By EWAN KENNEDY
20 March 2006

Alfa's 156 is as much a sports model as a family car. The Italian maker seems incapable of designing a car that’s mere transport, injecting a special flavour into even machines that would be built as ‘ordinary’ cars by other makers.

The Alfa Romeo 156 has the convenience of four doors, not the two you would expect from its sporting coupe shape. The back doors are so cunningly disguised that many don’t even realise they are there. Look at the shut lines, then at the handles pretending to be air vents and you will see what we mean.

Try the back seat for size before falling in love with the sporty shape. It’s not the biggest in the business and is probably best left for children, or for adults only in an emergency.

The boot is also on the small side for a family car. The station wagon’s load area is a bit of a joke if you regard it as being a full wagon, but makes more sense if you think of it as a sedan with a bigger boot.

Alfa's 156 has been on the Australian market since February 1999. The wagon arrived in August 2000. In October 2003 the Alfa 156 got a major facelift that saw the traditional Alfa shield grille become considerably larger and sitting right down into the bumper. The tail was beefed out and a bit more brightwork added to the body.

The Alfa Romeo 156 has sold strongly since day one and there is a good number on the used-car market.

Lovely handling and a huge amount of road grip are further enhanced by steering that communicates everything to the driver instantly and in precise detail. Few family sedans cry out to be taken for a run on your favourite bit of road early of a Sunday morning, this is certainly one that sits in the elite group.

Power is provided by either Alfa's four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine, it was upgraded to JTS specification midway through 2002. The latter is the one to go for because it not only has even more response than the earlier unit, but uses less fuel at the same time. There's also a 2.5-litre V6. In the Italian manner, the four-cylinder is the sporting engine, the V6 the luxury cruising unit.

Many find the Selespeed automated manual transmission frustratingly slow-changing and rough, especially in the lower gears when it’s being used in the automatic ‘city’ mode. It’s better to go for a conventional manual to our way of thinking. However, you may learn to tolerate the Selespeed if you are doing a lot of heavy-traffic commuting.

When specified with a self-shifting transmission, the V6 engine gets a semi-sequential four-speed unit automatic unit. When working as a full automatic it’s smooth and quiet in operation.

An ultra-hot, ultra-expensive 156 GTA joined the range in August 2002. With a 3.2-litre V6, six-speed close-ratio manual box, big body kit, extra-large wheels tyres and brakes it’s a real delight to drive. Look out for torque steer though, as it can try to take control of the wheel at times.

Though it was missing from Australia for several years, Alfa Romeo is now firmly re-established here. There is a reasonable number of dealers official dealers as well as quite a few free traders. However, Alfa dealers tend to be concentrated in the major population centres and light-on in the bush.

Servicing and spare parts prices are about average for this class.

Insurance can be expensive so make inquiries before falling head-over-heels in love with this Italian masterpiece.

Alfa Romeo 156 is shortly to be replaced by the 159 (157 and 158 seem to have gone missing somewhere along the line). It’s a larger car and its introduction may not have the usual adverse affect on resale values that often occurs when a similar new model supersedes an old one.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
These new generation Alfa Romeos are much better built than the older models. However they can still fall into the hands of bad drivers and their very nature means they cry out to be driven hard.

Look for body repairs; most easily spotted by mismatched paint on adjacent body panels, uneven gaps between panels, paint overspray on non-painted parts and ripples in what should be smooth metal.

Make sure the engine starts easily and idles smoothly from the moment it gets going. Naturally the V6 will be smoother than the four. Engine performance from the 2.0-litre Twin Spark unit isn't great, but if it seems below par the engine could be suspect. The JTS is a significantly better unit.

A manual gearbox that isn't light in its action could be due for repairs. Do some fast changes from third down to second and feel for a reluctance to shift, or for funny noises.

During the road test look for steering that wanders and feel for brakes that don't pull the car up evenly.

By all means do your own checkout to the best of your ability, but always call on a professional for the final say so.

CAR BUYING TIP
Sporting models aren't driven in a sporting manner nearly as often as you might expect. But unless you are certain you’re looking at one that has led a peaceful life be wary of it.

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