Alfa Romeo 156 SPORTWAGON RANGE

Though There's Not A Huge Amount Of Space In Alfa Romeo's Stylish Sportwagon, Jonathan Crouch Thinks It Will Continue To Find A Ready Market. Especially In Light Of Its Latest Facelift

The problem with owning a sportscar - or a small sports saloon come to that - generally boils down to one of space. Or lack of it. Which is fine if you want to run two cars - but irritating if you don't.

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They understood this back in the Seventies - which is why we had cars like Reliant's Scimitar GTE, Lancia's Beta HPE and the Volvo 1800ES that Roger Moore drove in The Saint. There had been nothing like that since however - until the arrival of the car featured here - Alfa Romeo's 156 Sportwagon. This five-door version of the classy 156 saloon is theoretically an estate, though in practice, there's less luggage room inside than your average family hatchback. Actually, there's even less space in the boot than there is in the four-door model. But that isn't the point. Buy something else if you want to transport a sofa or a grandfather clock. Buy this if you still want to enjoy getting from A to B via X and Y with a small backroad detour through Z. The other 'lifestyle' estates with which the Sportwagon allegedly competes all claim to do this but none really do. BMW's 3 Series Touring, Audi's A4 Avant and Volvo's V40 are all stylish cars but they don't really make you feel young again behind the wheel. And what's worse, though slightly more spacious, they can't carry a grandfather clock either. Coupewagon and Powerwagon were optional names for this model during its development, which you can understand looking at the finished article, a car with all the style of its four-door counterpart. The rising waistline, slender glass area and sloping tail blend beautifully into a shape which, if anything, is more appealing than that of the saloon - and certainly more slippery. What hasn't changed are the lovely designer touches - like the rear door handles recessed into the window frames. Someone cared about creating this car. Even something as easy on the eye as an Alfa Romeo needs freshening up from time to time, though, and so weve seen a reasonably far-reaching facelift for the car. The current car sports a more prominent slatted grille, clear lens headlights and slightly altered taillights while this Sportwagon model now features a cleaner bumper design.

Nothing has been done to harm the aesthetics of what was already a great-looking car.

"Buy something else if you want to transport a sofa or a grandfather clock"

Not that this Alfa is entirely without practical merit. What boot space there is (360 litres) is easily accessible via an unexpectedly large hatch aperture, though unfortunately, there's a lip over which heavy items must be lifted. The rear 60:40 split rear seat folding mechanism is user-friendly though. You simply pull a strap to lift the seat bases, enabling the backs to drop down and create a completely flat loading area of 1180 litres. In the estate compartment, the floor panel covering the spare wheel is reversible and can be flipped over to reveal a practical, if rather shallow, waterproof tray that will keep muddy dogs - or muddy boots - from soiling the smart carpets. This is an idea shamelessly copied from Nissan's Primera Estate. A couple of smaller drawers are built into the sides of the boot area and plusher Sportwagons can accommodate longer items via a ski hatch built into the back seat. Sadly, the self-levelling suspension system (which would be so useful on those occasions you really want to carry heavy loads) is optional. What you do get however, is the cleverest net system this side of Microsoft.

Two stretchy nets in this case, which can divide the estate area into an almost bewildering number of different combinations. One pulls vertically out of the removable housing that also incorporates an extendable luggage cover and can be attached to the roof. The other 200mm high net is used horizontally and can be fitted in no fewer than 10 positions to divide the load area either crossways or lengthways. Optionally, there's also a dog guard and yet another net to anchor baggage to the chrome tie-down loops that are fixed to the floor. Passengers will find the interior as classy as ever, especially since the revisions made to the interior. Those in the rear do however lose out a little on legroom in this version, a legacy of Alfa's refusal to change the length, width or wheelbase of the Sportwagon over the saloon model. Compensation comes in the form of a rear seating position 10mm higher - offering a better view of the road ahead and creating a less claustrophobic feel. A third three-point belt is standard at the back. Sportwagon buyers can select from all of the engines available in the saloon with the exception of the entry-level 1.

6-litre unit. Prices start, therefore, at £17,500 for the 1.8-litre Turismo rising to £28,540 for the 250bhp 3.2-litre GTA which remains unaltered from the pre-facelift line-up.

In-between is the impressive JTD diesel engine range comprised of a 115bhp 1.9-litre, a 140bhp 1.9-litre and a 175bhp 2.4-litre.

All are potent and economical with the two most powerful units featuring Multijet injection technology. Theres also a 2.0-litre JTS petrol option to finish things off. Turismo, Lusso or Veloce trim levels are offered but even the most basic cars feature climate control, CD player, six airbags, traction control and ABS with EBD.

On the road, the Sportwagon if anything, feels even nicer to drive than its four-door stablemate. To counter the effects of an extra 50kgs in weight and an overall structure only 85% as stiff as that of the saloon, the Italian engineers have softened the suspension. Predictably, this has significantly improved the ride quality but most seem to agree that this has not been at the expense of handling prowess. So, thank goodness, this particular 156 remains as great to drive as ever.

It's a car you'll enjoy every time you use it, whether you opt for the entry-level Twin Spark 1.8 or the flagship GTA. In summary, a practical car which is beautifully impractical. And isn't that the Italian way?

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Alfa Romeo Sportwagon range
PRICES: £17,500-£28,540 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-19
CO2 EMISSIONS: 178-287g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] 0-60mph 8.8s Max Speed 134 mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (urban) 23.2mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 32.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4430/1745/1420mm