Stand out in a stylish 147

Nov 30 2009 Peter Hayward

STYLE is important to most of us when we buy a car even if we deny it to all and sundry.

And there is a family hatch that really does stand out here - the Alfa 147.

This smaller Alfa is a great car to look at from all angles and just as stylish on the inside.

Reliability problems haunted Alfa for years but its reputation is now much better and any problems are likely to be slight as long as you get full service history.

The 147 has been around long enough now for prices to be quite reasonable so if you fancy one, take a good look and a long drive before you buy anything else.

It's based on the 156/9 which gives it a superb chassis for marvellous handling and road-holding and true Alfa style.

Smallest engine is a 1.6 petrol with 120bhp until '04, and 105 after. Next up is the superb two-litre with 150bhp and the top of the range is the tarmac-chewing 3.2 V6 GTA - a barnstormer with 250bhp.

There are also two excellent 1.9 diesels with either 115 or 140bhp.

The handling is marvellous and roadholding brilliant but the ride is fairly hard, and can be unsettled on rough surfaces.

Interior

Equipment is excellent across the range, seats are very comfortable and the driving position multi-adjustable.

FAST FACTS

Alfa Romeo 147 1.6

Price: Pay roughly £2,700 for an '03 03-reg TS Turismo 3dr, £6,400 for an '05 55-reg Lusso, or £9,100 for an '07 57-reg Lusso. 5dr models worth about £350 more.

Mechanical: 120bhp, 1599cc, 4 cylinder petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox.

Max speed: 121mph

0-62mph: 10.3 seconds

Combined mpg: 34

Insurance group: 11

Marks: 9/10

Main rival: VW Golf GTi