Jump to content
MCF HangOut X Lexus – 9 May 2024, Lexus Boutique ×

IS ALFA 159 IS THE SEXIEST CAR??

Panda

By Panda,
in Conti Talk

 Share

Recommended Posts

Ferrari7

Ferrari7

Neutral Newbie

Most Alfas are strangely desirable but not sensible choices.

 

Test drove the 159 some time back. Cabin does evoke a certain sense of occasion but this 2.2 engine is just ho-hum in terms of acceleration and sound. No shiok factor.

 

But 1 thing that really really really struck me was the impressive road holding. Its beyond words.

↡ Advertisement
Link to post
Share on other sites
Damienic

Damienic

5th Gear

But TopGear review gave it a 5 star for driving enjoyment/capabilities. Their only thumbsdown factor for this car is the lack of legroom at the back.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Damienic

Damienic

5th Gear

I surfed the tg website and found that very few similar make got 5 star in rating for driving..the only other one being the 3 series..

 

Haha...wat attracts me is the sleekness of this car..woo.. [inlove]

Link to post
Share on other sites
Chansters

Chansters

1st Gear
(edited)

I wonder why Alfas are not sensible choices.

 

Is it because of the extra attention and stares you attract?

Or is it because it causes you to look back and admire it each and everytime you've parked your car and walked away?

 

Your last 2 cars have been fine german marquees. Isnt it time to get your hands on some hot-blooded italian bella? [gorgeous][:p]

 

Do visit the local forum www.arocsingapore.com. You'll get tons of views and info there.

 

Cheers

Edited by Chansters
Link to post
Share on other sites
Felipe

Felipe

3rd Gear
...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.

 

sorry din explain clear enuf. when i said the 156 had no crash rating, din mean it wasnt a safe car. Basically, Alfa was kinda struggling then. so to build a car like the 156 is admirable. i dont tink its unsafe. but to compare it with the 159, the latter is prb much better in terms of safety. the previous gen alfas just din have much credit in safety. i think the 147 got only 3 stars. yea, alfas are getting safer, but heavier too! and i hope they can address the issue of safety w/o adding weight.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Felipe

Felipe

3rd Gear
Most Alfas are strangely desirable but not sensible choices.

 

Test drove the 159 some time back. Cabin does evoke a certain sense of occasion but this 2.2 engine is just ho-hum in terms of acceleration and sound. No shiok factor.

 

But 1 thing that really really really struck me was the impressive road holding. Its beyond words.

 

the sound cant be helped. while most hardcore drivers like engine noise, most wont. tats y most ppl buy 3 series! so to win the buyers, u gotta compromise abit. Alfa used to built great driving cars, and nobody wanted to buy them.

 

in terms of acceleration, depending on which Alfa ure talking. the 159 is pitted against 3 series and i think its faster than the 320 anyway. point is its a luxury saloon rather than an outright fast car.

 

for the fast ones, gota go for the V6. but still, given Alfa's budget, these cars are pretty much front heavy rather than handling gods. i can only hope the rear driven alfas come back someday.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Felipe

Felipe

3rd Gear

believe me, Alfa is trying to make ppl think that its practical. quieter engine, bigger space...well...maybe its better they stick to what they're good at.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Crummytyre

Crummytyre

Neutral Newbie

Hehe. I have never considered a 5-Star NCAP car as a safe car, no matter what the advertisements say. A 5-star NCAP car is a good car to crash in, but a safe car is one which I don't crash in the 1st place. [laugh][laugh][laugh]

Link to post
Share on other sites
Ferrari7

Ferrari7

Neutral Newbie
I surfed the tg website and found that very few similar make got 5 star in rating for driving..the only other one being the 3 series..

 

Haha...wat attracts me is the sleekness of this car..woo.. [inlove]

 

That it is a good drive is no dispute I believe. And its a very very attractive 4 door sedan. If only it had a better drive train.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Damienic

Damienic

5th Gear

how much is the OMV?

 

market perception is that it is not a practical car to own. most alfa lovers are those who tend to throw practicality issues out of the window anyway..Iam warned not to get one by some pple...but can't help myself to get interested in an alfa.. [laugh]

Link to post
Share on other sites
Felipe

Felipe

3rd Gear

omw shud be abt 33-35k.

 

its def not the most practical in that category. for luxury saloons (minus bmw, merc cos of pricing), u need some decent space, FC, quite fast etc, which the japs are good at and sell at cheap price.

 

159 rear space quite cramp.

FC not tat gd i heard (ard 8km/l- local conditions)

but its fast enuf for a typical conti saloon.

 

its now selling at 110k for the selespeed. abt 103k for the manual. given the pricing, it's getting more practical despite not being that practical.

 

i wun compare 159 to japs cos its just a different league. not tat japs are lousy. but do u compare Gucci, prada with an asian brand? u dun. so going head to head with the other contis, the 159 is now very gd value. Based on pricing, it has def beaten the 3 series hands down. so its not tat practical but gd enuf.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Damienic

Damienic

5th Gear

But actually hor, BMW 3 series cabin space and legroom also not very good. so is the audi A4...and the 159 0-100 is 8.8 secs which is definitely faster than BMW 320 which is about 9.7-9.8 secs..

 

and 110k for OMV 33K or so is very good price. I went to take a look at the new facelifted Saab 93 and they are selling 129K with OMV 32K. most cars with such OMV usually is sold more than 120K. so 110K for a car of such specs is really worth it I think.. [thumbsup]

Link to post
Share on other sites
Felipe

Felipe

3rd Gear

the 110k was the last advertised price at year end. it was a pretty big advert. do check with agent regarding omv. the price shud still stand. the alfa agent here seldom increase price.

 

most motoring journals will give the thumbs to an italian. tats wat driving is all abt- emotion. its faster too. but your typical car buyer isnt bothered by these things. so there goes the always better bmw, audi sales. perhaps bmw audi have exceptional aftersales tat im not sure.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Damienic

Damienic

5th Gear

Thanks for the info...haven't been looking at the adverts much these days...110k really sounds good...but still a bit too early for me to change car...so have to wait..maybe the price will come down further as the model gets older.. [laugh]

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...