ALFA Romeo test drive 156 2003 - 2005 sedan
New Juliet
Alfa Romeo 156 - Auto of the RenaissanceA good car is simply obliged to attract attention - passing models, as a rule, do not live for a long time (with the exception of, perhaps, domestic crafts and super -budget foreign cars like Daewoo, and even then only in our country).
Therefore, many people are working on the design of each machine, and constantly - modern realities are such that in order to maintain demand, its appearance must be updated (at least once every five years). However, there are no rules without exception, and truly beautiful cars, just like beautiful women, do not age. Although such cars are born very rarely.
But still appear. A typical example is Alfa Romeo 156, which revived the former glory of the famous brand. For the Italian company, this car became the heir to the legendary Giulietta model (at one time developed by the Bertone studio), who conquered the road of the Apennine Peninsula and the rest of Europe in the mid-50s. With his appearance, it became clear that, contrary to the statements of the spitens, the transition under the Fiat wing for Alfa Romeo is not the end, but only one of the stages of development.
Seeing the light in 1997, in 1998, the 156th won the title of a car of the year in Europe, immediately became almost a bestseller, climbing the first lines of the ratings of automobiles. And the exterior of the car, of course, played an important role here. What is noteworthy, Alfa Romeo so loved by the public created on its own. Then the homemade Centro Stile has arranged such grads as Pininfarina, Bertone and Italdesign. But by the winter of 2002, when the Italians, following the inexorable laws of the market, decided to update it, they faced a problem - how to restyling with minimal losses for the appearance of a car? By that time, the creator of the car Walter de Silva and his successor Andreas Baltinas, who brought the company to the people of Alfa Romeo, has already left the company (the first now holds the post of Audi chief designer, and the second since 2002 in a similar position in Subaru). As a result, such a responsible event had to be entrusted to a third -party specialist. This role was perfectly played by the head of the Italdesign body atelier Georgetto Jujaro, who, by the way, was recognized as the best automobile designer of the last century.
Guided by the principle of good, they are not looking for good, the maestro did not seriously intervene in the exterior of the car, adding only a couple at first glance of minor strokes. The 156th received another, put forward (compared to the dorestyling version), a false radiator lattice, new transparent headlights and a bumper - it seems to be a little, but the front, and the car itself as a whole began to look tougher, aggressive ... By the way, after that, after that, after that, after that, after that, after that, after that, after that, after that, after that In the appearance of the car, a new direction of corporate design was manifested - thanks to the false radiator grille, the same as on the Alfa Romeo 147, the car's face began to resemble the beak of a predatory bird. Otherwise, the exterior of the 156th remained practically unchanged-this is all the same in Italian expressive and stylish family sedan.
And not only outside, but also inside. At least all of the listed epithets can be attributed to the interior of the 156th test. Thanks to the harmonious combination of black plastic and red, almost raspberry skin, it looks really impressive. Not every automaker today can afford such a bold color combination. And now fashionable decorative decoration in the High-Tech style in this case looks only as a small stroke, complementing and emphasizing the original interior design.
Moreover, this effect intensifies with the turning of the key in the ignition lock, when the absolutely black scale of the dashboard and the front console suddenly come to life, flashing bright red lights. And the car starts, beckons, attracts ... And it can be forgiven all the disadvantages - and a short seat pillow for a tall driver, and a narrow, not very convenient pedal node, where the soles of wide shoes cling to each other, and insufficiently spacious salon for a family car . Although these are perhaps all the shortcomings. If the assembly flaw flakes were sometimes found on the prerestyling cars, and not only the salon, but also the body, then you can’t say this about this Alfa Romeo - both body parts and interior panels are more than neat. However, is it worth looking for serious flaws in a car for 26,000 euros?
By the way, for this money, Italians offer not only a well -assembled, but also very well -equipped sedan. Here is a two-zone climate control, a full electric package with rain sensors, lighting, staging of windshield and clean air, heating the front seats, an acoustemer with acoustics Bose, ABS (C EBD), an unlotted course stability system (VDC) and six airbags.
Despite the fact that the ALFA Romeo 156 assets have a decent line of engines, which contain several gasoline and turbodiesel power units, only cars equipped with a 150-horsepower Twin Spark engine, as well as charged versions of GTA with a 250-horsepower V-, are officially imported into our country. figurative six with a volume of 3.2 liters. Also, Russian buyers can choose two options for a KP - ordinary mechanics or Selespeed - an IAC with automatic clutch, created using the F1 technology with steering wheel switches. However, for the second type of transmission will have to pay extra over 1,500 euros.
In our case, we are talking about a mundane version with a 2-liter engine aggregated with a manual 5-speed gearbox. In Europe, the engine is considered old, so the 156th dealers no longer sell with this motor. Nevertheless, it is perfect for the car, providing excellent dynamics with an acceptable fuel consumption.
The main feature of the motor is for each of the four cylinders there are two spark plugs. The paired candles make it possible to burn more fuel, thereby increasing the engine return. One and a half hundred horses with two liters are not a limit, but Alfa Romeo engineers preferred a golden mean between power and traction - the maximum torque of the engine (181 Nm) is reached at 3800 revolutions. The engine with such characteristics needs constant feeding - the higher the revolutions, the higher the thrust. So at low speeds, the car seems a little thoughtful, lethargic. But it is worth slightly crushing the accelerator, there is no trace of thoughtfulness - and the car begins to react sensitively to any change in the position of the gas pedal. He easily shoots the 156th forward, allowing to unwind himself to the red zone.
By the way, the Italians approached the design of the tachometer scale very interestingly - on the idle and when it was calm, his arrow looks somewhere down, rising into the zone familiar to the eyes, only when the engine exceeds 4000 revolutions. You get used to it quite quickly, but at first it is slightly uncomfortable. Another noticeable plus is the magnificent sound insulation of the salon. No, this does not mean that complete silence reigns during the movement in the car, but it is worth noting that the voice of the motor becomes distinguishable only after 3000-3500 revolutions, however, this sound is so unobtrusive and pleasant for hearing that it can be compared with good singing .
Winter, covered with snow porridge, the road for acquaintance with such a car is suitable, to put it mildly, not perfectly. However, at the wheel of Alfa Romeo and on such a coating you feel more than confident - the 156th quickly and clearly responds to the manipulation of the steering wheel, giving the driver complete freedom, only occasionally correcting his actions using the stabilization system, but this happens very delicately. ABS also works carefully, if necessary, turning on only at the very last moment (while the process of slowing down, even on slippery coating, goes very efficiently, but smoothly).
What is noteworthy: the Italians managed to find optimal settings for suspension (in front - a design specially designed for the 156th design with two forced levers, behind - Macpherson). On the one hand, it is quite tough to almost completely exclude any serious body rolls. But at the same time, it was not a dentist and quite comfortable.
A good car is already a lot, but the 156th is not just a good car. It belongs to those machines that are chosen by the heart that fall in love with at first glance ...
Text: Vladimir Zhidkov
Source: Mkobil magazine
