Maximum break
THE A l fa Romeo 147’s st yl i ng st i l l sta nds t he test of t i me despite t he fact t hat it went out of product ion i n 2009. It’s pret t y f rom a l l a ng les, a nd just as st yl ish on t he i nside, ma k i ng t he cabi n a g reat place to r ide.
It was t he sma l lest A lfa on t he ma rket du r i ng its r u n a nd is a spor t i ng, f u n k y, Focus-size hatch t hat ava i lable w it h t h ree or five doors.
It a lso has a good reputat ion for rel iabi l it y, wh ich was a problem for A l fa for ma ny yea rs, a nd problems a re li kely to be sma l l as long as you ma ke su re to get f u l l ser v ice h istor y.
The 147 has been around long enough for pr ices to be ver y reasonable so i f you fa nc y one, ta ke a good look a nd a long d r ive before you buy.
It was voted Ca r of t he Yea r in 2001 a nd good pr ici ng aga i nst r iva ls mea ns it is now cheaper t ha n ot hers yea r for yea r.
There was a facelif t in 2005 w it h t he later A lfa nose a nd improvements to t he i nter ior.
Fou r eng ines were ava i lable - t wo pet rol a nd t wo d iesel, a nd t hey a l l ma ke t he ca r good to d r ive.
There are 1.6 and 2.0-l it re Tw i n Spa rk pet rol u n its, w it h 120 and 150bhp respect ively. Bot h a re f ree-rev v i ng a nd w i l l i ng, but t he 1.6 has to be pressed up its rev ra nge to g ive best per for ma nce.
The brace of 1.9 JTD d iesels offer a bet ter blend of economy a nd per for ma nce, but t he pet rols a re much sweeter to l isten to.
The 1.9 is ava i lable w it h eit her 120bhp - a nd a f ter 2005 - 150bhp. Th is last w i l l be t he most ex pensive but it’s excel lent, w it h loads of pu l l i ng power, a nd it’s t he on ly model ava i lable w it h a si x-speed ma nua l.
The rest a l l have five gea rs apa r t f rom t hose fit ted w it h t he opt iona l Selespeed automat ic.
At t he pin nacle of t he ra nge is t he ba r nstor m i ng GTA hot hatch, powered by a superb 3.2-l it re V6 w it h 250bhp. It ca n spr i nt f rom 0-60mph in just 6.1 seconds. But it’s ex pensive to r u n a nd as ra re as hen’s teet h.
A l fa i nva r iably produces ca rs t hat ha nd le wel l a nd t he
147 is no except ion. The suspension a nd d irect steer i ng a re gea red towa rds excel lent g r ip i n cor ners g iv i ng a ver y composed feel a nd excel lent sa fet y.
However, t he suspension is pret t y st i ff, a nd t h is ma kes for a roug h r ide over poor su r faces at speed. Odd ly t houg h, it’s reasonably com for table a rou nd tow n.
The Q2 model t hat came out in 2007 had a l i m ited sl ip d i fferent ia l toget her w it h t he 150bhp d iesel
Th is system prov ides a good level of ex t ra t ract ion t hat rea l ly work s for a qu ick getaway or when pu l ling out of a cor ner.
The dr iv ing posit ion has plent y of adjust ment but passenger room in t he back is l i m ited i f t here’s a ta l l d r iver.
Base models don’t come w it h much sta nda rd k it, but prev ious ow ners may have added items f rom t he ex t ras l ist.
Mid-ra nge Lusso spec has a n a la r m, loads of a i rbags, a l loy wheels, aud io remote, heated elect r ic m i r rors, 60/40 spl it-fold i ng rea r seats, CD player a nd, cr u ise cont rol.
My favou r ite for t he best of f u n wou ld be t he 2.0-l it re pet rol, wh ich is a gem of a n eng ine.
Pay just £1,950 for a n ’09 09-reg 1.6TS Lusso 5 door, or £ 3,750 for a ’10 10-reg Ducat i Corse Q2 5 door w it h t he 150bhp d iesel.