2004 Alfa Romeo GT Reviews

Hurrying is something this car does well. Plant your foot and the engine note, always a friendly burble, moves up the scale to a full-blown snarl as the Italian coupe scoots forward.This is what motoring in the new Alfa Romeo GT is all about. It not only looks like a sports car, but goes like one. If there's a gap in the traffic, it will get there, sweetly, neatly.Oh, there are times when you curse the GT – try it on a bumpy road, try doing a U-turn in a narrow street – but when the conditions are right, it can be a seductive thing indeed.For one thing, there is the way it looks, slinky enough to turn heads wherever it goes.And there is the way it drives. Strong acceleration, with grip and steering to match, all coming together to allow it to zoom along in a hearty fashion.The feedback through the wheel – and the seat of your pants – is spot-on. The engine responds with delightful eagerness, the brakes are strong, every gear engages with snick-snick precision.For some reason – perhaps it's that long, low snout and aggressive grille – I kept imagining it as a shark cruising through a school of little fish. That's how you feel behind the wheel of the GT.Trouble is, the daydream takes a severe dent when you attempt a U-turn. The turning circle is an inconveniently large 12.1m, bigger than even a Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD's.There is also the way that, at suburban speeds, it feels every lump and bump in the bitumen, so much that you wonder if it is deliberately seeking them out.On the open road, corrugations and ripples make the GT feel jittery and jiggly, taking the edge off what otherwise would be an exhilarating driving experience.Your passenger tries to adjust the radio volume but the car is bumping around, so it switches from AM to FM instead . . . and getting back to AM proves to be a real challenge. So give the fiddly radio buttons a demerit mark, too.Obviously the GT subscribes to the theory that sports cars do not need to be too sensible.The speedometer goes to 300km/h, but the only numbers in the legal zone are 30, 60, 90 – smaller increments are marked by black stripes on a dark background, which require a long, hard stare to see whether you're going 80km/h or 100km/h, say. Trouble is, by the time you've read the speedo, a police camera could have taken your picture.Don't get a blowout far from help, because there is no spare tyre. Not even a spacesaver, just a blow-up kit to re-inflate a flat tyre and seal a puncture.Thank goodness the car is fitted with reverse parking sensors, because rearward vision is limited by a small window and high tail.One final gripe: The accelerator and brake pedals are close together, and almost the same height, so newcomer drivers need to be careful where they put their right foot.Ah, but coupes are all about emotion. Owning one is a heart-over-the-head thing. Here, the GT has the looks and, well, the sheer presence, to get away with sins which would be unforgivable in a $19,990 hatchback.No matter if cars like this are less practical, and more expensive, than their sedan brothers. They're designed to lift the spirit, thanks to the way they look, the way they drive. For some people, emotion will win and a sports car like this will be a pure joy on wheels.However, Mazda's RX-8 proves that an agile sportster can also have decent rear-seat access; Nissan's 350Z shows how a supple ride need not get in the way of pinpoint-accurate steering and a tenacious level of grip.To be fair, for a coupe, visibility to the sides is excellent. The central pillar is thin and well back, the rear windows are a decent size.The GT also earns high marks in the convenience department for its boot, surprisingly roomy for a compact coupe – especially after you see how the big Monaro's luggage space has shrunk with its latest makeover.There are other handy points, such as the split-fold rear seat, the radio which automatically adjusts its volume to suit the car's speed, even a pop-out cupholder in the dashboard...in a fully-fledged sports car, no less.Mere trifles, though, compared with the joy of launching the GT when your passenger tells you to hurry up.

