2003 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA review from UK and Ireland

This is the second time I've listed this car as I was accused last time of being biased, so here's a reasoned, well balanced view...

Well, it's still not had any faults or problems so for all the detractors out there, Italian no longer means faulty. And it still looks amazing, aggressive yet beautiful only a few stone chips from motorways spoil the perfection.

My GTA came with Bridgestone S-O2 tyres which are terrible, noisy and bad in the wet. I've now got some Goodyear Eagle F1's fitted and they're the complete opposite, fantastic, they even look good!

With fuel costs rising I think it's fair to say that the GTA seems more extravagant than ever. My consumption ranges from 19mpg to 25mpg which would be a problem, but when you're driving it you feel and hear where your fuel's going which eases the pain.

The handling is superb with lightning quick steering, though because of this the turning circle is rubbish a 3 point turn usually becomes 4 or 5. Handling on the limit is easy and predictable with the traction control on or off, a nice bit of mid-corner lift gets the back out, but it rarely bites... too hard! It's most at home on a good smooth A road with long fast corners to exploit the thumping V6 torque and excellent grip, you really feel this is the home of a bit engine as opposed to a smaller engine fitted with a turbo. Saying that though it does like the tight, twisty roads where you can get really aggressive, but there always seems to be more grip than you need, only on occasions you feel the weight of the big V6 upfront.

Getting the 250bhp of power on the floor can also cause a few problems, but once you learn to master it, the traffic light Grand Prix has never been so much fun.

The interior build quality is amazing, though quite cramped (which I actually like) using excellent, high quality materials and still has no squeaks or rattles. The dashboard is simply just beautiful to look at, the hard to read deep set dials are fantastic. I opted for the full Sat/Nav phone system which fits in with the look really well, it works well too. The leather seats are some of the best looking I've ever seen, they finish of an already beautiful interior with a touch of class.

So there you are a well balanced review of a fantastic car, I've not had any problems with it to date so I can't highlight any.

It still sets my pulse racing when I fire it up and hear the growl and it still looks amazing. I havn't even mentioned the feast of chrome and muscle you're treated to when you lift the bonnet, well I just did. Petrolheads can't ask for any more!

Alfa Romeo 147GTA...I love it.