Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon road tests and consumer car reviews

Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon 1.8 veloce 2001

With great looks, smooth ride and excellent performance, the Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 Sportwagon is a real winner. Practically speaking, the load space is not the biggest in the small estate category, but it is certainly ample, with a removable multi position stretch net and a variety of anchor points keeping the family shopping secure. The rear seat backs are easy to fold and are 60/30 so that two people can still be in the back even with one side folded down. Seating is surprisingly comfortable for a small car. The Veloce has extra comfy momo leather seats. Safety is good with either four or six air bags depending upon the model. The Veloce version has 16" telephone dial alloys, giving good road holding with sensible tyres that will not break the bank. The only annoying aspect being that the spare wheel is one of those ridiculous bicycle wheels. The running costs, they are pretty reasonable with the lively 1.8 petrol engine giving well over 40 mpg on the motorway, and a combined figure of 32 mpg, which is not bad for a family tourer designed over a decade ago, and which can do 0 to 60 mph in around 9 seconds. The 2.4 JTD turbo diesel offers almost identical performance to the 1.8 petrol but with around 10 more mpg in each category. If looks and driving pleasure play a big part in your choice, then the Alfa 156 Sportwagon is a great car. Although there have been some reliability issues highlighted with Alfa, I have only experienced minor problems like sticking door knobs or loose rubber fittings. Second hand prices are in the bargain basement range.