But there's more to the GT than that. It has a potent 3.2-litre V6 driving the front wheels, stunning looks and plenty of luxury features to keep buyers forking out a cool 80 grand happy.Naturally, the GT is right up there in the handling department and it has plenty of street appeal if the number of gawking onlookers is an indication. Fabulous performance from strident-sounding 176kW/300Nm V6 lifted from the GTA twins – 147 and 156.Engine is as good to look at as it sounds – worthy of at least an hour's rave at at barbie, then go and open the bonnet. Oooh, ahhh.Surprisingly economical considering available performance. 0-100kmh in low sixes.Drinks premium unleaded only.Six speed manual transmission suits power and torque capturing everything the engine delivers. But tricky shift fourth to fifth.Atrocious turning circle, just like the GTA twins. When will Alfa learn people drive these cars in shopping centre carparks as well as long and winding roads.Handling is in top shelf, sticks like glue, steers like a racing kart, brakes like it has a parachute back there.No torque steer to speak of and feels neutral when pushed really hard.Ride is firm, jiggles on bumpy roads but not that hard as to rattle your brains.Xenon headlights jiggle in tune with the suspen- sion on bumpy roads. Must be annoying for oncoming drivers.Sexy looking 17in alloys look the part, comp- lement stunning shetmetal,particularly at the rear. Grrrowwwl.Comfortable interior will take four adults in individual bucket seats. Access to the rear is tight but once there, it's luxury plus.Driving position is good with multi-adjustable steering wheel and well bolstered seats that also have the right amount of adjustment and padding. Choice leather, sporty dash layout, impressive sound system.Car appears to be well built with smooth paint and tight fit and finish. No rattles or squeaks, solid feel on the road.Weighty at 1410kg – crammed with luxury and safety equipment.

The 8c Competizione is a motor-show concept car that cost about $3 million to design and built, and that means – even if it were for sale – it is well beyond anything you would call a budget.But there is an Alfa that is available and rates highly on the get-me-one-right-now scale.The Alfa Romeo GT is a two-door coupe that is taking the fight up to the benchmark Mazda RX-8 and Nissan 350Z.It isn't cheap, but $80,000 is relatively affordable for people who want a fun car with flair.The 8c Competizione will make its first appearance at the Sydney motor show next month but the GT is available everywhere.The GT is a two-door coupe shaped in the latest Alfa style, which means a chunky nose with a prominent grille, but it tapers away to a cute tail with rounded haunches.It is a 2-plus-2 body, with plenty of space in the front but a slightly cramped cabin for people in the back.The mechanical package is familiar: a 3.2-litre V6 with 176kW of power, fully independent suspension with anti-skid four-wheel disc brakes and a six-speed manual gearbox.The $79,990 price buys luxury, from Bose CD sound and alloy wheels to tan leather trim, cruise control, xenon headlamps, remote central locking and a trip computer. It is just what you'd expect in the class, and all done with Italian style.The GT slots in close to the top of the Alfa Romeo range for '04, well beyond the aged GTV coupe but short of the 166 flagship sedan.Its appeal is obvious, because the shape and rocking V6 and tan leather and driving joy are all traditional Alfa enticements."Few cars can offer the complete emotional experience supplied by the Alfa Romeo GT," Alfa Romeo Australia general manager Kevin Wall says.ON THE ROADFIRST impressions count – and the GT makes a stunning impact. It is a great-looking car that tells you from the get-go it is sporty, rorty and Italian.Turn the key, fire the classic V6 engine, and the impression gets stronger.The GT is a car that wants to be driven, and driven fairly hard, to give its best.Still, it's just as good making an impact and it will do the job on Lygon or Chapel streets with equal success.The GT is a long way down the road from Alfa's old GTV, and not just in the switch from angular lines to curvy panels. It is more complete, more enjoyable and has fewer flaws.Rear vision is just plain awful – which is why it has rear parking radar – and the six-speed manual can be a pest at times, with the shift into six a real pain. But there is not much else to complain about.The "eyebrows" below the low-rider front spoiler do drag a bit too much and the turning circle is so wide you need tugs for parking.The car is much more enjoyable than Alfa's GTA, which was too demanding and too raunchy.The GT gets along nicely, with plenty of torque and a top-end rush, and the gearbox has well-chosen ratios for straight-line sprints and fun in curves.Fuel consumption isn't great, averaging 14.7 litres/100km during our test, but it gets a lot better on highways or when you resist the temptations.Alfa has also done a great job of tuning the traction control, making the front-drive GT lively without electronic intrusion over the slightest slip or patch of gravel.The ride is firm but still compliant for a sports car, it takes curves with no fuss, and the steering has good feedback.The seats are very comfortable, and the boot is huge. We liked the trip computer and cruise control, but the xenon headlamps don't run to high beam.The $80,000 bottom line puts it above its obvious sports car rivals and closer to the BMW 3-Series coupe. It means it cannot be assessed just as a sports car.THE BOTTOM LINETHE Alfa range is getting better all the time and the GT is a car with substance to match its style.

