Faults:

Near side repeater light came off whilst washing. (But I do enjoy washing it).

General Comments:

I love almost everything about this car.

It looks stunning.

It handles superbly, you can just chuck it round bends all day long. (And if you want to chuck it round bends at night, then the way the dash lights up is just an added bonus).

The trim level is so luxurious. I don't have the leather and to be honest I think I prefer it with the soft, warm material they have used.

The Bose CD player is good, but it is nice to just turn it off and listen to that engine, even the 1.6 sounds (and is) grunty.

You always feel safe to. The traction control is excellent, there is also a computer operated device for keeping the car stable at all times, (can't remember the technical name) and you and the family are surrounded front and rear by airbags.

True, the running costs aren't all they could be and the rear seat and luggage space is not the largest in its class. But that's not the point. When I'm driving with a smile on my face, I look at my sporty steering wheel and see in the center that evocative badge. And you don't. Sort yourself out.

Faults:

Cambelt snapped at 44000 miles.

General Comments:

Odd niggling faults, but when a car looks this good and drives this well - who cares?

Faults:

Experiencing suspension problems -

Rear track control arms and upper suspension bushes replaced.

Now the front end is now starting to 'clonk' and a feeling of wandering from the steering has manifested itself.

It now looks like I'll have to have the front lower wish bones replaced.

General Comments:

Having admired the shape of the 147 for a while I took the plunge to purchase one for myself. A very fine 'looker' which turns heads (especially as she's in red) and the interior is set out with that Italian flare.

But I am dismayed that I'm now having to deal with problems that I would expect on a 5 year old vehicle.

Faults:

I have had a couple of lamps burn out.

General Comments:

This car has been a joy to drive on all sorts of roads. It has great performance for a modestly priced car and excellent build quality. We also get excellent mileage. (33.5 mp)

My wife and I are both over 6 feet tall and this vehicle has better head room, even in the back seat, than almost any other car I have ridden in, SUV excepted. The seats are extremely comfortable for my body size and I have driven numerous 4+ hour trips without any fatigue.

I just wish I could buy one when I get back to the US.

Faults:

Headlight washer jets blocked, dealership has agreed to fix this for free at next (and first) service.

General Comments:

This car is brilliant, it looks sensational in Gabbiano Blue with blue leather, we also had the 17 inch sports alloys, and this combination is timeless, really fantastic.

So far it has proved faultless, we have covered many long trips in the car and it has had some hard use, with a family being the main users, along with a dog. This type of use really shows up a cars quality and the Alfa is miles ahead of the Freelander we used to have, that was a hateful car, which just proves how well Alfa have come on in the past few years.

The 2.0 litre engine in out car is very powerful, it needs some revs to really fly, but it sounds fantastic so letting it spin fast is really a pleasure not a chore, coupled to the manual box its also very smooth in traffic, and a great car to learn to drive in too, as our son found out.

There are only 2 downsides to this car, both are not important to us, we realise that an Alfa is never goin to be that economical, we average just 22.3mpg, and also the car is quite noisy on the motorway due to its wide tires, owners of narrower tired cars may find its quieter.

Basically this car is fantastic, we will be upgrading to a 147 GTA in the future, our car has been faultless, its well equipped, gorgeous, fast, not too expensive and really turns heads, if anyone is thinking about buying it, do, this is a true sports family hatch, everything about it is great, and, after all, its italian, which is always a good thing!