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Alfa Romeo 156 2004 Review

Fire it up and the next thing you notice is the typical Italian exhaust note.

That is, except for the French and the Italians who go out of their way to be different.

The French keep churning out quirky looking cars like the Renault Megane with unusual features such as key-card entry.

Meanwhile, the Italians keep plugging away with cars built for fashion-conscious drivers.

When you step into the five-door Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon designed by "designer of the century" Giorgetto Giugiaro, you are instantly aware of this Italian heritage.

For starters, you need to wear fine Italian shoes.

Don't wear big Nike joggers or you won't get your feet into the footwell, let alone discern which is the loud and which is the stop pedal.

Driving position is the second clue.

You recline behind the wheel with your arms outstretched and your bum slung low like in an open-wheel racer. It's how the Italians like it.

I prefer to be up closer to the steering wheel and found it difficult to get an ideal driving position. Yet the Italians imagine themselves good drivers and like the excitement of being slung low in a fast-moving vehicle. There's no denying the thrill.

To further satiate the racing driver passion, the main instruments – tacho and speedo – are shrouded in a cowl that allows only the driver to see how fast they are going.

And the other instruments – clock, fuel and oil pressure – are small, centrally located and angled toward the driver.

Fire it up and the next thing you notice is the typical Italian exhaust note.

It's not as loud, metallic and farting as it used to be, but it's still there. It's as much a result of typical Italian twin overhead camshafts as exhaust components.

Wind the windows down and just enjoy it. You may have to wind the windows down anyway because ventilation is typically poor.

Under way, the 156 has plenty of urge (0-100km in 8.3 seconds) from the two-litre direct-injection JTS engine, ably matched by a close-ratio, five-speed gear box.

Unlike the Alfas of old, it is decidedly rubbery, slow and vague.

Offsetting this feel is a sexy gear shifter made of a combination of highly polished and lacquered wood and brushed aluminium in a highly suggestive shape.

The wood theme is continued in the rather largish retro steering wheel.

It looks great and feels just fine but in our weather, sweaty hands will soon find it either slippery or sticky.

Motoring is all about motion and you get plenty of that in the 156.

There is none of the bland smoothness of an Audi, BMW or Mercedes. Instead there is plenty of scuttle shake, body twisting, torque steer and nose dive.

This is despite a stronger chassis and a light and rigid vacuum-cast aluminium cross member at the rear.

While these physical attributes may alarm the novice motorist, they entertain the driver who is bored with bland German drive characteristics.

It certainly isn't dangerous. All the twisting, flexing and under/oversteering is predictable and controllable.

Give me a bucking Alfa through the hinterland hills anytime over a can't-tear-'em German precision machine in which computerised technology divorces you from the physical realities of driving.

Pricing guides

$8,140
Based on third party pricing data
Lowest Price
$3,410
Highest Price
$12,870

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
V6 24V 2.5L, PULP, 6 SP MAN $4,730 – 6,930 2004 Alfa Romeo 156 2004 V6 24V Pricing and Specs
JTS 2.0L, PULP, 5 SP MAN $3,960 – 5,830 2004 Alfa Romeo 156 2004 JTS Pricing and Specs
JTS Selespeed 2.0L, PULP, 5 SP $4,290 – 6,270 2004 Alfa Romeo 156 2004 JTS Selespeed Pricing and Specs
GTA 3.2L, PULP, 6 SP MAN $9,130 – 12,870 2004 Alfa Romeo 156 2004 GTA Pricing and Specs
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.