ALFA Romeo's GT maintains the Italian company's commitment to style. There is substance here, too, but it is the style which catches the attention and sets this two-door Alfa apart from the small clutch of hot hatches and WRXs in the premium end of the sub-$100,000 sports market.The coupe was designed by Bertone. It is a fine sculpture with a mix of muscle and heritage, a swoop to the nose leading to that classic grille, a sharp-edged rib down the side, and a well-rounded rear.The GT is instantly recognisable as an Alfa Romeo, a close relative of the 147 and a distant relative of classics back to the Guilia Sprint GT of the early 1960s.As with most from this famous stable, the GT's style will last well into the 21st century; simple and uncluttered, the lines spell a Zegna-suited sports machine, a fine-tuned machine with breeding.All this fine Italian style, plus the engineering, arrives with a $79,990 price tag.That price, maybe too rich for some blood, is reasonable for a European coupe with class and 176kW arriving at 6200rpm.That's a little less than the same 3.2 litre V6 produces for the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA, here there's been a little detuning to give the GT a different character.The 147 GTA is for the boy and girl racers; the Alfa GT more for the sporting tourers, perhaps a little wiser in the ways of the back roads.It has a softer nature, this coupe. It is not to be underestimated but the ride, the general demeanour is not quite as aggressive as that of the Alfa 147 GTA, one of the hottest of hot hatches this season.The GT's steering is just as sharp, the trade-off again is a decent-sized turning circle at 12.1m, but the front end is a little softer, a little less kart-like.This helps give the GT a more relaxed attitude. The 147 GTA is always wanting to slip the leash, the Alfa GT is just as happy to settle back into a fast clip. The coupe most appreciates the open road.It is easy enough to run around town but the snug cabin, hip-hugging seats and that engine bark are more suited to a quiet highway, best with a few twists and turns.As a runaround, that stylish Alfa crouch allows good room for two up front, a little room for smaller occupants in the back. Rear seat leg room is reasonable, headroom is at a premium.Fuel consumption through the traffic runs about 17-18 litres/100km; on an open road cruise that drops to 9 litres/100km.This is where the people see the charm and class of the Alfa's road presence but it's out of town where the Alfa GT earns its money.There is decent grip (and less front-wheel fightback than the 147) and always that quick and sharp turn-in.Like the best of its breed, the GT also enjoys a run through the gears, that lusty V6 singing and the kilometres disappearing.The factory reckons it shifts from standstill to 100km/h in.6.7 seconds and covers a standing kilometre in 26 seconds. Top speed is 243km/h and there is little doubt the GT would remain as composed, as unruffled as it sits at 110km/h.Ride comfort is generally good, there is a fair amount of compliance and that front end is better behaved over the jiggles than the Alfa GTV; nastier and rougher bitumen still needs to be treated with care.The Alfa GT is a smart and quick tourer, a fine piece of machinery for running from A to B in comfort and safety with a large helping of driving pleasure.The very able chassis is backed here by electronic stability and traction controls, ABS brakes and brake assist for those four big disc brakes, ventilated at the front.Front, side plus curtain airbags, a Bose sound system with CD (stacker in the boot) and MP3 player, heated leather seats and trip computer help fill out cabin comforts and occupant safety.This Alfa Romeo GT is a very complete, very pretty and very satisfying machine.

