Alfa Romeo 159 2.4 JTD Ti 2009 Review

Road Test

Price Guide: $62,990 (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges)
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): nil
Crash rating: five-star (Euro NCAP)
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 6.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 185
Also consider:  Citroen C5, Volkswagen Passat, Mazda6

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 2.5/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

Alfa Romeos have managed in recent years to shed just about all the things that dragged the brand down in the past. Today you can forget about standing back and watching the rust creep over the body panels. And you no longer need to consider surgery so you can fit in a driver's seat more attuned to lower-order simians.

One constant remains though: Alfa Romeos, from the entry 147 series upward, still retain their Italianate sporty flavour. A lot of hardware might be shared across the range with the sibling Fiat brand but there is an undisputable essence to Alfas that is unique, characterful and ultimately rewarding to the driver. These days without any cringe factor relating to reliability, or quality.

This considered, it is somewhat surprising that Alfa Romeo joins the rest of the world by offering diesel engine choices. How even a modern, ultra-refined diesel fits with a decidedly sporty brand like Alfa Romeo is just one of the contradictions of today's fast-evolving auto environment.

The manufacturer that long ago set the pace in road car technology with things like five-speed transmissions, twin overhead camshaft engines and benchmark handling almost looks to have become another run of the mill carmaker. Fortunately that is not actually the case. Generally, the cars from Turin in Italy -- including diesel variants (around 70 per cent of Alfa's total production are oilers) -- still manage to emanate a certain amount of style, character and dynamic capability that is uniquely Alfa.

And that includes the latest version of the turbodiesel-engined 159 JTD Ti that went on sale here in January 2009 with an update that attended to more important things than simply playing with the bumper design.

The changes for the 2009 model year have already been detailed by the Carsales Network (more here) but, basically, cover things like improved interior space via increased headroom and rear legroom, revised instrument displays -- and a worked JTDm version of the five-cylinder 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine that pumps out more power (154kW at 4000rpm comparing with 147kW at 4000rpm) but the same 400Nm of torque at 2000rpm. Coupled with revisions claimed to sharpen the gearshifts and smooth out the six-speed Q-Tronic auto, the result, says Alfa Romeo, is a more responsive and refined drivetrain.

The overall look of the 159 has been left well alone. No quibbles there because three years after its 2006 introduction the 159 is unquestionably still a good-looker. And -- especially in the Ti version -- the Alfa look is even more pronounced inside.

The Ti's ambiance is unmistakably Alfa with almost ostentatiously grippy front seats clad in black leather with red stitching and a classic instrument panel. The latter comprises two large dials facing the driver under a double-curved binnacle together with a sweeping centre console and dark-alloy trim containing three gauges respectively covering turbo boost, water temperature and fuel level.

The quality of the interior trim, as we know, is a vast improvement over the easily scuffed and dull-looking cabin of the 156. And it is far more welcoming than its generally more ascetic German rivals.

The Ti's front seats come with power adjustment, including two-position memory settings on the driver's side, as well as the prerequisite alloy floor pedals and door sills matching the dark alloy on the dash and centre console. The roof lining is also finished in black to accentuate the sado-macho leather look, but it doesn't do much to promote a feeling of inner space.

For 2009, the 159 was given a few extra millimetres of passenger room via skinnier front seats and revised roof lining, but that doesn't mean it is a generously accommodating car. Up front it's okay for most, but step in behind even a mid-height front seat occupant and you're bound to feel constricted, both for knee and head space. The boot likewise is not the biggest around, although it can at least be augmented by the split-fold rear seat.

The Ti, being more tightly focussed on its athletic aspects than regular 159 variants, steers sharper and rides firmer. For most people, if you are buying an Alfa, those are the characteristics you accept as part of the territory.

Some people will probably think the Ti's tighter-riding, 20mm lower suspension and beautiful 19-inch wheels with 235/40 tyres take it a little over the top, even for a sports-oriented prestige sedan. But most Alfa aficionados will love it.

And let's not forget the 156 introduced here in 1999 -- and generally welcomed as a return to solid Alfa values with its hyper accurate steering and strong performance -- set something of a benchmark at the time for front-drive handling balance.

The 159 inherits a lot of this, with super-quick steering that goes from lock to lock in just 2.2 turns and a nicely judged balance between ride quality and handling -- even factoring in the Ti's firmer suspension. In fact, if you put a 159 up against any of its front-drive competitors you'll find it stands alone in sports-sedan glory.

There's a wonderful sense of stability that makes tight and winding roads a joy as it tracks with precision through corners, with understeer so far distant it is rarely experienced. Once you sample this, you tend to forgive any firmness in the suspension. It's not harsh though, with enough compliance to take the edges off most bumps.

All this is supported by Brembo brakes that announce themselves with red-painted callipers and drag the 159 down from speed with the sort of reassurance you would expect of Italian-made brakes.

And so to the five-cylinder turbodiesel powerplant… This engine, for all its refinement, is not the quietest of its type and only average in terms of torque or power output for its 2.4-litre capacity.

With 154kW on hand at a very un-Alfa 4000rpm, along with its 400Nm of torque the JTDm engine is quick without being super-impressive, either off the line (where there is noticeable initial lag) or when overtaking. Looking at the quoted zero to 100km/h acceleration time gives a clear picture: both six-speed auto and six-speed Q-Tronic auto versions scrape across the line in a far-from-rapid 8.4 seconds.

The payoff, as you would expect, is in fuel consumption: the manual is quoted at an average of 6.8L/100km, the auto at 7.0L/100km, with respective CO2 figures of 179 and 185g/km.

The reality is not necessarily quite that good, as our auto test car recorded figures more in the region between 8.0 and 9.0L/100km in a test period that covered a good proportion of freeway driving.

As we said, it's not a quiet diesel either, but that is a sacrifice most are prepared to make in order to benefit from the fuel economy. Which, on Alfa Romeo figures, is way better than the 2.2-litre four-cylinder (manual/auto official averages of 9.4L and 9.2L/100km) or 3.2-litre V6 petrol (average 12.2L/100km) engines.

The bottom line is that the turbodiesel, good though it may be, takes a little something away from a brand known for highly aural, eager petrol engines. This is one of the compromises being made today in the name of efficiency and environmental friendliness. As well as being more economical than Alfa's current petrol engines, the turbodiesel also pumps out substantially lower CO2 emissions.

Overall, the 159 Ti piles on the charm with its Italian good looks, sports sedan interior and outstanding front-drive handling prowess. It might give something away to the likes of comparable BMW 3 Series or Benz C-Class in outright handling balance, but it puts other front-drivers in the shade.

This tends to excuse the fact that the 159 is essentially a car either for four smallish people, or just for front-seat passengers. Despite marginal improvements, the back seat continues to be quite cramped and there's a lack of airiness dictated by the essentially-black Ti presentation.

In the end the 159 JTD Ti, despite a few diversions from traditional values, remains an Alfa Romeo. And, even if you do need to make some practical compromises in the name of street credibility and driver enjoyment, at least you don't make anywhere near as many as you once did.