ALFA Romeo test drive 156 1997 - 2003 sedan

Gourmets station wagons

Alfa-Romeo-156 car debuted in 2000 at 2000 at the Geneva Motor Show. It is equipped with four gasoline engines with a capacity of 120 to 190 liters. With. and two turbodiesel 105 and 136 liters. With. respectively. In addition to traditional mechanics, configurations with shifts on the steering wheel (Selespeed) and an automatic box (Q-System) are provided.

Audi A4 Avan* appeared in November 1995, and in 1999 was restored. Now it is produced with nine gasoline and diesel engines with a capacity of 90 to 193 liters. p., which, combined with various transmissions and chassis, allows you to get the widest range of models for every taste.
To compare the German and Italian in the country where a certain cult of German cars has established himself is a ungrateful business. Nevertheless, when the Moscow dealers appeared on the basis of Alfa-Romeo-156, and even called the Vegon sport, we could not stand before the temptation to compare it with Audi A4 Avan. Despite the weighty (almost 7000 u.) The difference in price, there is a common feature in the characters of these machines: they cannot be approached with the standards of pure practicalism, like most station wagons - these vagons with a clear driver’s accent.
They argue about appearance
If you put these two cars nearby in a crowded place, find an interesting thing: everyone starts to get acquainted with a pretty couple with Alfa Romeo. A sharp, rapid silhouette, a super -choriginal line of the front bumper and a false radiator lattice, narrow cracks of bright rear lights - all this immediately catches the eye, determines the priority attention of the public to the 156th. Nevertheless, twisting around the Italian, then the curious then stuck for a well -known Audi A4 for a long time. It would seem that a classic station wagon: calm forms, correct, clearly verified proportions. But from all this, it blows highly respectable, reliability, reliability, in a word, German thoroughness.
The interior of Alfa Romeo is originality itself. As soon as you penetrate the car’s interior, you will immediately pay attention to the embossed profile of the front seats, to the puffy, typically alpha lamb, to deeply drowned scales of analog appliances scattered along the front panel, in accordance with their necessity. Here everything is subordinated to the image of a dynamic, sports car. Even the vertical arrows of the most necessary driver’s instruments, speedometer and tachometer are located very much in a holom. In fact, all this is a little fake. The backs of the seats are soft and supple, despite the outwardly powerful rollers of lateral supports, the plastic steering wheel is slippery, and racing appliances are poorly readable, some disparate. Alas, the strict requirements of ergonomics are not always able to replace with stylistic delights.
In Audi, everything is different. The interior of the machine is the focus of quality, noticeable in each button. A traditionally powerful front panel, no less traditional combination of devices - everything is not just familiar here, but immediately familiar and convenient. And the point is not only in the wealth of the Audi decoration: genuine leather on the seats, steering wheel, lever gearboxes, wood inserts, encircling the driver and the front passenger. In German, a dense, even hard seat is more convenient than that of an Italian, although it does not carry any sports attributes. The same can be said about the steering wheel, combinations of instruments ... Only a multicarp canal control unit in convenience clearly loses to three classic rotating handles, on the alpha.
The stock of practicalism
Having plentyed us with a variety of styles, we recall that we have two station wagons, in theory, designed for transporting several passengers and some baggage. Let's try to look at cars from these positions.
If you do not touch the convenience of landing, Alfa-Romeo seats provide a good set of adjustments and displacement ranges. The situation is worse with the adjustment of the steering wheel running on the scale of the devices. The longitudinal movement of the steering wheel helps out, moving which it is possible to achieve the desired compromise. Thanks to this, you are quite convenient, even with some reserve of space. But the back is crowded. The knees relate to the back of the front seat, the falling roof presses on top. Of course, you can sit together, but there is no need to talk about an excess of the place. As in the luggage compartment. For the station wagon, it looks more than modest. However, this is still a sport of WaGon, but not a truck.
We transplant to Audi and ... we are surprised to find that the situation has almost not changed. No, here, of course, everything is more thought out, especially from the point of view of the individual driver - you can drive back so that you can barely reach the pedals. More conveniently, the range of movements of the steering wheel, the work of the box lever is more intelligible and clear, but the car itself does not look more spacious. A powerful central tunnel (a tribute to an all -wheel drive layout) annoying the right leg. The attempt to comfortably accommodate from behind ends in failure - the hard back of the front seat painfully rests on the knees, and the feet are in a deep well from which it is difficult to extract. In general, in the back in A4, it is quite difficult to feel normally, which is strange for the station wagon, to put it mildly. The situation does not save the situation than Alpha, the trunk. Why is he like that on a potentially double car? In general, our wards are small in practicality.
