Alfa Romeo Reviews

The Italian brand is known in Australia for style, spicy engines and in the past rust and the occasional breakdown.

European makers are leading the way in offering diesel-engine alternatives to their petrol models.

But, with the new baby 147 hatch, there's a new element: price. Alfa has slashed the price of the car, compared to the previous model.The 147 three-door Twin Spark manual, the model tested, is actually $2510 cheaper than the previous model, coming in at a more competitive $35,990. Similar savings are found across the rest of the range, which is topped by the five-door Selespeed (Alfa-speak for automatic gearbox) at $40,490.Styling revisions for the new model give it a more aggressive look than before. It sits on 17-inch alloy wheels which give it more road presence. And it has scored revised headlights, bumper, spoiler and fog lights.There is no doubting, with the distinct V-grille, the front of the car is its highlight.The number plate has to sit to the left of the grille but, unlike some other cars where such a positioning looks silly, the plate is not obtrusive. Alfa points to revisions in the rear, to the lights, hatch trim and back bumpers, also adding to its aggressive new look, but that is a matter of opinion.There is no doubting the styling, but the car just seems to end without making any grand design statement. However, opening the rear hatch does reveal one important revision, and that is a now sizeable boot space, up 15 per cent from the previous model.Up front the inner revisions include a new instrument display. The impression of driving a European car is enhanced by the use of the Italian language terms benzina (fuel) and acqua (water) on the guages.The red lighting on the dash further adds to the overall Euro feel.However, there is still work to be done on the substance front for the driver.Once you manouevre the driver's seat into the perfect position to suit, you are fine. Until then, the seating is uncomfortable, particularly with an extension at the front of both the driver and passenger seats that just feels like it is in the way.The driving pedal area is rather cramped. There isn't a lot of room between the pedals and you sometimes touch two at once, particularly if you are wearing boots or wide shoes.One other area of concern is that the centre console cover is simply in the way when you change gears or apply the handbrake. It has to be tilted out of the way to stand between the seats. Safety features are strong in the car, with six airbags, including curtain bags.The ride of the car is fine, thanks to improvements to the suspension.This is a car designed for handling smooth European roads at speed but Australia (and, in fact, Sydney) has roads that are rougher.Alfa says more suspension travel has been dialled into the cars sold in Australia. There is also a variety of computer controlled electronic chassis controls.Power comes from a four-cylinder engine. The two-litre Twin Spark pumps out a tidy 110kW with 181Nm of torque. That's good for 0-100km/h in 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 208km/h. The five-speed manual gearbox is light and smooth to operate.Fuel economy is 12.1-litres/100km around town, which improves to a claimed 7-litres/100km on the highway, from the 60-litre tank.Overall, the red-hot little Italian has the looks and the handling to be competitive in what is a tough market segment.It's where stylish Europeans are battling lower priced Japanese and Korean ingenuity.In this case, style wins.

The 156 has a powerful stance emphasised by its muscular shoulders and bold front and rear treatments. The 156's heartbeat came from a 2.0-litre double overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine with twin spark plugs and four valves per cylinder or a 2.5-litre double overhead camshaft V6.With the 2.0-litre engine the 156 would reach 216km/h if pressed, having reached 100km/h in about 8.5 seconds, while the V6 would sprint to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds and had a top speed of 230km/h.Those who chose the twin-spark four could pick between a five-speed manual gearbox and a five-speed auto; those who opted for the V6 could have either a six-speed manual or five-speed auto. An automated shift manual gearbox, Selespeed, could also be ordered for even more fun on the run.Final drive was through the front wheels, which was a disappointing departure from tradition for some Alfa enthusiasts, who treasured the wonderfully exhilarating handling of earlier rear-wheel drive cars like the 105 GTVs. But anyone who was able to get over the disappointment found the 156's handling was just as thrilling as older Alfas despite front-wheel drive.Double-wishbone suspension was employed at the front with an independent MacPherson Strut layout at the rear. It had a balance and precision that made it a joy to drive on the open road. Brakes were disc all round overlaid with ABS and electronic brake distribution.Entry to the Italian club came via the Twin Spark Sedan, which had airconditioning, ABS, dual airbags, adjustable steering wheel, power windows and mirrors, immobiliser, velour trim and carpets, power steering and a host of other features.You could also choose the 156 Sport, which added power Recaro seats, sports trim, instruments and carbon fibre dash trim.If you stepped up to the V6 you got alloy wheels in place of the steel wheels on the Twin Spark, as well as the V6 engine and the option of the six-speed gearbox. Perched atop the range was the Monza, which was available as a Twin Spark or V6, and added leather trim to the package.IN THE SHOPThe latest generation of Alfas seems less prone to niggly problems than some predecessors. There were issues with poor radio reception on early cars, but that was about the extent of the dramas.Most 156s are owned by people prepared to lavish affection on them and ensure they are well serviced. Even so, check for a service record and make sure no corners have been cut. Generally, the 156 seems to remain rattle-free, but the quality of interior fittings suggests they might suffer in the long term.CRUNCH TIMEAgile handling and powerful ABS-equipped brakes give the 156 a great primary safety package, while dual airbags provide good crash protection when a collision is unavoidable. Standard side-front airbags added to the secondary protection from 2000.OWNERS' VIEWSCarol Sainsbery says her 2.5 V6 manual looks stylish, has a user-friendly cabin with comfortable seats, and is a dream car to drive.Rick FitzGerald says his 2001 Monza has been a great car. He loves the engine, the Momo leather interior, the gearshift and the handling but he's not so keen on the front-wheel drive and the aircon, which struggles on hot days.ALFA ROMEO 156 99-02Smooth powerful engineSlick manual gearshiftExcellent road holdingClassic Italian stylingCheck for service recordWell-equipped interiorRATING16/20 Good-looking sports sedan goes and handles well and stands out from the crowd 

