Alfa Romeo 156 - a descendant of a new era

Some manufacturers are incredibly lucky, or rather, they perfectly feel the current trends - whatever they touch, it automatically turns into a masterpiece. Alfa Romeo is undoubtedly one of those manufacturers. Since the launch of the 1997 model in 156, Alfa Romeo has recorded success after success: the 1998 Car of the Year title, numerous awards from various automotive publications, as well as awards from drivers, journalists, mechanics and engineers.

All of this means that Alpha is being viewed through the lens of its recent successes. In fact, each subsequent model of the Italian manufacturer is more beautiful than its predecessor. Looking at the achievements of some German manufacturers, the task is not an easy one!

The happy story for Alfa began with the debut of the Alfa Romeo 156, one of the Italian group's most impressive market successes in recent years. The successor to the 155 has finally abandoned the erroneous way of cutting all edges off the ground. The new Alfa charmed with its curves and curves, clearly reminiscent of the stylish cars of 30-40 years ago.

The seductive front part of the body, with small headlights typical of Alfa, divided sparsely (trademark of the brand, “embedded” in the radiator grill), interestingly designed bumper and thin ribs on the hood bizarrely harmonizes with the ascetic side line, devoid of rear door handles (they were cleverly hidden in black door upholstery). The rear end is considered by many to be the most beautiful rear end of a car in recent decades - the sexy taillights look not only very attractive, but also very dynamic.

In 2000, an even more beautiful version of the station wagon, called the Sportwagon, also appeared in the offer. However, the Alfa Romeo station wagon is more of a stylish car with subtle family inclinations than a flesh-and-blood family car. The luggage compartment, small for a station wagon (approx. 400 l), unfortunately, lost to all rivals in terms of practicality. One way or another, the interior volume of the Alfa car was not much different from small cars. It differs in style - in this matter, Alpha was still the undisputed leader.

The multi-link suspension made the 156 one of the most drivable cars on the market in its day. Unfortunately, the complex suspension design in Polish realities very often significantly increased operating costs - some suspension elements (for example, suspension arms) had to be replaced even after 30 . km!

Alfa's interior is further proof that Italians have a better sense of beauty. Stylish clocks housed in interestingly designed tubes, the speedometer and tachometer pointing downwards, and their red backlight perfectly matched the character of the car. After the modernization carried out in 2002, the interior was further enriched with liquid crystal displays, which gave the interior of a stylish car a touch of modernity.

Among other things, the well-known TS (Twin Spark) gasoline engines could work under the hood. Each of the gasoline units provided Alfie with decent performance, starting with the weakest 120-horsepower 1.6 TS engine, and ending with a 2.5-liter V6. However, for excellent performance had to pay a considerable appetite for fuel - even the smallest engine in the city consumed over 11 l / 100 km. Two-liter version (2.0 TS) with 155 hp. even consumed 13 l / 100 km in the city, which was definitely a bit too much for a car of this size and class.

In 2002, a version of the GTA with a 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine appeared in car dealerships, goosebumps ran down the spine from the 250-horsepower tone of the exhaust pipes. Excellent acceleration (6.3 s to 100 km/h) and performance (maximum speed of 250 km/h) cost, unfortunately, a huge fuel consumption - even 20 l/100 km in city traffic. Another problem with the Alfa Romeo 156 GTA is traction - front-wheel drive combined with powerful power - which, as it turned out, is not a very good combination.

Diesel engines using common rail technology appeared for the first time in the world in the 156. The excellent units 1.9 JTD (105, 115 hp) and 2.4 JTD (136, 140, 150 hp) still impress with their performance and durability - unlike many other modern diesel engines, Fiat units have proven to be very durable and reliable.

Alfa Romeo 156 is a real Alfa made of flesh and blood. You can discuss its minor technical problems, high fuel consumption and cramped interior, but none of these shortcomings can overshadow the character of the car and its beauty. For many years, the 156 was considered the most beautiful sedan on the market. Until 2006, when... the successor, the 159!