for 2023 (see the Niro’s mawkish “The Sapling” spot saving more trees) — but Niro has.

Dude, the exterior’s D-pillar black lamb chops run from the roofline to the rear wheels! The sideburns alone separated it from the other SUVs in an Auburn Hills shopping center parking lot — but there is more. Quirky flower blossom wheels. Sci-fi front fascia right out of a Blade Runner matinee. Add Cadillac Lyriq-like rear taillights and the new Niro looks nothing like the cookie-cutter Niro of old.

Volkswagen designs are notoriously evolutionary, and no one will mistake the GTI for anything but a Golf. But the eighth generation is a major upgrade in interior tech (more on that later), and the exterior echoes that advance. Using modern LED technology, the upper light bar is considerably narrower — and more sinister — than past models. The tapered hood is punctuated by five-leaf-clover fog lights that I turned on as I hustled through traffic on this spray-soaked day. Out back, a signature quirk is the VW logo that doubles as a hatchback opener.

Both Golf and Niro are front-wheel drivers but Golf GTI showed off its performance focus in the rain with righteous grip from the Goodyear Sport all-season tires and sophisticated suspension electronics that allowed me to put its 273 pound-feet of torque to pavement with little wheelspin.

Niro’s handling is less-well engineered, and my throttle jabs generally led to wild spinning of the front tires on wet pavement. There was little reward in hustling the Kia into corners anyway as the chassis felt dull compared to the razor-sharp V-dub.

That sharpness is magnified by the six-speed manual’s crisp shifter.

I rowed the VW box through the gloom, maximizing the 2.0-liter tubo-4’s sizable 241-horsepower. In full control, I never missed a shift, never jerked the clutch. The drivetrain was a perfectly tuned instrument of speed. #SaveTheManual.

Niro’s 180 horses and 195 pound-feet of torque are plenty peppy — if well shy of the GTI’s 5.4-second 0-60 mph adventures. But like the Golf with its manual, Niro wants the driver to have some fun. In ECO mode, I used the steering column-paddles to bump up regenerative braking so I could one-pedal drive the Kia like a Tesla.

Switch to SPORT mode in Oakland County’s twisties and the paddles — voila! — became manual shifters, allowing me to row the 1.6-liter gas engine for all it was worth. Plug Niro in at night and you’ll wake up with 33 miles of electric-only range if you push the “EV” button next to the console’s rotary shifter. Lean into the accelerator, though — say, merging onto I-75 — and the gas engine would kick in to help the small 11.1 kWh battery turn the front wheels.

Settle in to a 75-mph commute on I-75, and you’ll find the most significant upgrades for these quirk qars in the dash displays.

Niro gets the same hoodless mono-screen across the dash found in its Sportage and Ioniq siblings. Behind the glass are twin digital displays with the infotainment display clocking in at 10.3 inches. Artfully designed and quick to the touch, the latter is easy to navigate — as were steering wheel-mounted controls. Niro sports excellent adaptive cruise control (like Sportage) so that I could drive virtually hands-free on the interstate.

True to its quirky mission, the climate and volume controls share the same button on the dash. Which means that — if you forget to choose the correct mode — you may be turning up cabin heat instead of turning up the Stones. Odd? Yes, that’s what we like in Qlub Quirk.

The GTI’s interior, too, is now dominated by a mono-pane housing twin digital screens. Digital goodies include a lap timer for when the weather clears and you want to take the hot hatch out to Gingerman Raceway for a track day. The simple infotainment system is aesthetically pleasing but completely knob-free — which takes time to figure out. One of the things VW has figured out is how to deliver an adaptive cruise system that works with a manual.

Though not quite as competent as Kia’s system, the GTI’s ACC was smooth even as I shifted between fifth and sixth gears on the interstate. That sophistication extended to the VW’s wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay — while the Kia still requires a wire to allow you to mirror your phone.

To prevent my battery from draining while the phone navigated me to Oakland University, VW thoughtfully places a charger at the fore of the console that held even my gigantic Galaxy S20.

Captain Quirk?

I’m a hot hatch guy and the VW brings the heat as one of the best driver’s cars in the market today. The manual may be a rare feature, but it’s prized by enthusiasts. In addition to its prodigious power, GTI also brings a nearly identical application of modern tech for five grand less than Niro. For its extra price, Niro offers more space for rear passengers and their cargo.