Long ago, my very practical, motor-minded father talked me out of buying a zippy little Alfasud as my first car – explaining that reliability was not assured but expensive maintenance and repair costs were.Fast-forward to now and after just a short cruise as a passenger in the Alfa Romeo's 166, he was more than willing to give it the thumbs up.And why not? The surge of power when you put the foot down ... the sexy styling ... the purr of the engine assure an Italian love affair which could go on and on.Be still, my beating heart ... or at least be practical.Alfa Romeo is known for small, sporty, sexy cars aimed at the child-free brigade. Nothing family-friendly there, you'd think, except that the 166 has excellent back-seat space, four doors and a deceptively roomy boot to accommodate a family. And the accommodation is premium. Outside, you just know it's an Alfa from that triangular grille and the badge.Alfa Romeo has concentrated on sleek and sexy curves.Inside are leather seats and one of the best wrap-around driver consoles to be found. Those leather seats are heated – fantastic on a cold Sunday morning – and the console has satellite navigation, a built-in phone and even a pollen filter. More comfort than the lounge at home.Even the compact key comes with a slick little flick-switch to pop the key open. The long-held question – was this Alfa Romeo desire just a warm fuzzy memory – had been answered. This is a fabulous motor car.All of those features and the feeling of being ruler of the road comes at a price, of course (think practical, girl).At $84,950, this is a love affair for the well heeled, although the price buys a supreme drive and every possible feature.Not a huge amount of storage and not a proper-shaped cup holder to be found. But when you're spending that much on a car, just stop for the latte.LOVE IT LEAVE ITAlfa Romeo 166Three-litre, 24-valve V6 automaticPrice: $84,950LOVE ITStyling, power, comfort, handling ... where do you stop? Side mirrors which fold back in at the push of a switch to get out of tight spacesLEAVE ITTo be entirely practical ... that's a lot of money for a motor car

Maybe it's the larger front badge and angular, more accentuated headlights which tend to dominate the front.In comparison, the large expanse of paintwork seemed to draw attention to the smaller beak-like grille of the old car.It is a perennial problem for car designers when trying to pen a follow-up design to a stunner like the Alfa 147.Either way, it's still a fine looking piece of machinery. As well as the more contemporary front treatment, the new car gets revised rear lights, hatch trim and bumpers and 17-inch alloys that are now standard across the range.Although available in three and five-door models, we unfortunately will not be seeing a new 147 GTA.Alfa says the cost of panel work compared to the number of cars it sells does not warrant the cost. We will, however, continue to take the firebreathing 3.2-litre V6 in its current form (thank goodness).We reckon the chunky 147 hatch is the best looking model in the current Alfa range. The 2.0-litre Twin Spark engine produces a maximum 110kW of power at 6300pm and 181Nm of torque at 3800rpm.It's not the most powerful engine around but it is a willing worker and produces a wonderful exhaust note. The gearing is rather tall and you need to flog it to get the car off the line quickly.Drive is through the front wheels, with a variety of electronic aids to ensure the wheels remain in contact with the bitumen. The engine is mated to a slick, five-speed manual box and driving the car is a rewarding experience for the enthusiast.The dash from 0-100km/h takes 9.3 seconds on the way to a top speed of 208km/h. The big doors in our three-door test car are heavy and open wide for acces to a rather claustrophobic rear seat. Rear leg room is good with comfortable seating for two adults in the back but belts for three.The 147 is well equipped, with stability control, traction control and electronic brake force distribution standard.Safety features include six airbags, ABS brakes and a fire prevention system.Luxury items include power windows and mirrors and locks are included, as is cruise control, trip computer and dual zone climate control airconditioning.Alfa claims fuel consumption of 7.0 litres for every 100km but we found it to be more like 10.0L/100km during testing.The 147 Twin Spark is priced from $35,990.

Three or five-door, the compact Italian has a style all its own and always an encouraging nature.

Back in the early 1980s, public relations and event management was just starting to become the billion-dollar juggernaut it is now.

