| Launch Report Alfa Romeo 159 |
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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-litre and 2.2-litre JTS petrol units and 1.9-litre 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 still 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.
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