Faults:

HID headlights flicker. Strange, but you can see the headlights flicker on occasion from one brightness to another. The headlight failure warning turned on, need to get it checked. Wondering if this happened to any one else who got the 147 fitted with HID's?

General Comments:

I wanted a car that had some kick in it, but upon my arrival to Europe was shocked at the petrol prices. Never would have imagined getting a diesel, having had a turbo inline 6 before, but after test driving one I was pleased with the way they give a nice shove. You don’t need to rev to the high heavens to get power. Think of it as a mini V8 without that nice V8 growl. Diesel also meant going hard without any of that guilt that slowly creeps in when driving thirsty engines.

Looked at a VW Golf, BMW 120d, Civic, and Astra. Found the Golf and BMW to be way too expensive once you add a few minor options. The Civic diesel was not the punchiest, and the Astra seemed to lack that European classy look (same engine as Alfa).

The dealer also offered to Tune the engine to around 190bhp with warranty cover after the first service at 20k. Must say the increase from 150 to 190 is very very nice. 0-100 from 8.2 to 7 flat. On the highway you can go up to 180 in 5th, with plenty left for 6th. The turbo sounds great when spooling.

The interior has two sides. Design and quality of material used is fantastic. This is the only hatch I sat in that left an immediate impression of wow, due to the combination of design, layout and material. The downside is the size. It is narrow; wish the car was 2-3cm wider to avoid looking like I’m trying to feel my passengers' leg when going in reverse. The back seat space is decent enough as is the roof height. If you get the 3 door, the front doors are huge. Keep an eye on your passengers or they will be accidentally beating the neighboring car, wall, pole, etc with the door in no time.

Faults:

Nothing yet!!!

General Comments:

Sex on wheels. Corners so fast it makes your ears bleed. At 0-100 in 6.3 seconds it beat my husbands Falcon GT - in fact he was so upset he went and bought a S4 Audi.

Sounds absolutely gorgeous, just as a hot little Alfa Hatch should!

Fantastic driving position for a petite person like me. Body hugging seats. very stiff and hard riding especially on our shocking NZ Roads. Not much room in the back for passengers - but who cares - just turn the Bose sound up for company!!!