Alfa Romeo 156 compact executive cars

The Alfa Romeo 156 is a compact executive cars introduced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155.

The 156 was available in saloon and estate Sportwagon bodystyles with seven engine configurations and it went through two facelifts, first in 2002 and second in 2003.

At the beginning the engine range encompassed four cylinder Twin Spark (1.6 L 120 PS (88 kW), 1.8 L 144 PS (106 kW) and 2.0 L 155 PS (114 kW) 16 valve engines with variable valve timing, along with the straight-4 1.9 litre 8-valve 105 PS (77 kW) and straight-5 2.4 litre 10-valve 136 PS (100 kW) JTD common rail turbodiesel engines.

The Alfa Romeo 156 was one of the first saloons to feature hidden rear door handles and prominent front door handles to give it a coupe look. The design was influenced by three historical Alfa Romeo models: the 1900, the Giulietta and the Giulia.The Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon was released to much critical acclaim, being one of the best, if not one of the most spacious estate cars available. Oddly enough, the 156 saloon has more luggage space than the sportwagon.

All of the main controls and displays are angled towards the driver in typical Italian sports car style, although this can sometimes be awkward for passengers who will struggle to see the interior clock. Despite being a family car, the interior design lacks cup holders, which normally come standard in saloons. Typically, for a smaller executive car, there is ample room up front for the driver and passenger to sit comfortably, with very comfortable seats.

Alfa Romeo 156 compact sportwagon Specifications

Country of origin : Italy
Manufacturer : Alfa Romeo
Parent company : Fiat Group
Predecessor : Alfa Romeo 155
Successor : Alfa Romeo 159
Class : Compact executive car
Numbers built : N/A
Introduced : 2002

Engine
Type : 60º V 6
Location : Front, transversely mounted
Construction : light alloy block and head
Displacement : 3.179 liter / 194 cu in
Bore / Stroke : 93.0 mm (3.7 in) / 78.0 mm (3.1 in)
Compression : 10.5:1
Valvetrain : 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed : Bosch Motronic ME 7.3.1 Fuel injection
Aspiration : Naturally Aspirated

Performance
Power : 250 bhp / 187 KW @ 6200 rpm
Torque : 300 Nm / 221 ft lbs @ 4800 rpm
BHP/Liter : 79 bhp / liter
Power to weight : 0.17 bhp / kg
Top Speed : 250 km/h / 155 mph ( 0-60 mph 6.2 s )

Drivetrain
Chassis/body : unitary steel
Front suspension : double wishbones with double trailing arm and anti-roll bar on ball joints
Rear suspension : MacPherson struts with lower side levers and reaction arms, anti-roll bar mounted on ball joints
Steering : rack-and-pinion, power assisted
Brakes : ventilated discs front, discs rear
Gearbox : 6 speed Manual
Drive : Front wheel drive

Dimensions
Weight : 1460 kilo / 3218.7 lbs
Length : 4430 mm (174.4 in)
Width : 1765 mm (69.5 in)
Height : 1411 mm (55.6 in)
Wheelbase / Track (fr/r) 2595 mm (102.2 in) / 1522 mm (59.9 in) / 1509 mm (59.4 in)

References