Apologies to the great one for borrowing his one liner, but it pretty well describes my drive impressions of Alfa Romeo's new GT, launched on July 1.Nearly 400km across a spectrum of driving environment – from peak hour Sydney harbour bridge commuting to Hunter Valley back road scratching to Newcastle Expressway cruising – provided a spirited search into the soul of Alfa's latest offering.The punt north from Wiseman's Ferry to Cessnock particularly reinforced the GT's road holding prowess.Pushed h-a-r-d through corners, with the 3.2-litre V6 on full song around 6000rpm in second or third gear, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was more than a front wheel drive vehicle.The Alfa exuded such dynamic grip at all four points of road contact, that it seemed to be driving as much from the rear.No doubt this is helped by electronic traction and stability control systems that get the power to the ground and keep it there.What with the stiff suspension (it is a GT), you felt every pot hole, but the car still tracked true and held its line with sure footed confidence.The GT essentially wears the same suspension set- up as the 147 GTA with double wishbone front and MacPherson struts at the rear.A longer (50mm) wheel base than the GTA could well assist with making the GT the great handler that it is. Kerb weight is 1410kg.But there's more to the GT than impressive handling and road holding.The free-revving V6 is as found in the 156 sedan and 147 GTA hot hatch, save for a mild detune which drops it about 8kW from GTA spec to 176kW at 6200rpm, with maximum torque of 300Nm kicking in at 4800rpm.The six-speed manual gearbox is sportily spaced with short, positive throws to bring the best out in the engine and gives the maker's claims of 0-100 km/h in just 6.3 seconds credence. Sorry, no auto is available.The GT stops as well as it goes courtesy of ABS anti-lock brakes bolstered by emergency brake assist to maximise retardation.Refilling the fuel tank is not on a motoring writer's job description, so we will have to accept Alfa's claims of 12.4l/100km (combined cycle).Put the car's swoopy styling down to input from coach builder Bertone, designer of the original 1954 Giulietta Sprint which, it could be argued, kick started the gran turismo (GT) concept.The GT will carry four people, although head room was a problem for a colleague who tried out the rear seats. But then he was a taller than average 185cm (6'2").In keeping with the svelte Italian styling, the interior is well finished in tan and black leather tones and creature comforts and entertainment include a Bose/Bosch MP3-CD capable hi-fi, dual-zone automatic climate control system, trip computer and xenon headlights.There is also cruise control, multifunction (and multilingual) information display, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, remote central locking and remote-control operation of the boot.If the worse comes to the worst, occupants are well protected by six airbags – two in the front, two front side and two window curtain type – front and rear anti-submarining seats, inertia-reel seat belt pretensioner and load limiter and a fire protection system that prevents fuel loss on impact, in a roll-over or in damage to the fuel lines.Distributor Ateco expects to sell "perhaps 150" GTs a year locally.The RRP of $79,990 puts it up against BMW's 3 Series coupe, Mercedes-Benz Sports Coupe, Audi TT, Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8 and Chrysler Crossfire.Exalted company. But the Alfa Romeo GT more than deserves comparison – and a test drive.

