Alfa Romeo GT 1.9 JTDm 16v
Has any coupe in recent years had a more unfair crack of the whip than Alfas GT? I doubt it. It seems this car was a hot ticket for about ten minutes before the buzz moved onto something else. Whats more, the launch of the Brera coupe has further diverted the spotlight from one of the most attractively-styled cars on sale today. Looking to rectify the balance somewhat, we took delivery of a 1.
9-litre JTD diesel model to reassess this cars attributes.
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9-litres of JTDm engine. Hefty dealer discounting has made this car even better value, so that you should be able to secure one for comfortably less than youd pay for something like a Golf GTI. But then you will have to make do with just 150bhp, although the powerplant is certainly modern enough. Model-wise, theres a choice of Turismo or (for an £1,800 premium) Lusso variants.
For £24,100, theres also a desirable Q2 version offering extra high performance grip thanks to its Torsen limited-slip differential. The Fiat Group, of which Alfa Romeo is a key constituent, was first to market with a direct injection diesel way back in 1986 and in 2005 was awarded the Economist Innovation Award for ground-breaking work in developing common-rail diesel technology. Alfa Romeo brought the first JTD common rail engine to the UK in 1997, plumbed into the front of an Alfa 156. The latest development is a sixteen-valve 150bhp Multijet version of that engine which offers more power and reduced noise levels yet still posts competitive fuel economy and emissions figures.
Its the same as the 140bhp unit offered in the pre-facelift 147 from summer 2003 but a revised injection strategy has boosted the output while reducing noise and vibration.
"Drive an Alfa GT JTDm and you wonder how on earth this car managed to rack up such modest sales"
The Multijet system takes the idea of pilot injection squirting a small amount of fuel into the cylinder to prime the combustion chamber for the main ignition process and refines it still further. In this instance, the main injection is divided into a series of smaller injections, allowing smoother, more gradual combustion that utilises fuel more efficiently. The electronic control units therefore have to be astonishingly precise. Whereas before the time lag between injections was a relatively yawning 1,500 microseconds, the response time has been slashed by a factor of 10.
A variable geometry turbocharger and a high pressure direct injection system make the 150bhp output possible but the key is the 305Nm torque figure. This means that this diesel model feels gutsier than the 3.2-litre V6 petrol flagship. Youll believe that too when you drive the car.
Fire it up and the engine settles into an unobtrusive background thrum that never threatens to rattle the expensively moulded dashboard. Yes, you can tell it sups from the black pump, but its hardly what youd describe as coarse. On the move, the engine remains pleasantly muted without the whistles and bellows of many powerful turbodiesel cars. Between 1,750 and 3,250rpm, theres a huge shove in the back, the elastic power delivery catapulting the Alfa down the road in a deliciously addictive manner.
Even in sixth gear, the GT JTDm will dispatch the 50-75mph increment in just 7.9 seconds. From rest, itll accelerate to 60mph in 9.6 seconds and run onto a top speed of 130mph.
Average fuel economy is pegged at 45.6mpg and emissions amount to a mere 165g/km. Closer inspection of the GT chassis reveals that its something of a mix and match between the old 156 saloon and the 147 hatch. The tape measure shows that the car rides on the 2,596mm long 156 wheelbase but underneath the pretty styling, the firewall, the pedal box, the steering column and the entire climate control system are pure 147.
The front wings are shared with the 147 GTA although the bonnet has been slightly modified. The styling house Bertone were responsible for most of the design and the GT was originally pencilled in to be assembled at their Turin plant where spare capacity had been freed up by the demise of the Fiat Punto Cabriolet. After many beans were counted, however, Alfa Romeo thanked Bertone very much for their penmanship and decided to build the GT alongside the 147 at their Pomigliano dArco plant just outside Naples. Given the solid feel of latest generation 147s, thats perhaps no bad thing and the first impression one gets dropping into the drivers seat of the GT is of rugged build quality.
The cowled instruments and sporting logos that can look a little overblown on a base 147 hatch suddenly make all sorts of sense in a proper coupe. The script on the dials has been revised for the GT, the centre console has been redesigned and the material used for the dashboard is of a different texture to standard 147. Many will be sold on the GT long before their slacks hit the seats. Much of that will be due to the swoopy styling.
Much of it is contemporary Alfa Romeo, particularly around the front end where few will be able to distinguish GT from 147 as it arrives in their rear view mirror. Some cars enjoy massive yet wholly undeserved success. For each of these theres the opposite, a model thats been somewhat neglected despite offering a well-stuffed portfolio of talent. The Alfa GT JTDm is just that car.
Quick, relaxed and with the air of a car far more expensive, this is a model that buyers will be falling over themselves for in twenty years time. Today, however, youre unlikely to have to shoulder too many people aside at your Alfa dealer.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Alfa Romeo GT 1.9 JTDm 16v
PRICE: £21,600-£24,100 - the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 165g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.8s Max Speed 130 mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 45.6mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4489/1763/1365mm
