ALFA Romeo test drive 156 2003 - 2005 sedan
Predatory Alfa
Restyling did not change the character of Alfa Romeo 156, but slightly emphasized the sportiness of the model
A beautiful car lives for a long time. Therefore, Alfa Romeo allows one model to exist in the market an average of seven years, that is, for quite some time. But was it possible about the pre -restyling version of the 156th, that it is outdated? In no case. In general, it is easy to notice that the work of the maestro Dzhujaro, which created the appearance of the car, tends to live as if outside of time. Nevertheless, an easy update to the image of the car that did the five-year anniversary in 2003 was necessary. The designer coped with the task as always excellent, and the marketing service of the Italian company tried to make the car more attractive to buyers. Indeed, the prices from the point of view of the buyer were paradoxical. A fresh restyled version costs several hundred euros cheaper than the previous one. So, the sedan will now cost 25,760 euros, and the station wagon in 27,600 euros. Why was this done? The calculation is simple - next year the Alfa Romeo 157 will appear, so it is worthwhile to spraise the sales of the old modification. Yes, the 156th does not belong to the category of cheap cars. Its competitors are almost all representatives of the class of family cars. However, if we take into account its sports character, then the competitors are already a completely different kind, namely, the BMW of the 3rd series, Audi A4, Mercedes C-class. And the prices for them are much higher.
More expression
The main change in comparison with the prerestyling version is noticeably immediately and looks, let's say, unexpectedly: if earlier the false radiator grille was drowned in the front bumper, now it was nominated outside. It seems to be a trifle, but the front end in general looks different. Although the lattice has the same size, it began to resemble the beak of a bird of prey. By the way, exactly the same decorative element is decorated with the hood and the bumper of the youngest in the range of the company 147. So the family machine was simply brought into line with the corporate design. And they did it, we admit, masterfully.
While in the car dealership, I heard from one of the potential buyers that the car became like the latest Mitsubishi models. Being untruth! If cars of two brands are related, it is the presence of four wheels, hood and bumper. What can not be taken from the Italian school of design is the originality and special style, that is, qualities that are not available to everyone. The swiftness of forms, expression and power - you can hardly find such a combination in serial cars today. The rest of the body remained unchanged. The same stylish pens made of matte aluminum under normal grip, their visual absence from the back, the characterizing the appearance of the sedan from the compartment (in fact they are disguised on a black panel made of plastic next to the edge of the glass). The stern of the car, which fell on the test, was decorated with a spoiler on the trunk flush with the roof. This is a company accessory Alfa Romeo, the purpose of which is to increase the clamping force acting on the rear, less loaded axis at high speed. There is no doubt that this is necessary. Under the hood of the 156th, an already familiar engine of the Twin Spark series is installed with a volume of two liters. Its peculiarity is the paired spark plugs in each of the four cylinders. Double ignition means that a larger amount of fuel can be burned per unit time, thereby increasing the engine power. In addition, this solution allows you to promote the engine to high speeds. In general, it is not surprising that his return is 150 forces. It was possible to achieve the best numbers, but the engineers preferred a reasonable compromise between return and traction. The maximum torque of the engine reaches 206 Nm. And if it were not for the semi -automatic gearbox of SelySpeed, installed on a test machine, this would be felt much more acute.
The fact is that the checkpoint combines the functions of manual and automatic transmission and that works, I would say - intelligently. When switching in the city stream, delays are noticeable, the box acts smoothly. And if you light on a suburban highway - tangible jerks when changing gears. There are five of them in all. However, twitching with rapid movement brings sharpness to the control process. And moving slowly on Alfa is not interesting. Not for that, the car was created. Therefore, on the embankments of the Moscow River, I had fun by releasing the flow, and then at the maximum revolutions caught up with it. In full use, when changing speeds, the formula-1 steering wheel petals that came from the world. Under the right hand +, under the left -. Logical and understandable. They are located just so that you can not tear off your hands from the steering wheel. Selespeed is in such a way that the engine does not spare, and does not switch to the highest gear upon reaching the maximum 7600 rpm. In combination with a fairly burdensome engine, this makes it possible to move in combat mode in the second or third gear. I also noticed that it is simply not recommended to ride Alfa Romeo differently. You begin to relax and make mistakes. Here, for example, someone turns right in front of me. I only for a moment lose sight of the car, when suddenly it brakes sharply, skipping the oncoming car. The jerk of the steering wheel to the side, and 156 in a matter of millimeters a bumper goes around - helps out acute steering.
No, it is not a matter of considering the interior on the go. By the way, the salon received several new color options (including the previously inaccessible dark top - light bottom), and the superstructure on the front panel has changed, inside which the on -board computer is placed. But - all attention to the road, and I will probably go more. An amazing thing - it was worth tightly pressing the accelerator pedal, it became easier to move around the city. The brain earned at the speed of a modern computer, calculating the road situation several moves in advance. Hands themselves began to make more sharp and accurate movements. The car, but it seemed that only this was waiting. Finally he went! - So it was in the joy with which the 156th responded to my actions. The turning was chopped and briskly, several times even screeched with tires. With delight, probably - I thought. Although the Sunny system is strictly watched by the ASR course stability system, it is also fun, it comes to business only in critical situations. Quick and comfortable
Such sports behavior of a car usually involves a clamped chassis that transfers shaking to the body. But not in the case of Alfa Romeo. Italian engineers always knew how to find acceptable solutions that maintained comfort in the cabin. So here they installed hard springs and shock absorbers, which, as it seemed, change their characteristics depending on the suspension. Such gas models today are offered by many producers of the racks.
In direct sections, ALFA pleases with reliable retention of the trajectory, complete neglect of the side wind and a pretty good protection against aerodynamic noise.
In general, during the trip I had to endure only a couple of unpleasant moments. The first is with a sharply braked a car, and the second with an unexpected overheating of the motor. It was like this: drowning the engine before shooting, and then starting it again, my colleague and I found an inscription on the excessive temperature of the engine on the on -board computer display. Looking at the device, which is not before the eyes, but at the top of the central console, horrified - the arrow froze at a level of 130 degrees, and the sound of a working fan was not heard. Thank God, my colleague left for the previous Alfa Romeo 155 for more than one year and could, with a high degree of probability of assuming what happened. Opening the hood and simply straightening the terminal on the electric motor rotating the propeller blades, he put everything in its place. Literally a couple of minutes later, the temperature returned to normal. Well, it happens, although Italians strive to tighten quality to the German level with all their might. In general, they succeed, as evidenced, in particular, the warranty obligations taken by the manufacturer - 2 years without limiting a run. Sergey Ilyinsky
Brief technical characteristics of Alfa Romeo 156
Engine volume, cubic meter. See: 1970
The number of valves for the cylinder: 4
Power, l. With. at about./min.: 150/6400
Max. Torque, Nm/at about. min.: 206/3250
Acceleration to 100 km/h, p.: 8.2 (9.0)*
Maximum speed, km/h: 220
Average fuel consumption l./100 km.: 8.9 (9.0)
Fuel tank volume, l.: 63
Dimensions, mm.: 4440x1745x1430
* In brackets - data for versions with the semi -automatic checkpoint Selespeed
