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Sporty
fashion accessory
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*Alfa
Romeo 156 1.9 JTD
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Ken
Llewelyn gives the new Alfa Romeo Sportwagona big thumbs up.
I RECENTLY tested an unusual car – a diesel-powered Alfa Romeo.
Although not yet available for sale in Australia, fans of the Italian
marque will be horrified at the thought of the quintessential drivers’
car being powered by an “oil burner”.
And yes I was also in two minds when I picked up the car from the
local Alfa dealer, Canberra Star Motors.
Yet anyone who reads overseas car mags will know that Europeans
have taken to diesel cars with a vengeance as the price of fuel
skyrockets. And the modern, second-generation “common rail”
units are a far cry from the noisy, polluting engines of the past.
Alfa importers, Ateco, brought in two 156 powered diesels –
a 2.4 litre five-cylinder, 20 valve engine developing 129kW, and
the car which I drove – a 1.9 litre four cylinder engine, which
generated 103kW.
And let me say the 156 Sportwagon which I drove was the best bolted
together Alfa I have tested.
Indeed, it appears quality control has much improved.
Sportswagon
The 156 Sportwagon could hardly be called a load carrier.
The rear compartment space with seats folded down gives you 1180
litres of space.
By comparison, a Ford Falcon will give you more than double that
to play with. But you get a flat floor, built in cargo blind, upper
and lower built-in cargo barriers, tie-down points and a ski-hole
in the rear seats.
But for the fashion conscious you probably get the best-looking
sportwagon in the business. The 156 has a timeless shape which I
have always found immensely attractive, yet Father Time has deemed
that the 156 will be replaced by the bigger and even more sophisticated
159 next year.
Engine/gearbox
What really amazed me about this diesel was the range. With the
63 litre tank full the computer gave a read-out of more than 1000km
to empty! Very impressive indeed.
This particular car also had the best six-speed manual of any Alfa
I have driven. And the designers carefully adjusted the gearing
to give maximum economy by using the considerable torque available.
At 110km/h, the 1.9 JTD was ticking over at less than 2000 rpm.
No wonder Alfa quotes 4.8 litres/100km for the country cycle! And
they quoted 6.1 litres/100km for combined city/country driving.
Driving/comfort
Even more surprising was the driving experience. I really enjoyed
my week with the diesel wagon.
It gave very sprightly performance and was very relaxing to drive
in town or on the open road.
The steering is beautifully weighted and Alfa has just about got
the road-holding/comfort balance correct. Inside, the leather seats
were comfortable and the driving position, although never perfect
in an Alfa, was very good.
Instrumentation was comprehensive and the dual-zone airconditioning
was a nice extra. Unfortunately, the VDO stereo gives a reasonable
sound but it is like every Alfa I have driven; to alter the controls
you still need 20/20 vision and pianist’s fingers.
Safety
As with all Alfas the four-wheel disc brakes are superb. ABS, front
and side air bags, optional curtain air bags and built-in fog lights
complete the safety package.
Future
Both test cars were imported purely for evaluation. The 1.9 JTD
engine will be available in the attractive 147 later this year,
while the five-cylinder 2.4 JTD diesel will be an option on the
new 159, expected to be released around the middle of next year.
My personal opinion is we will be following the Europeans and more
people will opt to purchase a diesel, in spite of the extra initial
expense, for the long-term gains in economy. However, in my next
column, I will be examining how to save fuel.
Cost for comparison
Sportwagon with five-speed manual and 2.0 litre JTS engine is $48,490.
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