Alfa Romeo is reclaiming the word that formed its backbone.Performance. It is the one word on which Alfa's history was based, becoming its philosophy through to the 1970s before buyers started demanding room for their children and the focus on performance became blurred.But there have been some exceptions – among them Giulietta Sprint, Alfetta and more recently the 156/147GTA – to warm the blood.And now, released this week, there's the GT.Dubbed a coupe – though more a hatch thanks to its wide-opening bootlid – the GT replaces the four-door 156GTA and sits on a similar platform with a near-identical drivetrain.Though it shares the same wheelbase as the 156, the GT is longer, wider and lower than its donor and – thanks to some superb styling by Italian design house Bertone – stunningly beautiful in the flesh.It gets the GTA's 3.2-litre quad-cam V6 engine, though it sheds 8kW in the transfer and keeps the same torque and acceleration times. The six-speed manual transmission is the only offering – so no full automatic or Alfa's Selespeed – to reiterate the performance theme.The GT's interior has overtones of the 156, though the quality of the leather and the impressive comfort and support of the seats better reflects its GT status.Alfa Romeo Australian importers Ateco Automotive this week said its only concern was supply. Alfa has budgeted on making 14,000 GTs a year, but demand is near 30,000.Not that anyone is unhappy about the figures. Governing director of Ateco Neville Crichton said sales showed the car competed well with all its German competitors."We expect to sell 100 GTs this year," he said."It's no secret we have had supply problems from Italy early this year but they'll pick up in the second half."The $79,990 GT competes with coupes from the Holden Monaro to the Nissan 350Z, BMW 325, Chrysler Crossfire, Mercedes CLK and Peugeot 406 Coupe. But the GT boasts higher driver appeal, with brilliant handling and an engine that delivers truckloads of strong power from idle to red line.The GT can be almost perfectly balanced through fast corners with slingshot acceleration out of the bends afforded by the engine's meaty torque.The brakes are some of the best stoppers on the market and the suspension so good that it can be difficult to pick this as a front-wheel-drive car.But this delightful car is let down badly by noise from the suspension, tyres and unknown bits of bodywork.As expected, the GT has a firm ride. But it has a poor ability to absorb road bumps and will send jarring messages to occupants' spines.

But four days after the company celebrated its 94th birthday, and to launch what Ateco's governing director Neville Crichton calls their "new breed of cars", comes the GT. The GT replaces the 156 GTA and is the first coupe since the previous generation GTV. A convertible GT is due in 2006.The current GTV, a model the GT will complement, is more a two-plus-two seater, and the two in the back have to be physically challenged. In contrast, the GT seats four in relative comfort.The reason for the return is explained when looking at Alfa's model line-up. The GTAs were built primarily for the race track of which the 147 GTA fills the niche well. The 147 and 156 are not sporty models while the Spider takes care of the convertible line-up. The GT, however, is sporty and offers buyers a unique car that has the space and versatility of a coupe.Alfa predicts it will sell 100 GTs by the end of the year, a prediction that may be conservative when looking at the position of the car. Priced above cars such as the Nissan 350Z and Audi TT, but below the BMW 330ci and CLK 320, the GT ($79,990) has a spot all its own.Crichton, who is confident the car will sell well, says: "I think the car – in every way – competes well with every German competitor."Styled by Bertone the GT subtly features cues from its stable mates. It is the size and general shape of a 156 but the scalloped doors reflect the sporty nature of the 147 GTA. The high-sided doors are accentuated by the sleek and narrow windows and the taut lines that meet at the rear of the car.The heart of the GT is Alfa's 3.2-litre V6 that puts out 176kW@6200 and develops 300Nm of torque, the same as the racy 147 GTA. The V6 engine couples with a six-speed box and the GT rockets to 100km/h in 6.3 seconds. The GT has the same styling as its siblings and features the subtle, and stylish, red lighting that is characteristic of the brand.The GT comes equipped with dual-zone climate control, cruise control, steering wheel with integrated radio controls, a Bose sound system with a CD/MP3 player, power windows, remote central locking with remote boot opening, full leather interior and heated front seats.Then there is safety. The GT has six air bags (dual front, side and window), VDC with brake assist, front and rear anti-submarining seats, inertia-reel seat belt pretensioner and load limiter, and a fire protection system that prevents fuel loss on impact, in a roll-over or in damage to the fuel lines.The ride is on the rough side but not overly uncomfortable and only a little bug to bear in exchange for the handling qualities the GT possesses. Steering is precise and despite slight tram lining and a little bump steer the GT is extremely sure footed.While there will be no other version of the GT than the petrol engine, Alfa says diesel offerings will come in other models.Despite a positive forecast, Alfa has had a very tough first half of 2004. Strikes at Fiat saw 400 Alfas bound for Down Under stranded in the warehouse for months, which hit sales.