HOME
RESEARCH A CAR
- NEWS & FEATURES
YOUR 4CAR
PLAY & WIN
ESSENTIAL TOOLS
|
| Road Test: Alfa Romeo 156 (1997-2002) |
|
| Compact Executive |
|
|
Alfa Romeo 156
by Adam Todd 02.05.03
Alfa 156 2.0 JTS Veloce: I purchased the above vehicle at the end of November 2002 and have already covered 13,000 miles. I bought the Alfa myself having opted out of company cars. Overall, I don't regret it at all. The car has to be easily the best looking in its class by a huge margin, reinforced by the number of people who simply stare at the car as it passes by. The interior is also well put together and the leather seats extremely comfortable with reasonable support (buttocks can become slightly numb after about 200 miles). The CD and Bose system are superb although the radio reception is appalling. However, with the warmer weather recently I have taken to turning the sound system off and just listening to the engine noise with the windows and sunroof open. The car drives very well and sometimes seems to have endless revs available. Across country the cornering and grip is excellent although the brakes are not as responsive as I'd like. Overtaking is good although you have to be prepared to use the gearbox (manual), not a problem really, as the gearbox is a joy and you know the engine loves to be revved. I find the car deceptively quick and A to B very capable of shaking off its German equivalents. I'll definitely have another Alfa and I'm tempted by the GTA. They're not perfect, but the elements that Alfa drivers want are better than the same elements on the clinical German rivals.
|
 |
Introduction Alfa Romeo hadn't offered a competitive car in this class for years... |
| BEST COMPACT EXECUTIVE CARS |
 |
|
|
|
