Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 JTS
The
Alfa Romeo GTV Has Long Been A Favourite Of Ours. With A Mid-Life Makeover And a Zesty JTS Engine Under The Hood, It Might Just Be Time To Reacquaint Yourself With This Characterful Coupe. By Andy Enright
Lets face it, the purchase of a coupe is rarely done on the most rational of grounds. Factors such as residual value, fuel economy and luggage capacity usually take a cramped back
seat to more airy considerations such as how irresistible you will be to the opposite sex or how jealous youll make your ex-boss when you drive past his house every morning. You need a car that really registers: something sleek, exotic and for that louche sort of image - preferably Italian. The Alfa Romeo GTV scores on all of these counts and the latest 2.0-litre JTS version neednt bankrupt you in the process.
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The decision to plumb the JTS engine beneath the GTVs pert bonnet may cause a fair bit of puzzlement amongst you. Wasnt its predecessor, the 2.0-litre Twinspark engine, widely held to be one of the most charismatic sports car engines around? Yes. With 150bhp on tap and the ability to zip to 60mph in 8.
5 seconds, the GTV 2.0-litre Twinspark remains on of our favourite affordable coupes and still makes a great used buy. Alfa have plumped for a relentlessly high-tech engine in the shape of the 2.0-litre JTS, but is it any better? The 2.
0-litre JTS (Jet Thrust Stoichiometric to the curious) engine utilises the principle of direct gasoline injection as used by
Mitsubishi with their GDI engines and
Renault with their HPI range of power units. These fire fuel into the cylinder on the inlet stroke and meter their petrol ration minutely for optimum swirl, burn and happy customer. This lean running results in superb economy, but these engines have traditionally had an Achilles heel. The pistons and inlet ports are designed for low-down economy, and the engine reverts to a normal or stoichiometric mix of air and fuel when you plant the accelerator.
Therefore, the normal gasoline direct engine just wouldnt wash. The JTS engine, on the other hand, uses relatively normal shaped pistons and inlet ports and relies on the actual fuel jet and a sky-high compression rate to do the job instead. Therefore, the JTS engine runs super-lean only up to around 1,500rpm, and normally thereafter. Despite all this technological chicanery, the figures generated are mixed.
Although power is up by 14bhp and torque rises by 18lb/ft, acceleration is nigh on identical to the Twinspark as are fuel economy figures and emissions. It does tend to make one wonder where the progress has been made.
"You need a car that really registers: something sleek, exotic and for that louche sort of image - preferably Italian"
Likewise you may struggle to spot the styling tweaks the GTV has undergone. The rather half-hearted shield-shaped grille on the nose of the old car has been replaced by a bolder slash into the bumper area, reminiscent of the 147. Six chrome-plated grille strakes summit in an Alfa crest that is gracefully integrated into the bonnet. There is also a revised front bumper and some different alloy wheels to tempt buyers.
Alfisti may also notice the revised centre console that can house an optional satellite navigation system, mounted low ahead of the gear lever. On the road, the JTS engine feels gutsy at low revs, but
Alfa Romeo driving isnt about chugging about with the needle barely registering above tickover. Instead the needle should be zinging up to the redline, the engine filling the cabin with all manner of yowls, crackles and fizzes. Here the JTS is a little disappointing, doing sterling work in the midrange but lacking a little charisma when really given the treatment.
With 1405kg to haul about that may not be surprising, but it feels a little more sensible than the up-and-at-em Twinspark. That weight contributes to a modest power to weight ratio of 115bhp per tonne. On the move its fair to say that the Alfa is more at home on smooth Italian tarmac than Britains bumpy back-roads. The sports seats have Germanic firmness, though reveal themselves as being comfortable and supportive over longer distances.
As ever, the GTV is a mixed bag when it comes to practicality. The driving position is fine if you enjoy the long-armed style of 1970s racing drivers, and theres a fair amount of adjustment to get comfortable. The back seats are little more than token efforts, best suited to slinging jackets and day bags onto. The boot is also something of a comedy turn.
There are some MPVs with larger interior storage bins than the GTV boot which, incidentally, absorbs a great deal of heat soak from the exhaust box. Not only does the GTV coupe look a good deal happier than the somewhat awkwardly proportioned Spider, its also a massive 64% more resistant to chassis twisting. This means that the suspension can do its job better and Alfas engineers can specify some industrial strength shocks and springs without fear of turning the car into a shuddering mess every time you encounter an expansion joint. As a result the GTV feels a good deal more modern than its drop top sibling.
The Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0-litre JTS isnt a big advance over its predecessor. The jurys still out on whether the marginally improved efficiency of the JTS engine makes up for its less charismatic nature in comparison with its Twinspark predecessor. Whats not up for debate is that with the deeper grille and the more aggressive font bumper and alloy wheel combination create more of a visual splash.
Thats what cars like the Alfa GTV are all about and in that respect, the GTV 2.0-litre JTS must be deemed a success. There is a solution to this thorny issue, however. Its called the Alfa GTV 3.
2. Get saving.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0JTS
PRICES: £21,800 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 220g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.4s / Max Speed 137mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 21.2mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 30.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver and Passenger Airbag / ABS / Side-impact beams
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4299/1776/1315mm
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