Alfa Romeo's 147, a past Car of the Year (it won by just one point from the Mondeo), is one of the most attractive small family hatchbacks on the market. The romance of its Alfa Romeo badge enhances its appeal, and for the 2005 model year it gains a gentle, Giugiaro-guided facelift to bring it in line with Alfa's latest look. Most obvious are the broader front grille and the wider, pointier head- and tail-lights, while inside new colour schemes and fluted door panels give a visual lift....
Echoes of the past : The striking vertical grille of the original 147, and the sculpture of its bonnet and front bumper with those low side intakes, echoed the look of the company's classy 1949 Villa d'Este coupe - a car almost forgotten now. The facelifted version keeps the overall look but makes it neater and more striking, with a more shield-like grille and tidier, more shapely headlights. It's a dramatic sight in rear-view mirrors.