Sleek, purposeful and clearly Italian, the Alfa 166 is the flagship model and sits in the expensive sector of the market.At $85,000, the 166 competes with a heavyweight list of more established prestige cars, among then Audi's new A6, BMW's latest 3-series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Volvo's S80 and even gets into the Jaguar S-Type territory.Esteemed company, indeed.Yet maybe this isn't a fair comparison. The 166, you see, is a car for the enthusiast. Someone who may have had a long history of Alfa ownership and now wants a bit of luxury to go with the distinctive growl of the Alfa exhaust note.The more you drive this car, the more it becomes addictive. It is quick, smooth, comfortable and roomy. And it barks, growls and, when kicked, roars. A Chesterfield armchair with fangs.It also received a lot of attention, despite the colour being a rather subdued metallic grey.While the car looks like a new model, it's not much different from its predecessor.Alfa has fitted the 166 with the family grille, so the shield emblem runs deep to split the bumper.But the scalloped flanks and long, swooping bonnet remain, as do the slinky side windows that narrow to a dart before disappearing over the bobbed tail.More noticeable is a commitment by Alfa to mute any body or mechanical coarseness, bringing the Italian into line with its competitors.And it works.The 166 is a quieter, smoother and more comfortable ride than before. But Alfa has deliberately left its sporting soul untouched, relayed to the driver through the heart-warming exhaust note and the seemingly endless and silky power delivery.It comes with a proper automatic gearbox with a manual sequential mode for those who want to pretend this is a more raw model.I say "proper" because the box isn't a clutchless manual like the Selespeed unit fitted to most other new Alfas.Though there are only four cogs — rivals have five, six and even an optional seven-speed auto boxes — the performance is brisk. You wouldn't want to go much faster, though I guess the size of a box may be a selling point.It will come as no surprise that this luxury model also enjoys a bit of a fang.Even its front-drive layout and the bulk of the three-litre V6 under the nose fails to dilute its precise cornering and grip.All this is relayed with precision via a leather-rimmed steering wheel that would look at home in the company's fiery 147GTA hatch.Occupants sit in leather chairs with plenty of leg and head room.Listening to Vivaldi, no doubt, on the CD player that is monitored by a wide LCD screen. The screen, incidentally, also operates the climate dual-zone airconditioning, telephone, satellite navigation and trip computer.Which told me I averaged 12.2 litres/100km and that was more than satisfactory given, as Alfa would have wished, it was driven with gusto.

The Italian is a bit too costly, but it does the rest of the job.It is a two-plus-two coupe with an emphasis on style. It has a two-litre engine that's not too wild and it's good to drive.The GT is doing the same sort of job as the Celica: setting a style and direction, luring customers into showrooms and getting people to think about a brand even when they are not shopping for a car.I have driven the GT before with the high-performance V6 engine, so I was keen to see how it goes with a two-litre JTS engine and the semi-automatic gearbox system called Selespeed.Most buyers in Australia are going the Selespeed way and, even though I've had dramas with it, I have heard plenty about improvements.The gearbox is a full manual but with a sequential shift system that takes over the clutch work and decisions on shifts when you use it as an automatic.The driver can always override the system with a flick of the steering-wheel paddles or by bumping the gear lever. And the latest software forces the car to hold a gear through to redline when it previously upshifted on its own.Selespeed was developed for the Ferrari F355 to turn a manual gearbox into an automatic for city work and for customers who don't want to shift all their gears all the time. It was lumpy at first but is much better now."Eighty per cent of Alfa Romeo sales in Australia are with Selespeed. It is fitted to all our models except the luxury 166," Alfa Australia spokesman Edward Rowe says. "Australia vies with Japan as the No 1 Selespeed market. GT sales are doing 12 to 20 cars a month, depending on supply, and 70 per cent are the JTS with Selespeed."But Australia is still tiny business for Alfa. Sales are less than 1 per cent of annual production. The GT is part of a style revolution at Alfa Romeo and has taken over from the very old GTV. It shares its basic mechanical package with the 156 Sportwagon, but the great-looking coupe body is new.The JTS Selespeed model is $64,950 and the engine is a hi-tech hummer, producing 121kW of power but with lean-burn technology and direct injection to boost its all-round efficiency.Alfa says it sprints to 100km/h in 8.7 seconds and has fuel economy better than 7 litres/100km in European trials. There are other benefits, including the full luxury package from the GT V6 for $15,000 less. Only four or five buyers a month are going for the V6.ON THE ROADYOU can't question the looks of the Alfa GT. It turns lots of heads.The GT has a fantastic shape, with all the traditional Alfa triggers, from the bold grille and bodywork that looks best in classic red to tan leather seats and a dashboard with two big dials to monitor the essentials.The ride and handling is good, too, and the two-litre JTS engine in my test car was suitably responsive and light on the pumps.It's not the quickest thing around, but it is quite swift – and the overall economy during my test drive of 9.8 litres/100km is good on a car that likes to be driven.The JTS engine is very responsive and it has a typically Alfa note, but it isn't quite as charismatic as the V6.I also enjoyed all the equipment, particularly the sound system and the shape of the seats, and the price is pretty good for what you get. It's not nearly as affordable as a Celica, but you wouldn't really expect it to be.