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| Road Test: Alfa Romeo 156 (2003-2006) |
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| Large Family |
by: Matt Prior |
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| COMFORT AND EQUIPMENT RATING: |
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Although the Alfa rides sportily, it's very rarely harsh, even on 17-inch alloy wheels with 45 profile tyres. In fact, it resists crashing over bumps and uneven surfaces particularly well, showing impressive damping. Road and wind roar is also well suppressed, but there is engine noise under acceleration. Many customers appreciate this sporty, longstanding Alfa feature, however. The driving position could be improved. The seat doesn't lower far enough for many and the steering wheel has to be set low to remain comfy, giving a legs-akimbo driving position with the wheel obscuring part of the dials. Not really acceptable anymore, chaps. Dual-zone climate-control is standard but doesn't cope well with high temperatures; it's noisy and fails to keep the cabin chilled even if temperatures are only in the mid 20s. Far from brilliant. Front-seat passengers are better off than the driver (see 'Comfort' section) or those in the back. The rear seat squab is a bit short and the attractive seat sculpting means that it's more comfy for two than three passengers. The boot is a bit restricted on the saloon. The Sportwagon estate boasts less luggage space than the saloon with seats and parcel shelf in place (see rollover caption), but this is rather misleading - it's a more practical and usable shape than that of the four-door. Quite a nice system to listen to and not tricky to use, but unfortunately the radio reception gets mixed reports in our user tests (if it's a Clarion system, that is - the optional Bose system receives few complaints). The optional navigation system is easy to use and advanced CONNECT services (which will find you a restaurant, dial emergency numbers if necessary and so on) is available on cars with a GSM phone.
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Introduction Hard to believe that the Alfa 156 has been around since 1997, it still... |
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