2002 Alfa Romeo 147 Selespeed review from UK and Ireland

One indicator lamp filled with water.

The engine under-tray came loose.

There is an intermittent "untraceable" loose-sounding component in the driver's door.

I chose this car for the semi-automatic gearbox, and the rest of it came as a pleasant surprise during the first test drive.

The performance isn't startling - Rolls-Royce's "adequate" best describes it - but it can cruise at high speed for hours on end and still have reserves of power for any eventuality.

The air conditioning is superb, and can almost make me forget the convertible I once owned.

The seats, with optional leather trim, are adjustable to a near-perfect position.

The Selespeed system has only ever had one problem, caused by overheating in extreme conditions: the rest of the time it has never missed a beat.

If I were given a free rein to improve it, I'd start with the headlights.

Its electronically enhanced handling is hard to fault, with seemingly endless reserves of grip.

The fuel consumption is an average of 31 mpg, now that the engine is nicely run in: at first it returned about 26-28.

Its reliability is a match for any vehicle I've ever owned or driven.