Fifth Gear website "Future Classics: 156 GTA"

Just had a quick look. Fifth Gear seems to be produced by North One Television Midlands, but not sure whether they are responsible for the article. From their website:

North One Television Midlands
Unit 409
The Custard Factory
Gibb Street
Digbeth
Birmingham
B9 4AA

T: +44 (0)121 697 1900
F: +44 (0)121 697 1999
enquiries@northonetv.com

And a guy called Richard Pearson is the boss.

0-60mph: 6.5secs
Top speed: 150mph
MPG: 26.0

0-60mph: 6.3secs
Top speed: 155mph
MPG: 23.3

fifthgear@five.tv is worth a go, they're always banging in on about it... yes I do watch the show

The guy to email seems to be Jay at jnagley@redspy.co.uk
He seems to be the publisher of the site. I already passed on some feedback from the article and a link to this thread so he could see some of the editorial inaccuracies and Alfa stereotypes in their piece.

It's sad but as I pointed out to him, repeating the same old Alfa and Alfa owner stereotypes is a bit like someone still making Skoda jokes. Marques move on...

Chris

Originally Posted by bazza

Is there any way (or any worth) to contacting them and letting them know just how factually incorrect their review is?

I htink there would be, if only to get the site a mention. If they are touting this utter liable garbage then they should be warned of it's untruthes and errors. People will be turned away from Alfa because of reutable sites like that spouting inaccuracies. Even if we the real "Alfisti" only get asingle line mention in the Ace Cafe then the 5 minute monkey that wrote it will have had his/her wrist slapped.

Looks to me like a lot of it was lifted from the ordinary 156 review and most of it is bo**ox, as has been noted before.

I don't mind VBH though and not only did she like the GTA a lot, she actually bought one, I believe she moved on quite quickly though.

I agree with one bit... the future classic phrase.

"Naturally, it's the most temperamental and arguably least agile version, but also the one with the strongest soul."

Least agile? This article is a joke!!

Most temperamental is ridiculous too. The V6 is a much stronger engine than the TS.

Here's the reply I got:

Hi Chris

I didn't write the article myself, and I am a former Alfa owner (70,000 happy miles in an Alfa 164 3.0 Lusso that I still miss), so I am no Alfa-basher. If the masterkey idea was dropped by Alfa, then I apologise - that was a factual error.

Having driven the GTA myself, I would agree with the thrust of the
article - fabulous engine, great looks but more power than the chassis could comfortably handle. It is also clear that the UK market was not impressed: total UK sales were 376 over three years. Basically the car was an interesting, even seductive, flop. From the point of view of the average reader, the story gave a fair reflection of what the car is like to drive and own. Even I would not recommend one to a friend - it is one for hardcore Alfa fans.

However, I will speak to the journalist about fact-checking.

All the best

Jay Nagley

Originally Posted by halfnelson

Here's the reply I got:

Hi Chris

I didn't write the article myself, and I am a former Alfa owner (70,000 happy miles in an Alfa 164 3.0 Lusso that I still miss), so I am no Alfa-basher. If the masterkey idea was dropped by Alfa, then I apologise - that was a factual error.

Having driven the GTA myself, I would agree with the thrust of the
article - fabulous engine, great looks but more power than the chassis could comfortably handle. It is also clear that the UK market was not impressed: total UK sales were 376 over three years. Basically the car was an interesting, even seductive, flop. From the point of view of the average reader, the story gave a fair reflection of what the car is like to drive and own. Even I would not recommend one to a friend - it is one for hardcore Alfa fans.

However, I will speak to the journalist about fact-checking.

All the best

Jay Nagley

Haha, sounds to me like he wrote the article!

Well I guess we must be hardcore, ill-informed, Alfa fans then, end of story!

The fact that Jay Nagley says he didn't write the article, then admits he got one of the facts wrong suggests a degree of confusion, shall we say!

I've re-read the article and I'm quite sure I could write a more factually correct review of a Focus ST, even though I have never driven one, but like the 156 GTA there is loads of information knocking about on the web!

So he's accepting he's wrong about the master key?
What about the:
Rocker cover
'exhaust manifold'
exhaust
electrical issues
temperamentality a compared to other 156's
difference between torque steer and understeer
available alloys
designer of the car
performance figures

And they're just the factual things. Even we go into subjective opinions, most of them are right out of whack too.

That's 11 factual errors in 5 very small pages of text. How he can stand by anything to do with the article with that list is laughable.

I was reading an article in 'Muppet Monthly' recently it was saying that Jay is another word for muppet. That's a fact!

Well it's just as good as any of his facts, is it not. It may as well be a fact if the facts that he comes up with are also facts!!

E.

Originally Posted by halfnelson

Here's the reply I got:

Basically the car was an interesting, even seductive, flop. From the point of view of the average reader, the story gave a fair reflection of what the car is like to drive and own. Even I would not recommend one to a friend - it is one for hardcore Alfa fans.

However, I will speak to the journalist about fact-checking.

