Launch report:

Alfa Romeo 159 review

by David Finlay (22 February 2006)

As it drags itself back from the brink of financial collapse, the Fiat Group has given itself various targets to meet, and one of these relates to you and me. Conscious that it has been underperforming outside Italy in recent years, the company wants to boost itself in foreign markets, and the UK has been nominated as the key growth area for Alfa Romeo exports. Our reaction to the new 159 - replacement for the 156, Alfa's most successful model to date - is therefore of something close to red-alert importance.

I'm not sure Alfa got off to the best of starts at the launch of the 159 when it put forward its marketing strategy in more detail. This is what's known in the industry as a premium D-segment car, and its stated rivals are the BMW 3-Series, the Audi A4 and the Saab 9-3, with particular emphasis on the BMW.

How close a competitor the 159 is to the 3-Series depends on what criteria you're using to compare the cars. In terms of style, the Alfa does very well indeed. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, it looks remarkably similar to the 156 at the back, but the front is a different matter entirely. The two sets of three lights (the middle in each case being the indicator) and the double-diagonal effect of the bonnet's leading edge - pointing downwards as well as forwards to the contemporary-Alfa radiator grille - give the car a ferocious scowl which, to quote a well-worn phrase, makes the whole car look as if it's leaping forward even when it's standing still.

The BMW analogy becomes trickier to justify from behind the wheel. Even in its most basic forms, the 3-Series is a superb car to drive; few other manufacturers can approach the achievement, and in fact BMW itself doesn't reach the same heights in its other ranges. With the 159, Alfa Romeo isn't quite there either. Some writers have put this down to over-harsh suspension, others suggest that the rear-wheel drive BMW can't be matched by a front-wheel drive anything.

With respect, I don't quite agree with either view. I think the 159 could be better even with power going through the front axle, and I don't believe too-tight suspension is holding it back. On the contrary, all the models I've driven feel underdamped (more often a German failing than an Italian one), leading to a slightly wayward front end if you try to use significant amounts of throttle on anything but the smoothest road surfaces. What harshness there may be comes from low-profile tyres rather than any suspension issue.

From launch, there are four engines - 1.9- and 2.2-litre JTS petrol units and 1.9- and 2.4-litre JTD turbo diesels. The 2.2 JTS and the 1.9 diesel are regarded as being the potential top sellers, and of the two the diesel is definitely the one to go for. It's nice and meaty in the mid-range, and with a maximum power output of 150bhp the engine doesn't overwhelm the chassis in the way that the 185bhp JTS tends to. Too often, with the 2.2, steering is more a case of correcting the effects of torque steer and road undulations than of actually dictating which way you want the car to go.

The 2.4 JTD is more powerful still, at 200bhp, and you would think that this would make it yet more unruly. Not at all - this is perhaps the class act of the initial range, and quite possibly the one the Alfa people most enjoyed developing. The 159 copes with this engine far better than it does with the 2.2 (partly because the suspension is not so badly underdamped in this case), while the hefty 295lb/ft of torque is produced so low down the rev range that really serious acceleration is available from well below 2000rpm.

A fifth engine will be along soon. This is a 260bhp 3.2-litre V6, mated as standard to four-wheel drive transmission, and I imagine it's going to make for quite a car, though not one that's likely to sell in particularly high numbers. All five engines have six-speed manual gearboxes attached. Later this year, a six-speed automatic will become available with both diesels and the V6.

The interior may not ooze quality to quite the same extent as that of the German opposition, but what it does ooze is style. Alfa Romeo has always been good with dials, and it hasn't lost its touch. The seating position is a major advance over previous efforts - no need to stretch your arms and fold your legs here - and although there doesn't appears to be much room in the back, things aren't as bad as they seem.

You would have to be of small stature to sit behind a tall driver in the 159, but thanks to the concave arrangement of the dash on the left-hand side of UK models the front passenger seat can be set very far forward. It's no great problem, therefore, for two large adults to sit in that half of the car, which I suppose makes the 159 a three-and-a-half-seater.

With seven airbags as standard and an eighth available as an option, occupant safety is impressive - certainly according to Euro NCAP, which awarded the 159 five stars in this category after putting it through its crash test programme. Luggage volume is decent at 405 litres, and it can be expanded by making use of the 60/40 folding rear seat, though opening the boot reveals a relatively small access area with a notably high sill which won't make loading especially easy.

The 159's two trim levels are named Turismo (available on all models) and Lusso (available on everything except the entry-level 1.9 JTS), and they're both generous. The differences include leather upholstery, rear parking sensors and a visibility pack, which consists of rain, dusk and condensation sensors and a light-sensitive interior mirror. These can all be specified as options on the Turismo, and a further option on the Lusso is an upgrade to the leather upholstery package.

Starting price for the 159 is £19,995 for the 1.9 JTS, and the front-wheel drive range extends to £24,395 for the 2.4 JTD Lusso. The forthcoming 3.2 V6 will cost £26,795 or £28,195 depending on trim level. Insurance groups go from 11 to 14 except in the case of the V6, which is in Group 16.