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.
Servicing on current Alfas is required every year or every 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, and the 159 is likely to have similarly infrequent service visits.
As for fuel economy, the best bet is the 1.9 JTD 150 with a combined-cycle 47.1mpg and 157g/km CO2. The 2.2 JTS manages 30.1mpg and 221g/km, not a particularly impressive result (a kerb weight not far short of 1500kg is one reason why), while the V6 makes you pay for its pace and poise with 24.6mpg and taxman-pleasing 270g/km. And the 2.4 JTD? Fuel consumption is 41.5mpg, CO2 179g/km. It's the best pace/cost combination of the lot.