Movement energy
The character of Alfa Romeo is suitable for appearance: explosive, impulsive. The engine (1.8 liters; 144 l. P.), As befits a real Italian, begins to demonstrate its true temperament only after 4000 rpm. Here the car is like a fish in water, it provokes a dynamic, aggressive driving with frequent (sometimes completely unnecessary) gear shifts. This, of course, is accompanied by intensive accelerations, slowdown, restructuring - everything that you like. Even the arrows of the speedometer and tachometer move to the sectors familiar to view, as if emphasizing the normality of such regimes. If you reduce the pace, the engine is noticeably sour, responding to the driver’s commands with a laziness. It is quite possible to go at this pace, but somehow boring. To match the hole of the car and the brakes, which are too actively responding to the slightest touch to the pedal. They definitely need to get used to and treat them very carefully, if not gently, even at high speed.
Against the background of such a dynamic nature, the cars were unexpectedly comfortable. They reliably swallow minor irregularities, confidently cope with gentle waves and even serious potholes. Nevertheless, their European purpose is very noticeable at high speeds. After 120-130 km/h, the Alfa-Romeo body begins to swing intensively, signaling the insufficient efficiency of shock absorbers. It is curious that the comfort of the suspensions almost did not affect the controllability of Vagon's sport. The reactions of the machine are fast, clear, well predicted. This is facilitated by the traditionally short alpha steering wheel (2.1 turns from the stop to the stop), good feedback and very energetic tires of Pirelli P6000, which is quite corresponding to the character of the Italian. Upon reaching the limits, only solid bodies of body and trajectory screening on the irregularities of the road are alarmed. The rest of the 156th fully justifies its sports essence, very sensitively performing all the driver’s teams. Apparently, it was the orientation on the riders that prevented the creators of the machine with a noise level in the alpha salon. The car is very vocal. Here is the sound of a temperamental motor, and aerodynamic noise, and a rumble of tires. All this, layering on each other, turns into a very loud cacophony, which even interferes with normal communication.
After the alpha, Audi A4 Awan looks like a thoroughbred limousine. The sound of the motor (1.8 liters; 150 hp) is barely noticeable. The character of the engine is the exact opposite of Italian. From the first seconds of communication, he pleases with amazing traction. At 1000 rpm, A4 is already quite capable of evenly and powerfully accelerating, completely without attracting your attention to the work of turbocharged. Why all this, when he pressed the accelerator cut and the car shot all his 150 horses, easily typing 217 km/h of the maximum wings. But I don’t want to fly headlong, calmly turn on the fifth gear already at 40-50 km/h and know Katya in the right direction. Sometimes it relaxes so much that with surprise and even irritation you notice - for some reason Audi does not go. It turns out that the engine speed fell so much that you just need to switch the transmission. But what the advantage is absolutely unanimous with an alpha is brakes. The same weightless pedal seeks to instantly stop the car even with a hint of touching it. In winter shoes, you have to use the brakes very carefully - you will not frighten others even.
The controllability of audi in German is correct and verified to the smallest detail. The car is very reliable in high -speed stamps and gentle turns - the autobas -setting chassis affects. At the same time, Avan is very good and on winding serpentines. Maybe he is not as impulsive as alpha, but at the same time almost as accurate in management. At first, a small, but still distance is felt between him and the driver. But one has only to try to overcome it, like a car, as if recalling the sports merits of the counterparts, willingly go to movement with small side slides, maintaining the simplicity and understandability of responses. This is facilitated by dense suspension adapted to Russian conditions - they can easily cope with both body rolls and with surprises of the roadway. As a result, the advances easily work out most of the road irregularities, without tiring the driver with sharp shocks.
The creators of Audi were seriously treated with acoustic comfort. Only a tangible itch that runs through the car during touching violates the general harmony. Otherwise, almost without complaints.

SUMMARY
Alfa-Romeo-156 Sport Vagon is an original car, very nice. It is most suitable for people impulsive, gambling. Surely, they will impress the sharp character of the station wagon, good brakes, configured handling. For the sake of this, they will forgive the increased noise of the car, and the fact that it is not always convenient. Yes, and $ 23,000 for a car of this class, you see, a little.

Audi A4 Avan is almost the exact opposite of the Italian. Its energy and temperament are dissolved in its own significance. And if someone is not embarrassed by the price of $ 30,000, it will acquire a beautiful, solid product, the biggest drawback of which is the constraint of the internal space.

*Russian spelling of the word Avant corresponds to its original - French pronunciation.

Putting the style at the forefront, manufacturers sometimes donate practicality.

Which is better - a large trunk or a comfortable rear seat? Audi and Alfa-Romeo answers differ.
 
 

Text / Sergey Voskresensky
Photo / Igor Solidov

Source: The magazine "Driving"