2002 Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon review from Germany
"The 2.4 diesel is the better Alfa!"
General comments?
I've had the Alfa 156 Sportwagon from my dealer to substitute for my 146 1.8 T-Spark - some idiot crashed right into it, and the repair will take at least a week.
The 2.4 JTD diesel engine has been a revelation to me: Fast, responsive, powerful right away from the bottom of the rev band. Quite fuel-efficient too, only 6.5 litres/100 km. The only drawback: The diesels do not not have half as nice a sound as their petrol-driven counterparts. Top speed of nearly 215 km/h is acceptable (remember: there is no speed limit on German motorways! :-) but other manufacturers' diesels do much better.
The road handling is typical for Alfa: bumpy and rough when driving slowly, acceptable on motorways and irresistible on country roads with bends and sweeps.
Build quality is still light years away from Mercedes' or Audi's: left passenger rear door rattles, rear suspension produces noises, humming noise from the dashboard, too.
Despite the little flaws I believe that my next car will be an Alfa 156 Sportwagon with a 2.4 litre diesel engine.
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| 2001 - 156 Sportwagen Lusso 1.6 TS A practical sporting 'estate' |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2002 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.4 JTD (110 kW) Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 12000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 12800 kilometres |
| Previous car | Alfa Romeo 146 |
| Date of Entry | 13th August, 2002 |