Whether your veins run green or hot-blooded red, Kia and VW have a little something different just for you.

2023 Kia Niro Plug-in

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive five-passenger SUV

Price: $40,785, including $1,295 destination fee ($41,635 manual with SX Touring as tested)

Powerplant: 1.6-liter inline-4 cylinder mated to 11.1 kWh battery and electric motor

Power: 180 horsepower, 195 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: six-speed dual-clutch automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.3 seconds (Car and Driver)

Weight: 3,466 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA, 48 mpg city/44 highway/46 combined; 26 miles of battery-only range (mnftr.)

Report card

Highs: Fun with paddles; roomy interior

Lows: No wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto; gets pricey

Overall: 3 stars

2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI manual

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive five-passenger hot hatch

Price: $35,330, including $1,095 destination fee ($36,840 SE manual as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder

Power:  241 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: six-speed manual

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.4 seconds (automatic, Motor Trend)

Weight: 3,113 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA, 24 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined

Report card

Highs: Fun to drive; upscale interior

Lows: No console knobs; more rear-seat legroom, please

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Balocco, Italy — Heading downhill on Route SP338 though the Italian countryside, the road narrows to a single lane on the way to Bollengo, a ribbon of fast curves and 180-degree hairpins ahead. I floored my Alfa Romeo tester’s throttle and the steel stallion surged through the tree-lined curves.

I admired the classic Italian scenery in the crib of Lombardy province where Alfa was born 113 years ago. But I am not driving a classic, low-slung Alfa sports car.

I’m piloting a high-riding Tonale SUV aimed squarely at the U.S. market.

Yes, SUV. When it entered the U.S. luxury market in 2015, Alfa Romeo merged into America’s post-Great Recession sales race with one of its great sports cars, the 4C. Nimble, sexy, and deliciously loud, the two-seater introduced Italian personality to a sub-$100,000 U.S. performance market loaded with Hellcats, Shelbys, and Z06s. In 4C’s wake came the whip-quick Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV.

But the times they are a-changin’. SUVs have crushed premium sedan sales, high-tech Tesla electric cars dominate luxe sales, and governments have drawn a big red target around the internal combustion engine for elimination. So for its latest act, the revered Italian brand is leading with an electrified, all-wheel-drive, tech-tastic, subcompact Tonale SUV.

Previewing a stream of pure EVs that will make the brand all-electric by 2027, Tonale, interestingly, is not battery-only like the concept Tonale teased back at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. Instead, this car is produced in Italy alongside the plug-in hybrid Dodge Hornet with which it shares a platform.

I suspect Alfa will make its big EV statement with an all-new, gorgeous Giulia sedan sometime soon (perhaps based on the same all-electric, 800-volt, STLA platform as the wicked Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee). It may even be built in the United States in order to take advantage of generous federal subsidies.

But for now, Alfa needs to sell volume in multiple markets and earn electric tax credits to ward off nanny-state fines. So Tonale is aimed at the heart of a popular subcompact market that includes competitors like the BMW X1, Jaguar E-Pace, Volvo VC40, Mercedes GLA and Cadillac XT4.

Though half-electrified, the Tonale is hardly half-baked. This is a compelling entry.

It’s the best-looking SUV in segment. You had me at the five-hole, phone-dial wheels. Like BMW’s kidneys, Alfa’s Trilobo grille is recognizable but not garish. It’s graced everything from the 1955 Giulietta to the 4C, and Tonale gives it a 21^st century interpretation with thin, triple-beam headlights framing the beak-like grille. It looks like a sparrow hawk cruising for prey.

Tonale flanks are toned, simple. Unlike the look-at-me Lexus NX, the Alfa (wrap it any of Italy’s national, red/white/green colors) knows it’s handsome. “It really looks good,” said Mrs. Payne at first sight.

The beauty is hardly skin deep.

Tonale is the only plug-in hybrid in segment along with NX. That means that, under a loophole in federal law, the $44,590 plug-in is eligible for $7,500 tax credit if leased, giving it a huge sticker price advantage over its competitors. And, ahem, Alfa expects 80% of Tonales will be leased.

