Alfa Romeo 159

Alfa Romeo 159 at a glance

The 159 was a deliberate step up in size and ambition. It is 225 mm longer and 85 mm wider than the 156, and Alfa Romeo used better interior materials to take on BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The front end, with the traditional V-shaped grille and cylindrical headlamp clusters, borrows from the Brera concept that Giugiaro showed in 2002. You will find every other model of the brand in our Alfa Romeo catalogue.

Generations and model history

There was only one generation of the 159, but the car changed a good deal over its seven years. The table below shows the main steps.

• 2005: launch at Geneva with 1.9 JTS, 2.2 JTS and 3.2 V6 petrol engines and 1.9 and 2.4 JTDM diesels.
• March 2006: the Sportwagon estate is unveiled at Geneva. A six-speed automatic arrives for the 2.4 JTDM and is later offered on other versions.
• 2007: the 2.4 JTDM rises to 154 kW (210 PS) and becomes available with Q4 four-wheel drive. The Ti (Turismo Internazionale) package returns as an option.
• 2008 model year: a revised range shown at Geneva in March 2008. New aluminium parts and changes to the dashboard and instruments cut 45 kg, every version gets the electronic Q2 limited-slip differential, and the 3.2 V6 is also sold with front-wheel drive.
• 2009 model year: the 1.75 TBi turbo petrol with 147 kW (200 PS) and the 2.0 JTDM with 125 kW (170 PS) arrive. The TBi was meant to replace the GM-derived 1.9 and 2.2 JTS units.
• 2010-2011: a 100 kW (136 PS) 2.0 JTDM is added. UK sales stop on 8 July 2011 and production ends in November 2011.

Engines, gearboxes and performance

All petrol engines except the 1.8 used direct injection (JTS), and all diesels were common-rail JTDM units. The table uses the figures from the Wikipedia engine list.

The 3.2 V6 is not the old Busso engine of the 156 GTA and the GT. It combines a General Motors-designed block with Alfa Romeo cylinder heads and induction. With Q4 it reached 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds with the manual gearbox; the front-wheel-drive version added from 2008 was the fastest 159, at 250 km/h.

Gearboxes were a five-speed manual on the 1.8 and a six-speed manual on most other versions. The Q-Tronic six-speed automatic, an Aisin unit, was offered on the 1.9 and 2.4 diesels and the 3.2 petrol, and some markets had the Selespeed automated manual with the 2.2. The Q4 system uses a Torsen Type-C unit that combines the front and centre differentials. For kW and hp conversions, use our power converter.

Dimensions, space and practicality

The body is stiff: Wikipedia quotes a torsional rigidity of 180,000 daNm/rad. Some of the styling was meant to make the car look larger for the United States, where it was never sold. The extra length over the 156 also had a downside, because many 156 owners did not see the bigger, heavier car as a direct replacement. Luggage capacity is not given in the sources we used, so we do not quote a boot figure.

Fuel economy and running costs

Combined consumption figures were measured to EU Directive 1999/100/EC:

• Diesels: 5.1 l/100 km for the 100 kW 2.0 JTDM, 5.4 l/100 km for the 125 kW 2.0 JTDM, 5.9 l/100 km for the 1.9 JTDM manual and 6.8 l/100 km for the front-wheel-drive 2.4 JTDM.
• Four-cylinder petrols: 7.6-7.7 l/100 km for the 1.8, 8.1 l/100 km for the 1.75 TBi, 8.7 l/100 km for the 1.9 JTS and 9.2-9.4 l/100 km for the 2.2 JTS.
• 3.2 V6: 11.0 l/100 km with front-wheel drive, and 11.4-12.2 l/100 km with Q4, depending on year and gearbox.

The automatic always costs fuel: the 1.9 JTDM uses 7.1 l/100 km with Q-Tronic against 5.9 l/100 km with the manual. To turn these figures into a yearly bill, try our fuel cost calculator.

Trims and equipment

Most markets had four trim levels: Progression, Distinctive, Exclusive and Ti. In the UK they were called Turismo, Lusso and Ti. The Ti returned as an option package in 2007, and the Blue&Me system was available for phones and music. Seven airbags were standard, knee airbags were optional, and the seats were designed to reduce whiplash.

Safety

Euro NCAP tested the Alfa Romeo 159 in 2006. The ANCAP test of the same year scored it 15.47 out of 16 points in the frontal offset test, 14.36 out of 16 in the side impact test and 2 out of 2 in the pole test, with 2 of 3 points for seat-belt reminders; pedestrian protection was rated poor. Electronic stability control was standard. The British insurers' research centre Thatcham also reported good results in rear-impact testing. Compare these numbers with newer cars in our safety section.

Reliability and known issues

The documented criticism of the 159 is about weight and size rather than a specific fault. Wikipedia notes that the Premium platform was developed late, partly as a base for larger E-segment cars, and that the extra weight carried over to the Brera and Spider. The 2008 update took off 45 kg, but the heaviest versions still weigh close to 1.7 tonnes. We found no sourced list of common mechanical faults, so we do not repeat forum claims here.

Rivals