ALFA Romeo test drive 156 2003 - 2005 sedan
Sorry, Italy!
Under such a motto in Moscow, domestic kitchens are sold. We can also ask for forgiveness for our cars that once former Italian. And also to apologize for the climate, which does not allow you to fully enjoy the advantages of Alfa Romeo 156 and Alfa Romeo 156 GTA. 
In Moscow, the snow is knee -deep, and in Riga, the rain is dripping on the grass. And even if the Baltic is not Adriatic, the marine climate makes itself felt. On the asphalt, the once all -Union famous Birkernieki highway is two cars: so similar and so different. When they stand nearby, restyling is especially noticeable, which has undergone 156 years ago. True, the appearance of the GTA also slightly varies with the exterior of Alpha, recognized in 1998 the best car of the year. A huge air intake, covered with rabid, pushed the fog to the wheels almost to the wheels. The discs themselves are alloyed 17 -inch, on the thresholds - overlays, in the rear bumper - an extractor to improve aerodynamics, under it - a pair of chrome exhaust pipes. In this form, the Alfa Romeo GTA will be released up to the change of the model, which is promised in 2005. Restyling of the 156th, which was entrusted with the Italdesign studio, did not touch the courageous features of this athlete.
Now let's look at the works of Georgetto Jujaro, who modernized Walter Da'silva. It sounds wild. It’s as if Gucci knew for Versace, and Bertolucci stolen for Fellini. But what to do if a new life had to breathe into the model, and Da'Silva is now working on Teutons. On the front wings, the Schildiki Design Giugiaro now burst. This is so that the car is not confused with the operation of the Bertone studio, which worked with the same raw materials. Indeed, in the FAS post -tie -tied Alfa Romeo 156 and the Alfa GT compartment are very similar. The same narrow heraldic shield with five chrome crossbars, only at the compartment it clings to the lower edge of the air intake, and in the 156th it hangs above it. There are no more than four slots, as in the horseshoe that framed this shield. Another incision became another. The rear lights, which now bend not up, but down, are emphasized by deep stamping. The color scheme of the paintwork has expanded. For me - one color would be enough for alpha - acrylic Alfa Red. However, with such an uncompromising approach, the company could hardly sell more than half a million 156s. 
On weekdays and on holidays Inside, everything also looks fresher and richer: a multifunctional display appeared under the ebb on a torpedo, buttons were added on the central console, and it itself in expensive versions - we, by the way, got the top ti - now it can be two -color and flaunted with a leather finish. Now on the 156s in the standard there are six pillows, as well as the ESP system, which the alfovites dubbed their own - VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control), plus another MSR (Motor Schleppment Regulung) system, which will not allow the leading wheels of excessive wheels engine braking. Well, rain sensors, separate climate control, Bose speakers, which, however, interfere with listening to the motor ...
The main merit of the direct injection system is considered to be its economy. Alfa Romeo, company, simply would not have the right to bear this proud name if the new engine were imprisoned exclusively on burgher's joy from saving Eurocentes who replaced Pfenigs. The main thing is the increase in power and moment. Compared to the previous two -liter with two candles on the cylinder, the new JTS engine added 15 hp. and 26 Nm. Up to one and a half thousand revolutions, the motor feeds on a decay of the mixture, but it is worth clicking - the cylinders are syringed to the maximum. So cling more difficult
on the pedal and enjoy one of the most predicted in the management of European cars: multi -link in front and McPherson behind - compared to the model we have known since 1998, the settings have only changed a little in the suspension. If Alfa Romeo 156 is still able to give joy from daily possession, seasoned with delighted glances, then GTA is a completely different song. The manager of the car dealership, which provided cars, said that within a week he was forced to use GTA as a traveling machine. The provocative nature of the car did not allow to calmly move from one point to another, and the trip quickly turned into unsafe slalom. Huge bast shoes 225/45 WR17 turned to a smaller angle than the usual 156th, which was inconvenient in parking. Plus, the audience on the streets constantly molested questions about the aerodynamic skirt and spoilers, believing that the entire plastic body kit of the local, Riga, manufacturing.
Catch the moment
The gta suspension is noticeably tougher. But what causes discomfort when leisurely driving at the joints between concrete slabs is more than compensated by the clarity with which the car dives into turns. Firstly, it is necessary to sit here - the chairs in the GTA, although they differ in excellent lateral support, and the seats and backs are driven out in the manner of the Gulag vang, but the skin is too slippery - sometimes chatting like a yolk inside a raw egg. Secondly, you should not overdo it with the steering wheel. The usual 156th and so the gear ratio was small, while the charged version was supplied with an even more sharp wheel. To turn the steering wheel from the central position to the stop to the left or right, here you need to make only 0.875 turnover. And this is fastened to the reins - no less - 250 horses. I slightly twisted - catch the gas with the gas. 
A large ring of Birdkernieki was closed to access that day, so we were forced to ride along a winding highway with straight aids of not more than three hundred meters and countless even turns, but by reversals. There was really no time to let go of the steering wheel, and Selespeed, which allows you to switch without tearing his hands from the steering wheel, was very useful. And although the system of buttons-flush buttons seemed to me from other cars, in such an extreme mode, I was forced to rely on the machine. Own automation here helps a little - it’s the same as trying to light on a motorcycle for the first time, where the clutch is turned on with the left hand, and the transmission switches with the foot. Well, yes - the technology of the box is designed in accordance with the technical program for training Skuderia Ferrari, yes - the same characteristics had a checkpoint on the F399 of Schumacher, ordinary mortals must be used to. 
One of my Italian acquaintances last year bought himself a two-liter 156th with mechanics. In addition to traveling to the service, he chases his car in one of the many local monocups. When I asked him why not Celespid, he answered as follows: you know, when I have an ordinary pen nearby, I literally feel with a knee how the program is turned on. With an automaton, which even in manual mode corrects you, this feeling is not. Constantly squint at the numbers on the display? Compare the speed of flickering the landscape with the position of the arrow on the tachometer? And Formula 1 has nothing to do with it. Когда Шумахер едет в Монце, он уже на уровне рефлекса чувствует, за сколько метров перед 
askari's car must be pressed on the steering wheel. And for the pen, he just has no place in the cockpit - you won’t put it overboard, as in cars a hundred years ago. By the way, there was also a mechanical checkpoint on the Riga two -liter, but I didn’t like the control lever. When the transmission was turned on, the pen dangled, sorry for the banality, like a pencil in a glass: in your working positions of the backstage on the alpha for some reason, the same spacious as in neutrals.
Offons
Russia, alas, is not very similar to the Apennines. Therefore, in the nearest Fiat dealership, you can tell you about the heroic tests of Alfa Romeo for some reason in the Magadan region, 
as if roads similar in quality to the Kolyma highway, and climate with a predominance of negative temperatures in the European part cannot be found. Especially for us on the 156th, the suspension was strengthened and the road clearance was increased by 2.5 cm. It would be possible to say with cunning that with such settings, the car will pass the turns in the same way as the purebred Italian. The two -liter JTS engine is not certified for Russia, including because the direct injection system is very sensitive to Sere, which is a lot in our gasoline. Therefore, in the cabin you will be offered an old tested 2.0 Twin Spark with a capacity of 150 hp. And at the cost of $ 27 thousand. About TI, our sellers also heard anything - we consider the top execution of DISTINCTIVE. But with Alfa Romeo GTA everything is much easier: $ 57 thousand - and after a couple of months she is yours. She was not adapted to Russia. The driver should adapt to such machines.
Source: "Autopilot"
