Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £18,550 to £27,800
Looks terrific, mixes Italian flair with real quality, has sporty handling but a decent ride, sounds crisp and keen, is roomy and well equipped. Sportwagon estate is much roomier than its 156 equivalent.
Steering too light in some versions, awkward handbrake, mediocre fuel economy, portwagon not that versatile.
Alfa's latest attempt to take on BMW's 3-Series is a worthy rival with substance as well as character. The V6 Q4 is especially good.
The 159 has scored the full five stars for occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash tests, with a good four for child occupant protection - it's matched the latest BMW 3-Series here. There's only one star for pedestrian protection, though.
All the usual boxes are ticked here, with up to eight airbags (all 159s have at least seven), active front head restraints to reduce whiplash, and stability control - Alfa Romeo calls it VDC rather than ESP - as standard. This Vehicle Dynamic Control includes a hill-holder device acting on the brakes to stop rolling back on a hill start. Tyre-pressure monitors are standard.
The lack of a mechanical steering lock improves the safety of the driver's knees (there's also a knee airbag) and the fact that the lock is electronic improves security. The pedals are designed to collapse under heavy impact, too.
