Alfa Romeo 159 2006 News

The 159 came here in 2006 sans not only the automatic transmission option — crucial these days if you’re serious about attracting more than a few hundred punters (such as myself) — but also the refinement, efficiency, performance and various other things hoped for by those of us who, against all reason, hold Alfa Romeo in some regard. Some embellishments and functional enhancements between first appearance and mid-life revision are par for the course, of course. Yet it’s the glaring improvement between model year 2008 and this one that’s so striking, so much so that if this were the work of Volkswagen they’d tell you it belonged to a new generation. Put it this way, there’s far more substantive improvement between this year’s 159 (Ti editions and conventional ones alike) than has been claimed between the Mark V and Mark VI Golfs — not so much in terms of bits and pieces added on in, but for how the thing goes. I drove the top-line diesel 159 this week over precisely the same bits of bitumen as every previous 159 to date. The five-cylinder turbo diesel is still far, far too gruff and loud for anything priced around $61K, but despite this and the same knee-weakening Giugiaro design and driver-centric cabin as before, you have a tough time believing it’s the same car. Skinny Ti edition 19s notwithstanding, it rides the same bumps on which the last Ti in this garage just about scraped its chin off. Moreover, despite being dropped and stiffened it suffers altogether fewer instances of skittering and general ill-discipline. All this without comprising the connectivity one feels with the road or that excellent turn in. And all that while channeling 400Nm through the front wheels. Only 10 years ago, grown men were simpering in relief at having survived Saab’s manically torque-steering 9-3 Viggen with its 350Nm going through the pointy end. Yet the Alfa’s front-wheel nature comes to the fore mainly in terms of a bus-like turning circle. The truly extraordinary leap forward, however, is Aisin’s six-speed automatic tranny. So maladroit was their previous effort it worked with the car about as harmoniously as a transplanted organ that the body is rejecting. Well, they’ve fixed it to the extent that it bears comparison with the benchmark ZF of BMW’s rival 320D. There’s another car about which you might be entitled to feel sour if you’re among the first-up buyers. The BMW E90 – the fifth incarnation of the 3-Series — started life here with the previous generation’s 2.0-litre turbo diesel only to get the new, more efficient and faster engine in 2008, with further marginal improvements in output and efficiency for the 2009 range. Says something doesn’t it? All things really do come to he who waits.

One of the headline acts will be the French star of recent independent crash tests - the Citroen C6 - which has been acclaimed as the safest car yet tested by the New Car Assessment program.The C6, set to go on sale in Australia by the middle of the year, is the fi rst car to earn the maximum four stars from Euro NCAP for its pedestrian safety rating, as well as a maximum fi ve stars for occupant protection.It's also won an award as the world's most beautiful large sedan.The C6 is offering two V6 engines - a 2.7-litre 150kW turbo diesel or a three-litre 155kW petrol engine; both drive the front wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.Alfa Romeo's 156 range brought the Italian brand back to the fore in Australia with fl air and passion. It's replacement, the 159, continues in that tradition. It will offer more modern drivetrains - and even a V6 with Australian roots - when it hits the market mid year.Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and the Alfa Romeo Styling Centre, the new car will come in both front and all-wheel drive versions, with the Q4 permanent four-wheel drive system using three diffs to split drive.The Alfa Romeo 159 is the first of a whole family of new Alfas due over the next two years, including the Brera.Lexus will be the fi rst car maker to offer a luxury hybrid model, with its GS petrol-electric hybrid offering plenty of performance with the thirst and emissions of a two-litre.The Toyota-owned luxury brand also has a hybrid version of the RX SUV but the company's stand in Adelaide will feature the RX350 - which sees the looks get a nip and tuck, with a new more-powerful and more fuel-effi cient engine beneath its sculpted snout.When Volkswagen went back to the factoryowned subsidiary, they announced high hopes of surpassing 20,000 units by now. They haven't got there yet but with more than 15,000 sales last year the German car maker is on the right track.The prestige segment will see the Passat return with a vengeance this year, with direct-injection two-litre petrol and turbo-diesel engines, or a V6 petrol engine, on offer in either sedan or wagon body style.The sales have had a boost from the new Golf and the newly-introduced (and keenly-priced) Jetta, giving the German car maker plenty of ammunition to work with.Peugeot will give Adelaide show-goers a look at its new 407 Coupe, a sleek, powerful and attractive 2+2 that will be offered in petrol and diesel models on sale in Australia as the show opens.The coupe will be offered with a three-litre 155kW/290Nm V6 petrol engine with either a sixspeed manual gearbox or new six-speed automatic transmission for $65,990 and $68,190 respectively.The sleek Pug will also be offered with a 2.7-litre V6 HDi twin-turbo diesel offering 150Kw and 440Nm with a six-speed automatic gearbox as standard. It will be priced at $72,500.Porsche chose to introduce the Australian motoring media to the Cayman S in the countryside surrounding Adelaide and its fi tting the German brand returns to the motor show this year with the same model.The Cayman S is more than a Boxster with a roof, sharing inlet systems and some other nice bits with the 911.The bulk of the DNA traces back to the midengined Boxster, which gives the two-seater Cayman the same basic powerplant - although slightly larger - plus the superb road manners and balance that has made the convertible a popular option among Porsche buyers.Chrysler has returned to the Australian market with plenty of enthusiasm and some interesting product, the latest and most powerful example of that statement being the 300C sedan.Soon to be followed by diesel and wagon variants, the V8 300C has serious visual impact and packs plenty of equipment to take on the big locally-built luxury sedans.The Chrysler has the added attraction of displacement on demand, which drops fourcylinders from use to save fuel when light throttle loads are required.