Alfa Romeo 156 2.4 JTD

I've owned my Alfa Romeo 156 JTD for 2 years now and it still puts a big smile on by bearded face everytime I get behind the wheel. I was never a fan of diesels but when I killed my last car in the great floods of 2006 I thought what the hell...gimme a big car with a big engine. I found the 2.4 and took a test drive, the torque was mindblowing and the noise from that five pot at full throttle tightened my trousers, I bought it straight away. As mentioned the fuel consumption should be good for 42mpg but the best I ever got was 36mpg on a drive from Glasgow to London, I suppose a torn boost pipe held together with cable ties didn't help ...  Read the complete review

I have never considered buying Italian car. I was stuck with "reliable" Germans and Japanese cars. Then while looking for three year old BMW or Honda Accord I saw this beauty. It is dark red metallic with leather trim and all extras, that competitors offer as XXXEuro option, (automatic climate control, ABS, electronic traction and stability control - VDC, CD changer, parking sensors, navconnect system etc.) Took it for a ride and guess what? I am now over year and a half proud owner of one of the most appealing vehicles. It looks great, it drives smooth and I didn't have a single problem yet (32k miles). And all that for a little more than a half of ...  Read the complete review

The best Alfa Romeo I driven! Fast, economic, beautiful and blast to drive! Good points: 1 It looks fantastic outside and inside. 2 Quality is pretty good, maybe not Audi build quality, but the difference between manufacturers is lessening. 3 It goes very well in real world driving, comparable to the 2.0 165bhp JTS. 4 It sounds great, - a throaty warble due to it's 5 cylinder engine. 5 It manages around 40mpg average. 6 For under £400 it can be chipped/remapped with another 30bhp taking it into another league. 7 The steering is very direct. 8 The gearbox/change is very slick. 9 It will hold it's value better than the 2.5, ...  Read the complete review

Unless you live in a region with billiard table smooth roads! If you read my previous report on the 156 2.4JTD, you will be familiar with my problem; the car sits low to the ground, and on bumpy roads, bottoms out, cracking the sump and causing the oil to drain out. It has happened to me for the third time in four months. The dealer is doing his best, but Alfa don't want to know. They say there is not a problem with this model, but three sumps in four months at a cost of £500.00 each time is not reasonable. The latest info from Alfa tells me that as the car is a "sports saloon", it naturally sits quite low to the ground, and ...  Read the complete review