This was Ron S., Kevin R. and I hitting Kyalami one morning early with Kevin's beautiful 3.2 24 valve GTV6, a new 159, a Toyota A...? 1800-whatever (that revs to bloody 9K RPM!!!!) and finally some laps in the new RS4...
Got up close and personal with the new Brera too! What a beautiful machine! (The entire roof is glass and the liner inside retracts to reveal this fixed moonroof from front to rear - on the particular unit I was in!)
Also, turns out that the block is NOT cast iron as speculated, but aluminium after all!!! (as are the heads - and they are all Alfa!)
...you spend the first 20 years of your life riding in/driving a RHD car on the left-side of the road while traveling to countries that do the exact opposite. Then you spend the next 17 years of your life driving a LHD car or the right-side of the road, while alternating between countries who do the exact opposite...
It's OK - on the track there really is no difference. On the roads I occasionally make small no-no's - resulting in 17 sets of golf-balls in the on-coming lanes - usually when I make a turn....
Just got back last night and got back in my 164 for the first time in 30+ days - reached for the shifter to my left...
Biggest problem when traveling like this all of the time is that I will frequently walk to the wrong side of the car - then I just pretend frantically to be looking for something under the passenger seat before walking around to the other side, waving whatever hosts good-bye one last time and then getting in behind the wheel...
They both look *****in'. So how different was the 159 than a 164 or 156 in terms of steering feel and character and what not? Does the newer car feel more hefty? I know the 164 and 156 are two different animals, but any insights would be awesome.
The 156 feels lighter than the 164. The 159 feels lighter than the 156 however, it feels larger - dare I say more like Taurus/rental car - Alfa Gods Forgive Me!!!! It just feels bigger, but lighter on his toes...
The 156 feels more Alfa than the 159. I love my 164 - make no mistake - and I do love my Milanos so however, I am faster in our full-race GTA than in the Milano.
The shift in the 156 was as good as it was going to get and the 159 did not lose anything to it! Stock to stock, I think that with all of the driver-assist goodies removed the 164 will out-handle the 159. The 156 still takes the cake for me though.
The 159 feels too high. (I like it as it is still an Alfa though and it just has that - that something!) I would have to drive the 3.2 to really make up my mind about the 159 though. Overall, the fit ad finish was outstanding and they are gorgeous cars...!
Best value for money today; take a nice clean 156 used and have Dawie build you a 3.45 or a 3.7! My buddy has a 3.7 street car with the close-ratio 3.9:1 6 speed from the 2.5 V6 24 valve 156... What a rocket!
I have to agree on the points made about the 159 here, and I've been lucky enough to sample back-to-back Alfa saloons from Giulia-75-164-156-159. At one point they were all litered around my house.. dread to think what the neighbours thought.
My first impressions on the 159 were - very solid and very hefty compared to the 156. The first runabout town was a bit of a dissapointment as it seemed much less involving than the 156.
However, I had to drive the car right across Europe. Down through Germany, over the Alps, down through the twisty Autostrada in Italy to Monaco, and then back via Holland (where I live) before dropping the car off in Paris at the Salon de l'Automobile. It was also a RHD, whereas I'm more used to LHD.
I have to say over time the car impressed more and more. The cruising ability is superb, and the handling is in a class of its own. The car I was driving had 18" wheels and was a 1.9 JTDm, however was a hard match for my friend's supercharged 156 JTS with 230bhp through the twisty bits. Believe me or not, but this was the case.
Over the alps you can feel that the car has been designed for these roads in mind - the suspension is cosseting, comfortable and the steering is precise. The speed at which you can travel in comfort is far higher than in the 156.
The 159 did not tire me out one bit, and the diesel proved to be economical despite being pushed. Top speed for the 150bhp 16v diesels was a dissapointment at 200 km/h, as it is just as fast as the old 120bhp 1.9 8V. Despite this the acceleration is much better (however there is the often slice of uncontrolled turbo boost lashing in) and the air conditioning does not drain the power as it does on the 156.
Of all the saloons from Alfa I have sampled the 159 has to be the best. The 156 is certainly more involving, but it feels more flimsy and with the Sports pack is quite tiring on longer journeys. Also, what I have experienced with the 156 is that it can get very unsettled very quickly with little warning if driven hard on a twisty and undulating road. In comparison the 159 has much more grip and the suspension is much more composed.
