Alfa Romeo Forum banner

159 - Good and Bad points

9K views 76 replies 35 participants last post by  Nev 
#1 ·
Apologies if I am raking over old ground (I am new to the forum).

Having now owned my 159 for about 6 weeks, I was wondering what other 159 owners thought the cars good and bad points were.

Mine are.........

GOOD: Looks, Equipment levels, Engine performance, Brakes, Sharp steering, Motorway ride.

BAD: Handling not quite as good as I expected, Road noise, Engine and mechanical rattles, Rubbish Radio and Sat Nav, Unreliable electrics.

Please can other 159 owners on the forum give me their opinion?
 
#27 ·
Agree with a lot of stuff already said, but here's my 2p worth:

(based on my 3 months with a 2.4 JTD)

Good:
The looks - in red with beige leather... lots of admiring glances, which is nice, but the main thing is that I like it.
Performance - OK, it's a deisel, there's turbo lag, I'm still getting used to both of these... but when you get it right and boot it, it's fun. As one review said it's going to be very easy to get into licence confiscation territory in the 2.4 especially.
Handling - I'm not sure what the other posters are comparing it to, perhaps compared to a true sports car the handling isn't all that, but compared to previous cars I've driven (golfs, mondeos and the like and more recently a 156) I'm pretty happy. Plenty of grip, happy in horrendous downpours, great braking (the 2.4 has larger front discs like the 3.2V6 has, I think these are great - not sure if they are an option on the JTS and 1.9JTD but worth checking out I''d say).

Bad:
Not too keen on the gear box, feels pretty "clunky" to me, prefered my 156 in this respect.

Indifferent:
Cabin is great but a little more storage space would be good.
Boot is big, but high sill and fairly small opening are a bit of a pain - that's the price of the styling.
Economy - I'd expected more from a deisel... on big long motorway journeys it's OK, but when people talk of getting 50mpg from their deisels I know they aren't talking about a 159:-(
Road noise - it's not a big deal, but it could be better.
 
#29 ·
jamieboy said:
A bit off-topic, but on the Spider we drove which had power seats, the mirrors auto-adjusted up and down when you moved the seat forward and back.
Pretty nifty :)

I could spend all day doing just that :D
 
#31 ·
Look like this thread is going to sleep :)
Had my 159 Lusso, black/red leather for just over a month (2300m)

Still getting into it really. Previously had an A4/Auto which I was impressed with right up to the I sold it.

Good points:
Gob-smacking Looks
Torquie as hell!
Beautiful Cabin (my good lady sat in the showroom model and said 'it's similar to the A4.' When she sat back in the A4 she said 'Oh no, the Alfa's much better than this!')
More for your money

Bad Points:
I find the 159 not quite as good on the bends. The grip is there but the body lunges too much compared with the A4.

I had an Alpine Sat/Nav in the A4 wich was a dream to use. The Nav-C***p in the 159 is a total 'bag 0f spanners' and will soon be replaced with a Kenwood or Pioneer! Can'y ub=nderstand why Alfa would fit such utter rubbish to a car they are trying to compete with the Germans.

Fuel consumption not as good as expected. Only getting 34/35mpg after 2000m. Had a courtesy car last week doing 40+mpg on 10,000m so hope it will improve.

CD
 
#36 ·
Hi, my biggest concern in my 159 2.5 JTDM is the gearbox. The car has done around 1K miles now and it's not getting better, notchy and difficult to get through the gates. I went back to the dealer and he said suggested they are 'all a little agricultural'!! It's not what I expected from my first Alfa and it has spoilt the experience somewhat.
 
#38 ·
OK so my good and bad:
GOOD:
Got a BOSE setup - blinding. Pavarotti, Portishead, Prince and Propellerheads. All splendid.
Parking sensors all round. Love that graphic map. my parking is so lazy now i am embarassed!
Blue & me. insane not to have it.
Beige interior. about 20% bigger on the inside it feels like.
Q-Tronic box (made by Lexus apparently) is a joy.
Handling - at speed (frankly too fast) is excellent.
Steering - very nice, the fast lock to lock is great.
Heated seats - mmmmmmmm. cold mornings are almost looked forward to!

BAD:
in my case - and I feel I am an extreme - reliability. It has been a disaster. I have had 6 different loan cars. SIX!
I still love it. Smile every time I get in.
Economy sucks. But with a 2.4 engine and an automatic what did i expect.
the rear wash wipe switch is silly. On or off please rather than a silly reset thing. daft.

Only my opinion
VL159
 
#39 ·
Hmm difficult.

