Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £28,545 to £28,545
Good engines, keen steering and handling, great to look at
Repair costs, reliability, slightly awkward driving position, interior glitches - and the 159, which promises to be a much better ownership proposition.
Great to look at and good to drive, but the same old head versus heart issues persist.
Hard to believe that the Alfa 156 has been around since 1997: it still looks so svelte. Despite being facelifted in 2002, it received another makeover in 2003 to gain more of a resemblance to the 147 hatchback. The changes were executed by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro himself, founder of ItalDesign and the man behind such icons as the Lotus Esprit, Alfa Alfasud, Bugatti EB112 and BMW M1.
Cabin changes from the 2002 model year 156 were limited to two-tone interior options and a few fabric variations.
Bigger changes were made to the engine range: from September 2003, the 2.5 V6 was dropped, but the 2.4 JTD diesel was boosted to give a storming 175bhp, with a 140bhp version of the 1.9 JTD also offered.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Alfa Romeo 156
wrote on 10 10 2007