Alfa Romeo offers up new car at an old price

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Alfa Romeo has given its 156 a new lean-burn engine, new interior, and new level of standard equipment - but it hasn't changed the old price.

"Everything about the 156 has gone up except the price," says Lawrie Malatios, general manager for Alfa Romeo in New Zealand.

"These changes will enable it to extend its position in the market and contribute even further to Alfa Romeo's success in New Zealand."

Malatios wants the new model to do well for all sorts of reasons, one of which is his move from a managerial role with Alfa importer Ateco Automotive to his own Fiat/Alfa dealership on Auckland's North Shore.

The main change to the 156 line-up is the new direct-injection 2-litre JTS engine, in which fuel is pumped directly into the cylinder head to boost volumetric efficiency. Other carmakers are doing this.

The 2.5-litre 24-valve V6 is largely unchanged, apart from a minor boost in power from revisions to bring it into line with Euro 4 emission standards.

Active safety gets a going-over, too, with additional electronic stability aids to help to stop the careless driver from sticking the 156 in a hedge.

Inside, the car gets six airbags as standard, a restyled dashboard, new centre console and armrest, new air-conditioning system and new audio, operated by controls on the steering wheel.

The new sedan range opens with the Alfa Romeo 156 JTS, which replaces the 156 Twin Spark versions. The five-speed manual model costs $61,995, the Selespeed sequential $63,995.

The revised Alfa Romeo 156 V6 24V costs $69,995 for the six-speed manual and $72,995 for the Q-System automatic. The range of Sportwagons each cost an extra $2000.

The 2-litre JTS engine develops 7kW more power - 121kW - than the outgoing Twin Spark model's 114kW. Torque is up, too, from 187Nm to 206Nm.

The extra oomph has improved the car's acceleration and top speed. Fuel economy is similar to the old model, a claimed consumption of 6.6 litres/100km in European tests.

Alfa Romeo developed the direct-injection JTS engine to improve performance while meeting strict Euro 4 emission standards.

The technology also allows the engine to run efficiently on New Zealand's high-sulphur fuel, unlike many new engines. Mitsubishi, for example, couldn't import the Airtrek with the 2.4-litre engine, because it wouldn't run on high-sulphur fuel. Peugeot and Citroen have had the same problem with diesel technology.

At low engine speeds, the JTS unit operates as a lean-burn engine, while at higher engine speeds it progressively switches to a normal fuel-air mixture to provide top-end performance.

Alfa says the combination of direct-injection and lean-burn at lower engine speeds ensures that nitrogen oxide emissions meet modern requirements, meaning that catalytic converters, which typically reduce engine performance, are not required.

It also says the JTS engine develops better performance through the gears, with a flatter torque curve. Top speed goes up from 216 to 220km/h and the zero to 100 km/h time is cut from 8.6 to 8.2 seconds.