Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £28,545 to £28,545
Stylish looks, value for money, performance and character, a well-priced second-hand buy
Slightly cramped rear accommodation, driving position not to everyone's tastes, build quality still a little behind the Germans
A thoroughly entertaining car that's a real alternative to its German rivals. Storming GTA is wild and visceral and new direct injection 2.0-litre petrol engine shows Alfa has its finger on the technological pulse
Aside for reservations over rear roominess and the driving position, generally good. Although their basic architecture remains the same, the dash and centre console are now swathed in the same tactile soft-touch plastics as employed in the 147. The attractive metal-look plastic that coats the centre console, tops the gearlever and encircles the new three-spoke steering wheel adds a further sporty touch. The low-speed ride is unsettled, the 156 picking up on road surface imperfections, but is much improved at higher speeds; the GTA is more firmly damped and stiffer-sprung, of course, but is not harsh or jolting. Front seat occupants will have no complaints whatsoever - although the driving position is not quite perfect there's adequate head, leg and elbow room. Those in the back will have more to complain about. The seat base is short and the sculpted bench is best suited to two rather than three passengers. The boot offers reasonable carrying capacity but buyers expecting the estate to offer more luggage space will be disappointed - the Sportwagon is a lifestyle-oriented vehicle with the emphasis on style rather than space. Much improved over the previous generation. Drivers that opt for the Connect system will have the sat nav, telephone and audio controls in a single integrated system that soon becomes intuitive and user-friendly to use. Alfa has also responded to the criticism levelled at its rather impotent sound systems and there's now the option of an ear-bleeding Bose audio set-up that has been tailored to fit the 156's cabin environment. Callas never sounded so good.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Alfa Romeo 156
wrote on 10 10 2007