The 164 I find is a total classic - the Nord engines are real jewels, especially the 2.0 with its economy and amazing torque. Compared to the 159, the 164 is much lower in sit (for some too low) and the car is much more roly in the corners. The high profile Contis on my 164 Super whimper at relatively low speeds - something which the 159 only does when really pushing around corners hard. To say that the 164 could outhandle the 159 is not true: you'd have to be very brave to prove the point. Another minor point on the 164 is the driveline which knocks (or is it just my example) and the relatively high revs pulled in 5th (the car just asks for a 6th gear).
The 75 is not comparable to the 159 in any respect, other than its doors shut nicely. It's another great car to drive with its RWD setup, but the gearbox is notchy and close and the interior has strange lighting antics.
The Giulia of course can only match the 159 in terms of material choice in the inteior (both cars use real metal on the dash), however the unassisted steering of the old Berlina feels somewhat familiar to the 159's at certain city speeds.
Verdict - all the Alfa's here are as good as each other in their own right. The 159 is a true Alfa in every respect and is the best D-segment car anybody could wish for.
I have to agree on the points made about the 159 here, and I've been lucky enough to sample back-to-back Alfa saloons from Giulia-75-164-156-159. At one point they were all litered around my house.. dread to think what the neighbours thought.
My first impressions on the 159 were - very solid and very hefty compared to the 156. The first runabout town was a bit of a dissapointment as it seemed much less involving than the 156.
However, I had to drive the car right across Europe. Down through Germany, over the Alps, down through the twisty Autostrada in Italy to Monaco, and then back via Holland (where I live) before dropping the car off in Paris at the Salon de l'Automobile. It was also a RHD, whereas I'm more used to LHD.
I have to say over time the car impressed more and more. The cruising ability is superb, and the handling is in a class of its own. The car I was driving had 18" wheels and was a 1.9 JTDm, however was a hard match for my friend's supercharged 156 JTS with 230bhp through the twisty bits. Believe me or not, but this was the case.
Over the alps you can feel that the car has been designed for these roads in mind - the suspension is cosseting, comfortable and the steering is precise. The speed at which you can travel in comfort is far higher than in the 156.
The 159 did not tire me out one bit, and the diesel proved to be economical despite being pushed. Top speed for the 150bhp 16v diesels was a dissapointment at 200 km/h, as it is just as fast as the old 120bhp 1.9 8V. Despite this the acceleration is much better (however there is the often slice of uncontrolled turbo boost lashing in) and the air conditioning does not drain the power as it does on the 156.
Of all the saloons from Alfa I have sampled the 159 has to be the best. The 156 is certainly more involving, but it feels more flimsy and with the Sports pack is quite tiring on longer journeys. Also, what I have experienced with the 156 is that it can get very unsettled very quickly with little warning if driven hard on a twisty and undulating road. In comparison the 159 has much more grip and the suspension is much more composed.
The 164 I find is a total classic - the Nord engines are real jewels, especially the 2.0 with its economy and amazing torque. Compared to the 159, the 164 is much lower in sit (for some too low) and the car is much more roly in the corners. The high profile Contis on my 164 Super whimper at relatively low speeds - something which the 159 only does when really pushing around corners hard. To say that the 164 could outhandle the 159 is not true: you'd have to be very brave to prove the point. Another minor point on the 164 is the driveline which knocks (or is it just my example) and the relatively high revs pulled in 5th (the car just asks for a 6th gear).
The 75 is not comparable to the 159 in any respect, other than its doors shut nicely. It's another great car to drive with its RWD setup, but the gearbox is notchy and close and the interior has strange lighting antics.
The Giulia of course can only match the 159 in terms of material choice in the inteior (both cars use real metal on the dash), however the unassisted steering of the old Berlina feels somewhat familiar to the 159's at certain city speeds.
Verdict - all the Alfa's here are as good as each other in their own right. The 159 is a true Alfa in every respect and is the best D-segment car anybody could wish for.
that 1800 cc engine was a 4age they rev like crazy!
The 20v 4cyl with the 4 throttle bodies is a great engine stick a turbo on and hold on!!!
AE86 was it?
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