Good points:

The view from all angles.
Long distance comfort.
Cross country agility for such a big car.
The sound of the 5-pot
The build quality and reliability.
The smiles.

Bad points.

Fuel economy (but who cares)
The high mileage (because I love driving it)
Cleaning the wheels.
The auto wipers (but they're still better than manuals).
People constantly carping about the weight.
 
#40 ·
Just passed the 41,000 mile mark this week and she's running the best she ever has. Ever since Alfa changed the front steering rack all suspension creaks, bumps and thumps have totally disappeared and the ride is smooth.
So my list of good and bad points is:

Bad
Fuel! Average of 27mpg best I've ever had is 32
Interior cubby holes - no room for anything
Original Radio and sound quality - too much bass and poor signal quality - swapped it for an Alpine double din DVD, iPod, MP3 player - fantastic!
Lack of low end power - I've found that if you keep it around 3000rpm you have the best fuel economy and also fairly good pickup

Good:
Looks - Everyone comments on it
Build quality - Solid and quality materials
Handling - now the steerings been sorted
Boot space - I use it everyday for work and you would not believe what I've had in it
Everything else!

I was looking to upgrade to the 3.2 but the fuel consumption has put me off so I'm going to wait to see what future engines Alfa puts in it and decide then.

Would I recommend one? Absolutely!
 
#44 ·
Chaps just to put things in perspective, my post on this thread was 15-09-2006! :lol:
Since then I've rejected the 1st 159 for brake failure and now have a MUCH better replacement 159 :)
 
#48 ·
Good points...gorgeous looks, sublime engines, fantastic dash, unique looks, smooth 2.4 diesel, driving position.

Bad points...economy (i knew that when i bought it), mechanically and electrically, erm...suspect!

Overall - still in love after 2 months but could see myself falling out of it if I get more problems!
 
#49 ·
Mine is a 2.2 JTS Lusso
Good points: nice engine (torquey for a petrol, pulls almost from 0 revs!), great handling (corners taken around 15% quicker than my old 156 2.0 JTS), very comfortable and nice interior, good ride, no issues with oil consumption (not like the 156!), good quality stereo

Bad points: unnecessarily short 6th gear (70 mph at 3150 rpm), fuel consumption (atlhough it is doing 32 mpg but this involves 80 miles daily commute), rattle from the glovebox lid.

Overall, a super car, very pleased with it.
 
#51 ·
After 10,000 miles.

Good points - handling, comfort, ride, interior, exterior, build quality, Blue and Me, driveability, direct steering, cruising comfort.

Bad points: windscreen rattle (now fixed), fuel consumption, road noise (on some surfaces), Blue and Me telephone call-out level (B&M unit to be replaced), front tyre wear.

Overall, the cars a belter - love it.
 
#52 ·
I agree about the lack of low end torque but you soon learn to compensate with higher revs, & get to 2000 rpm where it really kicks in !
Speaking as a person who suffers back trouble in every car i've owned the seats are supremely well shaped and comfortable.
The ride is a good balance of comfort and control, which makes my previous car ( honda Accord ) feel like a barge !
I have a Bose upgrade audio system which i find excellent.
I agree that the rear seats should be folding as standard & not £250 extra !
As for the looks .....well what can i say stunning..well gone Alfa......just sort out build quality issues & you've got a BMW beater !
 
#53 ·
At 4000 miles nothing really negative to report:cool:

Build / impression of quality is 10/10.

Engine is now really zippy and likes to be spanked.

Downside is economy can hit 22 mpg. Usually I get 24mpg. Can get 27 if I don't go too nuts. I do drive fast though;)

Uses hardly any oil (1/4 litre in 4k miles).

Comfort is excellent. Ride / handling balance is flawless. Driving position second to none.

Steering could be sharper / turn in more direct.

Brakes excellent.

Could do with more interior cubby holes / storage.

Gearbox is a tad notchy going up into third.

Blue & me can be frustrating. Phone is excellent but media player proved difficult to stop auto playing.

Sound (non-BOSE) is superb.

Quite a lot of road / wind noise. 19" tyres don't help but more wind noise than on my old 156.

Screen creak cured by silicone spray:thumbs:

I'm splitting hairs. Car is excellent overall. 9/10. Would have preferred a Red one but they'd all gone. Stromboli looks the mutts nuts though:cool:

I am even totally convinced I went for the right engine rather than those unreliable, smokey & smelly diesel types:p :lol:

Cheers for now,
 
#59 ·
Re-visiting this. Now that I know the B & M is as good as it get, transmitted voice quality is poor:( Minor part availability issues too:(

PS. Parked next to a Red Ti last Thursday & now convinced I've got the right colour:lol:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top