2003 Alfa Romeo 147 Lusso review from UK and Ireland

Nothing... yet.

I pretty much set my heart on a 147 a year ago. Having had my fair share of problems with previous Fiats I've owned and seeing some of the catalogs of disaster some people seem to have had with Alfas on here it was with a little trepidation that I finally took the plunge and aquired a 147 about a month ago.

I'm delighted I did. OK, at the end of the day its only a small hatchback and some people seem to get too hung up about the whole 'Alfa' thing, but if you do want a small hatch, but don't want to drive the same car as a million other people then you can't do better. After 1 month and 1000 miles its probably premature to draw too many conclusions, but my initial experiences are:

Value: I was originally looking around for a secondhand 147 up to a year old. I had considered an import and then visited my local dealer where I got mine for £12600 - about £2200 off list.

Performance/Driving: Love it. Smooth and lively engine which seems to get better as every mile passes. Handling is great, with flat cornering and once you get used to the rather light steering it really inspires confidence. Gear lever seems to have a bit more play than you might want, but the change itself is smooth and nicely damped.

Ride quality is better than I thought it might be - and way ahead of my previous Brava, although it does go to pieces on certain road surfaces - mainly uneven urban roads, where evrything gets a bit jiggly. One small negative here - the suspension does creak a little when going over the more aggressive speed humps at low speed. Again this is something I shall probably wait to have looked at.

Build quality: Overall very good - interior gives a particularly good impression, although the catch on one half of the rear seat back does not lock into place properly - something I can wait until the car goes for a service to be fixed. Maybe I've been lucky; so far I've had no rattles, creaks or false alarm errors on the trip computer. Exterior build seems okay - perhaps panel fit and paint finish are not to german standards. In particular where the rear bumper joins the body in the boot aperture there are some gaps. Also the rear wheel arch liners seem to be made of what looks like cheap carpet and don't look paricularly robust. However, overall it seems to be on a par with most manufacturers, so no real problems there, although there is still that nagging doubt that they it will deteriorate into a rattly old banger a bit quicker than a Golf... only time will tell.

Economy: Whilst probably not at the top of your list of priorities if you are looking at an Alfa it has been better than I expected from reading other people's reviews. I guess I've been fairly restrained so far, but have easily managed high 30's mpg on longish trips, although a weeks of commuting sees it drop to around 24mpg.

Summary: If my 147 continues to perform as it has during its first 1000 miles then I shall be really happy - although I think some people (like me!) will always be more prepared to accept a cars shortcomings in order to have something a bit less mainstream). It's smooth, has a classy interior and because you don't see one every 2 minutes feels just a bit special. (Oh, and I know its not a rational reason to buy a car, but the red dashboard lighting at night is the icing on the cake!)