The plug-in powertrain also means best-in-class power with horsepower and torque numbers that put big brother Stelvio to shame. Exiting Alfa’s Proving Grounds into SP230 (SP stands for Stada Provinciali, aka, provincial road) north to Candelo, Tonale gulped highway as if shot out of a cannon. Thank the 15.5 kWh hour battery that brings seamless torque before the turbo-4 engine spools up.

I first experienced this concept on the E-Ray Corvette. Chevy engineers call it “torque-fill” (as if the 6.2-liter V-8 needs more low-end torque). Tonale’s mere 1.3-liter mill, on the other hand, is transformed by the additional e-torque. Compared to Tonale, the non-hybrid, 2.0-liter turbo-4 in, say, the Giulia Competition, takes all morning before the turbo wakes up.

The Alfa ute’s torque comes on, like — NOW!

But it’s understandable why Alfa didn’t go all-electric on Tonale as, say, Cadillac, did with its Lyriq EV.

Cruising down SP143, I came across an electric Pininfarina Battista hypercar plugged into a roadside fast charger. I rolled up next to the $2.2 million rocket ship, its driver having a smoke while his steed recharged. Buongiorno! The sci-fi cyborg boasts other-worldly numbers: 1,880 horsepower; zero-60 mph in 1.76 seconds; 217 mph top speed. Incredible! But it wasn’t going anywhere until it charged its massive 120 kWh battery.

With a 13.5-gallon gas tank, Tonale can fill up (petrol costs  a stiff $7-a-gallon in Italy) in five minutes and be on its way. But the Alfa can also go all-electric when needed.

Further north, I entered the village of Candelo, which began a stretch of urban road that also ran through the city of Biella. Tonale can travel 30 miles on electrons alone and I’d reserved all of it with the press of the E-Save button on the console. Entering Candelo, I engaged battery power by rotating the Drive Mode selector to A (for Advanced Efficiency).

Candelo/Biella are not EV-only zones — yet. But the ban on gas-powered cars in European cities is coming. Milan will ban diesel cars from the city by the end of this year. Milan, Rome, London, Munich and Paris are already penalizing non-EVs. Expect American cities like New York, San Francisco, LA to follow — cities in states crucial to Alfa sales.

I motored through the towns on battery power alone, using all but 9 miles by the time I hit the SP338 twisties.

I rotated the dial to D (Dynamic) and the Alfa noticeably stiffened. Dynamic mode puts all systems on full alert: turbo-4 driving the front wheels, e-motor driving the rears, six-speed transmission, shocks. Andiamo!

The steering column bears the brand’s trademark bat-wing paddle-shifters, but they went unused thanks to the silky transmission — and all that torque at the end of my right leg. Tonale is not tuned as aggressively as the Hornet (which rivals the Mazda CX-30 in aggression) and falls short of the best-in-class BMW X1.

Of more interest to daily users is the SUV’s usable rear seat (Tonale claims best-in-class interior room) and significantly upgraded electronics. A remote Alfa app and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are standard, as are twin digital displays, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot assist.

The latter pair are must-haves, and on Italy’s narrow streets they came in handy time and again. Alfa has taen pains to improve its quality — “I don’t want to make any trade-offs on any items related to quality,” emphasized CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato at Tonale’s media launch here. Time will tell if Alfa can shrug that monkey off its back. It’s crucial to the brand’s success. But Tonale is instantly recognizable inside as well as out when you press the steering-wheel-based ON button. Just like the 4C.

And like 4C, I  took the Tonale on the test track at day’s end. It couldn’t hold a candle to the sports car’s electrifying handling around the Balocco Proving Ground. But with its electric motor, the SUV was more responsive than its stablemate exiting corners. Alfa hasn’t changed, and everything is changing.Next week: 2023 VinFast VF 8

2024 Alfa Tonale

Vehicle type: Front engine/rear electric motor, all-wheel drive, five-passenger SUV

Price: $44,590 including $1,595 destination ($56,090 Veloce as tested)

Powerplant: 1.3-liter turbo-4 cylinder mated to 15.5 kWh lithium ion battery and rear electric motor

Power: 285 horsepower, 347 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.6 seconds; top speed, 125 mph

Weight: 4,140 pounds (est.)

Fuel economy: EPA est. NA (est. 26 mpg combined); 30 mile range on battery only

Report card

Highs: Alfa presence; waves of torque

Lows: Interior not on par with German competitors; handling lacks confidence of BMW X1

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.