22 Feb 06
The interior is much-improved. While the luridly orange-brown leather seats won't be everyone's option and the hard black plastic of the fascia top and interior door trims is a little cheap-feeling, the cabin feels sufficiently upmarket to pass muster. It's less cluttered than in previous large Alfas, with clean detailing, neat monochrome graphics and a classic feel - plus, of course, the dials for 'acqua', 'benzina' and so on: these may have seemed contrived in the 147, but work a lot better in this car.
While we can't base much on a handful of cars specially prepared for scrutiny by journalists, these 159s seen so far certainly appear to be well screwed-together, which makes for a good start (and contrary to popular imagination, we do often see press cars with ill-fitting trim, other quality glitches and a variety of minor problems).
The new engine line-up includes three petrol engines, all with Alfa's JTS direct-injection technology and, for the first time, continuously-variable valve timing at both the inlet and exhaust ends. They're based around General Motors blocks - a legacy of the now-defunct GM-Fiat alliance - but have Alfa-specific cylinder heads and all additional components.
The entry-level engine is the 1.9-litre (160bhp) unit; the four-cylinder 2.2 JTS (180bhp) is also available from launch and a 3.2-litre V6 (260bhp) model with four-wheel-drive, badged Q4, joins the range nearer to the summer. Diesels are Fiat's own 1.9 JTD (150bhp) and five-cylinder 2.4 JTD (200bhp), with the latest iteration of Fiat's Multijet diesel fuel injection system and maintenance-free particulate filters. Six-speed manual gearboxes are standard in all versions.
