Price as tested: €32,495
In brief: Often overlooked, but the masses don’t know what they’re missing out on. Age keeps it behind the opposition, but charm and real quality help bridge the gap.
I think it’s fair to call the Alfa 159 a bit of a forgotten car. It’s predecessor, the 156, was one of the biggest sellers in Alfa’s history, but when the 159 was launched it dropped quickly under the radar and pretty much stayed there. While the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 have since been scaling Everest-like heights in sales terms, the 159 remains one for the cognoscenti.
But not, crucially, one for just die-hard Alfa fans. It used to be that you had to be pretty die-hard to put up with the quality and dynamic foibles that once came a standard with an Alfa, but that has simply not been the case for may a year now, and the 159 (and its smaller siblings, the Giulietta and Mito) are proof of that.
If we’re going to talk about flaws (and we may as well do, now that we’ve started) then anything you can properly criticise the 159 for is based much more on age than on any particular flaw. So, the fact that it’s not quite as spacious as you’d like, the fact that the driving position is more awkward than it should be and the suppression of noise, vibration and harshness isn’t what it should be can all be traced back to the fact that the platform the 159 rides on dates its development back almost a decade. Car design, in technology terms, has moved on since then.
But not in terms of aesthetics. There’s no denying it, this is a properly beautiful car, and our test car in its bright red paintwork and with the 19” alloys that come with the TI specification looked utterly bewitching.
And pretty gorgeous inside too. The optional biscuit leather seats (with the Alfa logo embroidered in red stitching) the deeply inset dials and the slim-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel all create an almost clichéd Italian cabin experience.
What’s not a cliché is the quality. This is a car assembled with palpable care and attention to detail. There was not a single creak or groan, and all of the surfaces that you touch and feel (aside from some slightly brittle column stalks) are of the highest order.
Yes, the driving position is a little too high and a touch offset, but the seats are very comfy and supportive and that thin-rimmed steering wheel feels utterly brilliant to hold. Tactility, as well as quality, is the order of the day.
Nestling behind those squinting lights is a new 2.0-litre JTDM diesel engine. Gone is the old 1.9 diesel and in comes this one, with 134bhp and a healthy 350Nm of torque. Against the stop watch it delivers a 9.9sec 0-100kmh time and returns 5.1-litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle.
Subjectively though, it feels much quicker. Must be the torque, which when you keep the engine in the right rev band, allows the 159 to bound along the road with great gulps of forward thrust. The six-speed manual gearbox is delightful, feeling properly mechanical as you move it across the gate, so stirring the 159’s engine is no chore. Of course, no diesel can give you the proper Alfa Romeo alto-soprano scram at high rpm, but against that we’ll take the excellent fuel economy and the 134g/km Co2 emissions.
A shame that there’s a bit too much clatter and gurgle at low and urban speeds, but once you’re cruising on main roads, that does go away, to be replaced by a bit too much wind and tyre noise. Again, blame the 159’s age. It’s not especially bad but an A4 or C-Class are noticeably quieter.
But the good news comes when you get to a smooth, sweeping stretch of corners. Then, with that torque wave to float on, the 159 reminds you of why it’s actually a proper sports saloon.
The ride, which is a touch firm around town, improves the faster you go and that steering; quick geared across its locks and full of feel, allows you to point the 159 exactly where you want it. OK, so perhaps this front-driver cannot match the handling ‘purity’ of a rear-drive BMW, but on the right road it flows wonderfully and rewards the driver with proper enthusiasm. In fact, given how anodyne and removed from the action so many modern cars are, the 159 is nothing short of refreshing.
Next year, there will be a replacement, called the Giulia, based on an all-new platform and doubtless with better refinement, more space and even better economy and emissions. But something tells us that it won’t be quite as good to drive as a 159. Electric power steering will rob the 159’s delicate feel and balance and the extra length and bulk will probably take away some of its fabulous chuckabillty.
And that will be a shame. You know that thing of never realising what you have until it's gone? I reckon that could well be the case with the 159. Get out and grab one while you still can.
Facts & Figures
Alfa Romeo 159 2.0 JTDM 134bhp TI
Price as tested: €32,495
Range price: €27,995 to €36,995
Capacity: 1,856cc
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 350Nm
Top speed: 202kmh
0-100kmh: 9.9sec
Economy: 5.1l-100km (55.4mpg)
CO2 emissions: 134g/km
VRT Band: B. €156 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star adult, 4-star child, 1-star pedestrian
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