2001 Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 TS Distinctive review from Romania

Airbag warning light went on without reason.

Right side door lock broke and the door couldn't be opened from outside.

Lights fail all the time.

About the looks, I must say that this is definitely the most beautiful car in it's class, and I think I said enough...

Handling is absolutely superb. This car sticks to the road like s**t. But this superb road holding abilities have a downside: the suspension is so stiff that it becomes uncomfortable very often, especially on the bumpy roads of Romania. The smallest movement of the steering wheel results in quick changes of direction. The steering wheel makes just two complete rotations from side to side. This tells a lot about the feeling and precision of the steering, but this is bad when you have to maneuver in a small space. The U-turn radius is outrageous and you have to make 3-4 moves back and forth where you would normally make two.

The engine is another strong point of this car. Surprisingly you get lots of torque in mid-range (for a 1.6 engine), and I think this is because of the two spark plugs per cylinder. But what this engine likes most is the red zone. It seems like it will revv forever... and the sound is... very impressive and distinctive.

Interior space is not big, but I made longer trips with 5 people onboard, and it was enough room for everyone.

Materials used for the interior are of very good quality, and look like anything, but cheap.

The car is packed with gadgets: cruise control, on board computer, dual zone automatic climate control, 10 (ten!!) airbags (which is a lot for a car in its class), electric everything and last, but not least a very good CD player and sound system. The sound is crisp and clear, but on bumpy roads the CD player can’t be used because it skips very very often. Being a heavy smoker, its imposible not to mention the incredibly small ashtrays for the front and back seats. You can hardly squeeze 3 cigarettes in there.