Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

• Review
• For Sale

Alfa 159 Sportwagon

Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

Alfa Romeo 159 Interior

Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon Boot

Alfa Romeo 159 SportWagon 1.9Mjet

Alfa 159 Sportwagon Diesel

The Alfa 159 Sportwagon shares the same SportWagen label as its for-bearer the 156, but everything except the 1.9 JTDmjet engine is different; the petrol engines are based on GM crankcases and the 2.4 JTDmjet has had the power boosted to 200 bhp.

The 156 was a lifestyle estate with the load area being restricted by the rear suspension turrets, however, the new multi-link suspension of the 159 gives it 85 litres more boot space making it a much more usable car. It shares the aggressive family lines of the Brera and it has lost the feminine curves of the 156 with firm lines replacing the smooth curves. The dash shares the style of its predecessor, but it has all been updated; it is still as tactile and simple to use and somehow Alfa Romeo managed to get it to feel an integral part of the design, you never feel that any part of it is an afterthought.

The Engines have always been the heart of any Alfa Romeo and the 159 has a selection of some of the best available. The choice of engine is 2.2 and 3.2 petrol or the 1.9 16 valve and 2.4 20 valve diesel, the final decision of engine very much depends on what sort of car you require as they all have very different personalities and have a considerable influence on the chassis. The four-cylinder engines are lighter and give the car a much more balanced feel, the 2.4 diesel is a stunning engine and its 400 Nm of torque mean it is no slouch, however, the extra weight leads to a little more understeer but the engine never feels like a diesel and at high revs, it shares the growl of its petrol brothers. The 3.2 comes with a 6-speed gearbox, as does the rest of the range, but also it also has the four-wheel-drive Q system as standard, this distributes the power around the chassis with a slight bias to the rear wheels. There is however a tiny amount of play in the transmission which can be annoying. The petrol engines are based on GM blocks and these are modified by Alfa Romeo, much as the outgoing Fiat unit was. The 2.2 now reverts to an alloy block like the old Alfa Nord engine, while the V6 is considerably smaller than the Alfa V6. Both engines have continuously variable valve timing known as "twin Phaser" and this adds to the flexibility of the power delivery while the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber, adding to engine efficiency. The diesels are both common rail with multiple injections per cycle (Mjet). They breathe through four valves per cylinder and the turbocharger is of the variable vane type.

The Alfisti amongst you will remember the leap in quality between the 155 and the 156 and the 159 manages to do the same impressive trick again this should help to improve sales and residuals, and the new engines should help to improve reliability as they have chain-driven camshafts which eliminate this area of possible failure. This all bodes well for the marque.

JP

Related Links: Alfa Romeo 159 Review | Servicing Alfas under warranty |