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12/01/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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Alfa Romeos come from Italy, a country famed for making sports machines. So it comes as no surprise that the Alfa 156, which is supposedly a mid-sized family car, comes with all the styling flair, and sporty handling and steering that Italian drivers demand.
Steering that communicates everything to the driver with plenty of detail from which they can make their next decision further enhances lovely handling and gives a huge amount of road grip. Few family sedans cry out to be taken for a run on your favourite bit of road early of a Sunday morning, this Alfa Romeo just loves that sort of treatment.
 Styling is particularly interesting thanks to a clever bit of lateral thinking; because the Alfa Romeo 156 looks like a sleek coupe, not a sedan. Despite appearances to the contrary, it has the four doors. 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 to see the design genius of Italy in action.
It’s reasonably easy to get into the back seat, although it’s not the biggest in the business. Indeed, the seat is probably best left for children, or for smallish adults.
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 combination of coupe and wagon.
The Alfa 156 has been on the Australian market since February 1999 in sedan format, 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. Nevertheless, the original model still remains striking in its styling.
 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, bold body kit, big 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. The GTA was expensive and didn’t sell all that well, so was quietly discontinued in June 2004.
Power in the standard Alfa Romeo 156 range is provided by either a four-cylinder 2.0-litre or a V6. The four-cylinder was upgraded to JTS specification midway through 2002 and we reckon it’s the one to buy. It not only has even more response than the earlier unit, but also uses less fuel. The V6 is a 2.5-litre unit. In the Italian manner, the four-cylinder is the sporting engine; the V6 is the luxury cruising unit so you don’t get the same feeling of precision and action from the six as from the four.
The Selespeed automated manual transmission frustratingly slow-changing and harsh, especially in the lower gears when it’s being used in the automatic ‘city’ setting. We feel it’s better to buy a conventional five-speed manual, but many have learnt to tolerate the Selespeed because the do a lot of heavy-traffic work.
Selespeed is only used with the four-cylinder engine, the Alfa 156 V6 has a four-speed fully-automatic unit with semi-sequential options. When used in automatic mode it’s smooth and quiet in operation.
Despite having been missing for many years, Alfa Romeo is now firmly re-established in Australia. There are a reasonable number of dealers; both official dealers and independent operators. Alfa dealers tend to be concentrated in the major population centres and scarce in the bush.
Servicing and spare parts prices are about average for this class. You can do some of the routine, non-safety, items yourself but the bonnet isn’t the easiest under which to work.
Insurance can be expensive so make inquiries before falling head-over-heels in love with this Italian masterpiece.
 The 156 has sold strongly since day one and there is a good number on the used-car market. Take your time to shop between them, as there seems to be quite a variation in condition from best to worst.
Alfa Romeo 156 was replaced by the Alfa 159 in June 2006. The 159 is significantly larger 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
If you like, do the initial checks by yourself, but we recommend that you always call on a professional before handing over that hard-earned cash.
These new-generation Alfa Romeos are better built than the older models. However, we still see the occasional rough one and hear of some complaints from owners of things going wrong.
A car like the Alfa Romeo 156 can fall into the hands of hard drivers because their very nature means they cry out to be driven to extremes at times.
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, but the latter shouldn’t be rough.
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 your road test look for steering that wanders and feel for brakes that don't pull the car up evenly.
CAR BUYING TIP
Always take a friend along on your car-hunting trips. Inspecting is a complex business and two sets of hands are better than one.
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