IS ALFA 159 IS THE SEXIEST CAR??

[Tsr729]

hehez i prefer alfa romeo brera

[Udontsay]

Gee-wiz.... thats certainly useful to know.

[Throttle]

Saw this car again last weekend.

 

very sleek and as usual stylish due to the italian blood.

 

Feel like getting it.

2.2jts enough already with 185bhp.

 

anyone has experience?

[Malie]

originally designed to compete with the 3 series.

 

not having the usual italian growl for a alfa badge.

 

But it is a good car nontheless. handles well. Pretty.

 

Test Drive it :) be impressed.

[Carlover76]

I went to check out at their showroom and get a chance to try on the 147, indeed it is good. For 159, the exterior looks big and nice but I find the rear legroom a bit cramp, most of the space are taken by the dashboard and the cabin design.

[Contax]

the Alfa 159 chassis was co developed with Fiat and GM.This platform was actually develped by Saab, they did it all by themselves! then they gave up and didn't even use it as the basis for a 9-5 replacement (due to cost GM dropped the project after completing the platform). Fiat got the platform as part of their GM collaboration (GM own Saab) however alfa then developed the chassis dynamics and suspension themselves for the 159. fiat also got the 3.2 V6 as part of the GM deal which they use in the 159 & brera.

 

The weight of the GM/Fiat premium platform is why the 159's handling can't match the 156, why it is much heavier than the 156 (more than 300kgs heavier on most models, thats roughly 4 adults weight!), why it uses more fuel than the 156 and why you need roughly 40% more power to achieve the same acceleration as the 156. This weight issue has been the main complaint in reviews and from owners, but its still a great platform and in line with the growing size of all classes these days. look what happend to the Mk2b punto when the GP came out, all of a sudden it grew to be bigger than a stilo.

 

The Fiat/GM collaboration days are over, GM bought their way out of it ($2b euro). I think Fiat came out best in the end, not only did fiat avoid a takeover (bound to happen if the GM deal wasn't done) but they also saved a fortune in R&D and got a great platform and range of V6 engines. fiat definately wouldn't had gotten these if they were alone, they couldn't afford the development, no where near.In the end i think GM were just glad that they got out of it without the need to rescue Fiat. back in 2000 when the deal was agreed, GM soon discovered that fiat was struggling more than they realised and GM feared they would have to bail fiat out. Doesn't seem 5 mins ago that the headlines were predicting the death of fiat, now they're saying fiat is back on track.

[Weiming]

Test drove it thrice. Really a beautiful car inside and out. No other car in its class has its sense of occasion. I prefer the MT to the Selespeed. Build quality is miles ahead of the 156 but still has room for improvement.

 

However, MY08 159s are expected to be a lot lighter to improve its power-to-weight ratio so it may be worth to look at it only when this new batch arrives.

[Throttle]

Thanks for all the info Fellas.

 

But i only do 1000km per month, sometimes less, no cross border, sometimes no cross district even. So there are many many things i tend to overlook...

[Felipe]

right... i read in sm car mag that alfa will reduce the 159 weight over 2 batches.

 

my opinion of the 159 is it looks great. makes a 3 series look awful. its not a hardcore alfa car but its gd enuf. the 156 was a good car but we know alfa built it under constraints. it din even get a crash rating.

 

anyway, i doubt the new batches will arrive in SG, not in 08 at least. the manual is also the better drive. with a very light clutch, it shouldnt be a problem driving it in the city. & pls buy it in RED!

 

see this 159 top gear review-

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uNZpo1spaQs

[Felipe]

btw, some alfa jokes i came across from car mags, journals etc over the years-

 

1. Depreciates as fast as it accelerates

2. Supermodel with a rubbish personality

3. Buy first regret later

4. Alfa appeals only to those sentimental about it

5. It's an emotional decision

6. Use your heart, not your head

7. You can't find a resale one, because no one bought a new one in the first place

8. This car is a complete mess.

9. This car is insane, because you must be insane to buy one.

10. My mother has sworn never to buy an Alfa (from this forum!)

 

any more pls add on. Still wana buy an Alfa?

[Pringles]

Funny thing is recently there had been a number of recalls by manufacturers such as Nissan, Lexus and Toyota and NONE from Alfa. Yet the stigma remains for this marque in Singapore. Sometimes I wonder why...

[Porker]

Really beautiful car it is. But I'm a sucker for rear driven coupe so this car is out for me

[Throttle]

if you're a sucker for coupes, this car is already out. dont need to talk about rear driven even, heh heh....

 

Me too actually.

 

I've owned 4 coupes before switching to an S40 2.4i and a 525i

[Felipe]

i think a competent agent does make things better. i read in car mags skoda uk gets good ratings cos of dealership.

 

i think the alfa agent here does a fine job. But when my Mazda, Toyota friends tell me what their agents do for them, i kinda freaked out. My friend's mazda already not under warranty and they change his brake pads for free for eg. & there's more they've done which im even embarrassed to mention here.

 

if u ask me, i think its the exceptional after sales, value for money that gets ppl going back to these jap brands.

[Damienic]

Saw this car again last weekend.

 

very sleek and as usual stylish due to the italian blood.

 

Feel like getting it.

2.2jts enough already with 185bhp.

 

anyone has experience?

 

wat's the selling price? any idea the OMV? available in selespeed?

 

saw the red one and it look damn gorgeous..

[Carcraze]

It's so sexy. Have one in my family.

 

Not everyone can appreciate an Alfa, but i just love italian cars.

[Crummytyre]

...the 156 was a good car but we know alfa built it under constraints. it din even get a crash rating...

 

EuroNCAP protocols were fully in place only in 1998. The 156 was developed in 1995 and launched in 1997. It'll be foolish for them to go for the certification. But it does not mean that the car is not crash safe. Have personally seen more than a handful of horrible accident wrecks where the drivers and passengers got off unscathed.

Edited January 7, 2008 by Crummytyre

[Vtim]

EuroNCAP protocols were fully in place only in 1998. The 156 was developed in 1995 and launched in 1997. It'll be foolish for them to go for the certification. But it does not mean that the car is not crash safe. Have personally seen more than a handful of horrible accident wrecks where the drivers and passengers got off unscathed.

---

 

you are right, a friend of mine crashes his 156 GTA up north, pretty bad shape but he survive