Alfa Romeo 156 RANGE
Alfa Romeos 156 Has Always Been One Of The Best Looking Medium Range Executive Saloons Around. The Latest Revisions Have Sharpened Up The Styling Still Further. Andy Enright Reports
Its very difficult to agree on what defines automotive beauty. To some its a flowing shape, to others its an elegant engineering solution. Fashions change and a car that was beautiful can rapidly become gawky and gauche. The
Alfa Romeo 156 was a car that united opinion.
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It was beautiful. Period. So why have
Alfa Romeo seen fit to indulge in a little cosmetic surgery?
Some manufacturers just feel the need to tinker. Sometimes the facelifts work, sometimes they go a little bit wrong. A straw poll in the office saw everybody rate the latest Alfa Romeo 156 as a good-looking car but there seemed something of a split as to whether it was actually any better looking than its predecessor. Credit for the styling job goes to Giugiaros Ital Design studio and its a very neat piece of work, bringing many of the design cues from Alfas lauded Brera show car into production.
The Hannibal Lecter-style hockey mask of a grille and the frowning jewel effect lights will catch the eye of the dedicated Alfisti, but few would spot the differences if unprompted. Genuine anoraks will also spot the microscopically modified tail lights and the Sportwagon estate versions ever-so slightly cleaner rear bumper design. The styling revisions mark a distinct shift in Alfa Romeos design language. We first saw the big grille on the 147 hatch and it was subsequently incorporated into the revised GTV and Spider models.
Now the 156 has come in for the treatment, possibly due to Alfas rising corporate identity, and the changes are more than just skin deep.
"If you've a drop of real driving blood in your veins, that muted roar works every time..."
The most significant change is the introduction of another JTD diesel engine and this one is an absolute belter. With 175bhp on tap, its one of the new generation of Multijet common rail diesel engines. This 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. The upside is that huge torque figures can be generated and this five-cylinder 2.4-litre unit cranks out 284lb/ft of torque and runs with very low emissions and excellent refinement. A six-speed manual gearbox ensures that you can always strike a decent balance between low speed acceleration and high speed cruising efficiency.
The 2.0-litre JTS engine has been subtly updated too. This engine already offered 10% more power and 14% more torque than the old 2.0-litre Twinspark unit, as well as 10bhp more power.
Yet, thanks to a system where fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber rather than into the inlet manifold, it actually used less fuel. Now its also a good deal cleaner to boot. The 115bhp 1.9-litre JTD engine continues as before, and theres a 140bhp unit, but we have waved goodbye to the relatively unloved 2.
5-litre V6 engine. The big hitter in the 156 range remains the GTA version and before you do a double take, yes, it does carry the styling of the old car on. Perhaps Alfas budget could only stretch too far. As its stands, its the best of both worlds.
If you dont get on with the latest 156s styling, save up for a GTA and get one of the worlds best engines as recompense. With a 250bhp version of the top 3.2-litre 24v V6 petrol engine and numerous handling tweaks, the result is a soundtrack to die for and a fitting flagship to a great line-up. As with all 156 models, its being offered in both saloon and Sportwagon (estate) bodystyles.
Priced from £14,810, all 156 variants feature a revised centre console which features dual-zone climate controls so that driver and front passenger can set their own temperatures. Theres an impressive Bose multi-speaker stereo system and the option of the clever CONNECT telematics set-up, offering satellite navigation, internet use and access to the emergency services. There are six airbags as standard, plus the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) stability system, brake assist and Isofix child
seat mountings. Otherwise, the recipe is much the same.
As well as the engines already mentioned, that means an additional choice of 1.6, and 1.8 petrol units, the aforementioned Sportwagon estate option across the board, the option of the clever Selespeed semi-automatic gearbox, standard air conditioning and the choice of base, Turismo, Lusso or Veloce trim levels. That things are different in a 156 is evident from the first moment you drive one.
Climate control good enough to deliver everything from Malibu in March to Alaska in August is standard across the board. Choose Lusso specification and you get leather upholstery with alloy wheels; Veloce provides sports suspension and styling plus larger alloys and Recaro seats with cloth or optional leather trim. For a premium of just over £1,000, the stylish Sportwagon estate variant is well worth considering. Here, the emphasis is on fashion rather than practicality but what boot space there is (360 litres) is easily accessible.
Drop the rear 60:40 split rear seats and you can create a completely flat loading area of 1,180 litres. The Alfa Romeo 156 still offers a refreshing alternative for the
BMW fan that's wavering. Its a car that needs no excuses. The build quality is unimpeachable, the range of engines is impressive and the styling is sharper than anything in the class to emerge from Germany. Dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts may bemoan the fact that it sends its power to the front wheels but when the overall package is this good, this should be of peripheral concern.
It seems a long time since the 156 won the European Car of The Year award back in 1998. If anything, the latest car reminds us how little needed changing.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Alfa Romeo 156 range
PRICES: £14,810-£28,540 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-17
CO2 EMISSIONS: 155-287g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] 0-60mph 8.2s Max Speed 137 mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (urban) 23.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4430/1745/1415mm
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