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| Road Test: Alfa Romeo GTV (1996-2003) |
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Alfa GTV
by Mino Trombetta
I decided to buy an Alfa GTV 2.0-litre even before driving it - I was seduced the moment I set eyes on the facelifted model introduced after 1998, with its body-coloured side-skirts, chrome grille surround, gorgeous 16 in wheels and silver-coloured centre console.
It's debatable whether the Lusso version is really worth the extra £2000, but the leather seats do add that extra bit of class. Having tried both versions, I suspect that the standard cloth seats offer a little bit more lateral support, so there's some consolation for not having leather, besides the extra cash you save.
My first impression of the car was how quiet it is. You expect Italian cars to be a bit rorty - and the GTV is, but only if you stray beyond 4000 rpm. Below that, it is as docile and refined as any 2.0-litre car you can name, with urge available from anything over 2000 rpm. The engine revs smoothly and easily, and 4000 rpm is quickly left behind. At this point, the engine starts to howl and the scenery whizzes by in a blur. The gearchange is fast and precise, and aids rapid progress, while the brakes are more than adequate, bringing the car up sharply and without drama, although the standard ABS sometimes makes itself felt a little too early. Grip from the Pirelli P-Zeros is excellent, in both wet and dry.
The car is very firmly sprung, although not uncomfortably so, and it has just enough body roll around bends so that the driver can feel what is going on. Feel is further aided by the excellent steering - just a small correction at the wheel is required to snap the car into a new position, yet it is not so over-sensitive that the car is fidgety or difficult to relax in.
The switchgear is handily placed and logical. My only real gripe is the standard climate-control system, which takes your temperature setting a bit too literally. It senses the temperature you've selected and warms or cools the car to suit, but it feels rather odd to have warm air being blown out on a warm day, just because you selected 18 degrees and it's only 17 in the car. The air-con is effective and fuss-free, although it doesn't have the same freezer capabilities as some other cars.
Practicality is poor, as you might expect, although the accommodation and boot space is actually OK if you think of the GTV as a two-seater. Of course, you can also use the vestigial rear seats to store luggage, but in practice this is awkward, as the long doors need a lot of room to open fully and the low roof line makes it difficult to get into the rear to deposit and retrieve on-seat luggage. I did manage to carry four adults in the car once, but those in the rear had their knees under their chins and the front seats had to be hoisted forward several notches to accommodate them.
As for reliability, nothing has broken or fallen off but some of the foam trim around the frameless door seals looks a bit fragile. Time will tell. Mechanically it seems fairly robust - I've done 10,000 miles with no dramas from the engine room. Oil consumption seems quite conspicuous compared with other cars I've owned, but in reality this amounts to just a litre every 5000 miles. It usually averages 30-35 mpg, which is excellent given that it's usually running at 1000 rpm more than a typical car, and looking after it on a Sunday morning is a pleasure.
If you think of the GTV as a mini-supercar rather than a saloon in drag then you might be some of the way towards understanding it - certainly you'll be most of the way towards enjoying it.
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Introduction Cars in this class tend to look great but can lack practicality, and t... |
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