[ratatouille]

I took a test drive of a 159 2.4JTD yesterday and enquired about part exchange for my 147.

I immediately regretted it the second they started looking over my car and I felt awful when he went away to speak with the manager about part-ex value for mine. There was no way I could go through with it. Felt like my car was a piece of meat.

The 159 was really nice and very quick. But completely unspectacular to drive. I'm glad I did it as it reaffirmed my affections of my 147 and made me realised I'm not ready to move to a more grown up car! Especially not a diesel.

I also was only looking at the 159 due to thinking I needed a more practical car, but with the drivers seat in a comfortable position I think there was less room in the seat behind than there is in the 147!

So I guess it's option 2... Keep the 147 and try and find a GTV v6 to play with as well:lol:

 

[t3yls]

going petrol to diesel takes a bit of getting used to. When i drive a petrol now i'm changing gear at 2,500 revs ...I feel like i'm gonna break the engine if i take the revs higher!

Out of curiosity, why was it unspectacular? (not driven one myself)

 

[Redmatt75]

I suspect much of the 'unspectacular' you feel is down to weight. I don't know what particular type of 147 yours is, but a 1.9Jtd 147 is about 1290 kg. Compare that to 1630kg for an early model 2.4Jdtm 159. That's 340kg difference (if my maths is correct! :cheese: )

Imagine sticking three really heavy blokes in your car (or maybe four 'normal' people). It won't feel nearly as sharp...

To be fair, if you go up a car size, the bigger car will always feel a bit more clumsy, but the 159 is particularly heavy, and the 2.4 is heavier again. My Q4 is apparently nearly 1700kg!

IMHO weight is the new battleground for new car design, as excess weight ruins everything (acceleration, handling, fuel consumption etc). The best way to make a car feel like 'a proper Alfa' is to get it as light as possible. I hope they take that on board for future car design.

 

[guiliasuper]

My 147 got "Tescoed" as a result over the years it munched it's way through most of it's sensors , it got to be a family joke " the dash is binging which one is it now ? " Early this year we were forced by circumstances ( insuring a 20 year old :rant to get a Mito. It is a sensational pocket rocket :thumbs : but I miss the 147 terribly It had all those little touches that made it a special place to be.
Short version make sure that whatever replaces the 147 really grabs you. Good Luck :thumbs:

 

[ratatouille]

I suspect much of the 'unspectacular' you feel is down to weight. I don't know what particular type of 147 yours is, but a 1.9Jtd 147 is about 1290 kg. Compare that to 1630kg for an early model 2.4Jdtm 159. That's 340kg difference (if my maths is correct! :cheese: )

Imagine sticking three really heavy blokes in your car (or maybe four 'normal' people). It won't feel nearly as sharp...

To be fair, if you go up a car size, the bigger car will always feel a bit more clumsy, but the 159 is particularly heavy, and the 2.4 is heavier again. My Q4 is apparently nearly 1700kg!

IMHO weight is the new battleground for new car design, as excess weight ruins everything (acceleration, handling, fuel consumption etc). The best way to make a car feel like 'a proper Alfa' is to get it as light as possible. I hope they take that on board for future car design.

It was partly that, partly just because it was so quiet and because although it was quick and much quicker than my 147. But you didn't get the feeling of driving quick and there was no excitement to it.

It's a really hard thing to explain actually, just the feeling of excitement down in your gut when you corner hard or put your foot down and get the sound and feeling of speed. Rather than having to look at the speedo to have a feel for how fast you're going.