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1998 Alfa Romeo 156

[ Friday, April 16th, 2010 | by automotiveroom | under Alfa Romeo, CAR, New Cars ]
1998 Alfa Romeo 156 Picture 1998 Alfa Romeo 156

1998 Picture

The 156 continues to go from strength to strength and by the end of August 2000 will have won Alfa dealers more than 230,000 orders since its launch. The impact the model has made in 66 countries throughout the world has been mainly responsible for the relaunch of our brand and our regained share of the international market.

One of the reasons for this success is the Alfa Romeo 156′s ability to satisfy a well-informed, demanding breed of customer. Such customers perceive Alfa’s sporty saloon as an excellent product that keeps the spirit of the brand alive while staying abreast of the latest developments in automotive engineering, just like its bigger brother the Alfa Romeo 166.

All models perform well. The 144bhp 1.8 and 155bhp 2.0-litre Twin Spark 16-valve engines (so called because they use two spark plugs per cylinder) are the most popular, thanks to their economy of around 33mpg and reasonable insurance costs. The 2.0 is the best all-rounder. It’s that bit beefier mid-range just where you need it, especially in its later 166bhp tune, but don’t ignore the 1.6 that was introduced in 2000 if low running costs are a priority. Its 120bhp doesn’t suggest how eager this unit feels, admittedly helped by low yet not over-fussy gearing.

Real performance only comes from the 190bhp 2.5-litre V6, an absolute gem of an engine, but the big surprise is the diesel. This unit, which is also used by Fiat’s Marea, is one of the lustiest oil-burners on the block, blitzing the V6 for torque, if not refinement. A healthy 136bhp enables it to be as quick as a 1.8 TS, but returning nearly 45mpg.