All the best

Jay Nagley

Wow! A flop? It put Alfa back on the list for producing top end performance cars. Pity Alfa haven't carried the GTA ethos forward but from an image and brand strengthening point of view, the car was not a flop. Sales figures were not high but Alfa don't sell huge numbers of cars anyway.
I think the 147 GTA came off better in road tests and against rivals but being a hatch, its going to win more hearts. Even still, as a previous owner of a 156 GTA, I would never consider not recommending this car. Quite the opposite!

I thought there were around 1000 147 GTAs in the country, about 600 GTA saloons and about 300 GTA sportwagons..

OK guys, in all fairness, and to add some balance, we know that this car does have a few issues...

Namely; potential rust near the wheel arches, potential diff failure, chocolate suspension bushes and possible warped brake discs on early cars... Yet not one of them appeared in the article!!! So maybe we should be grateful

Also, anyone that says a 156 GTA (at least non Q2 equipped) doesn't suffer from torque steer, is in denial. You're not going to take that M3 on at the lights without the steering wheel having a fair bit to say about it! I haven't felt torque steer like this since driving my mates FWD Mazda 323 turbo many years ago. Ok, so maybe I'm driving like a moron, but what is the point in having a quick 0-60 car if you don't experience it ocasionally? Still, I wouldn't say the Torque steer is excessive, or likely to rip your arms out of their sockets!

240z - I agree with the bushes and early 305 brakes being the major weak spots.

The diff issue is mainly the 147 GTA and the 3.2 GT isn't it? Maybe a couple of 156 GTAs? Try Googling "diff failure" - you'll be hard pushed to find an Alfa mentioned - the only mention I found was the thread here on AO.

I really don't get where you're coming from with the torque steer. Understeer is easily induced especially with ASR off, but I really haven't experienced torque steer that's noticeable, especially when I think back to the cars I've driven that HAVE suffered terribly - XR2, MG Metro Turbo, Volvo S40 T4.

EDIT: And surely the Q2 will make torque steer slightly worse?? No, scratch that, it's late!

EDIT2: Also just realised you were saying the torque steer DOESN'T rip your arms out of socket ... I agree - nowhere near!

The response from Jay sounds like a thanks but I can't be bothered to update the article.

Torque steer, drive a Stilo Abarth with 17" wheels the worst torque steer I've ever experienced, you'll be fighting the steering wheel like a screaming toddler. I haven't put my 156 GTA through it's paces yet, but I haven't senses that the car will torque steer massively.

Sounds like a load of dross to me. Even the usual nonsense about the "SW having less luggage space than the saloon" is nonsense - this is only true if you count the luggage space under the slide-out cover! There is as much space above the cover if you don't use it, and since the seats fold flat (quite rare these days) there is loads of space if you fold them.

VBH herself on 5th gear said the 156GTA was so good it made her question whether the "best sports saloon" was really German or Japanese as she'd previously thought.

I'm going to do my 3 year/40k write-up for autojournals soon. I bought the car new almost exactly 3 years ago. In that time the air con has failed once, the indicators failed once, and there have been a couple of minor trim issues. Pretty par for the course, but for the hopeless dealers the car would have been one of the most trouble-free I've owned. And I've even found a great dealer in the last year!

With regards to the common "issues" described, despite being driven keenly by an ex-racer, my car exhibits no signs of clutch or suspension/SRB wear. It has no rattles or squeaks. Nothing on it feels any more worn than when new. The brakes are the originals, and only about half worn (no, I don't do a lot of motorway miles). It uses barely any oil. The bodywork is A1 barring a barely visible spot on the NS wing that will in time become the GTA rust problem - warranted to 8 years so I'm not that bothered.

When it comes to the driving, on long runs of even mixed driving with a lot of full-on acceleration I get 27 mpg ish, up to 30 when being gentle. I love the handling balance - very neutral - understeer under excessive power is there is you are being rough, but that's it. Torque steer is minimal.

And if I sold it today, I'd get half what I paid for it new 3 years ago! It's given me more pleasure than any equivalent priced German or Japanese car could have, given that I love the looks inside and out, and engine, and overall ownership.

I would really struggle to call it "flawed" in my experience.

Well said! Nice post. I like the fact it's a great cruiser, comfortable and practical but when you open her up the power's there. I've never encountered noticeable torque steer, my main issue is that when flooring it I find her very "skittish" if the road if the road surface isn't smooth. Hit a small hole/dip and the ASR's on too quickly. Sadly there's a lot of roads like that round where I live.

Cheers,

Nigel

Originally Posted by Ferryman_1957

Well said! Nice post. I like the fact it's a great cruiser, comfortable and practical but when you open her up the power's there. I've never encountered noticeable torque steer, my main issue is that when flooring it I find her very "skittish" if the road if the road surface isn't smooth. Hit a small hole/dip and the ASR's on too quickly. Sadly there's a lot of roads like that round where I live.

Cheers,

Nigel

Not to worry though, now that we will be paying £400+ plus for our road fund licence, the tax traditionally paired with road maintenance, I am looking forward to racetrack smooth tarmac everywhere. I am even hoping they might paint some of the local kerbs in red and white stripes.