Alfa Romeo 147 3.2 V6 24v GTA

...as this is my second Alfa and I love them to bits.

I'm sure a lot of people will turn their nose up at an Alfa because of the old image of unreliability and rust but they really have sorted out any problems and the build quality does rival that of it's German counterparts.

To start with, the exterior. Sumptuous curves, an aggressive stance yet it doesn't jump out at you like a Mitsubishi Evo or Subaru Impreza. As standard ...
...red brake calipers with the Alfa Romeo writing down them, exquisite. The paint is also a good thickness I have found and it doesn't seem to suffer too badly with stone chips. The most expensive colour though was the pearlescent white which was a £1000+ option. Bear in mind though that if you need anything respraying in this colour it's going to cost you.

Once you step inside it's a very intimate experience, you are far better off getting ... more

I might be a bit biased writing this review as this is my second Alfa and I love them to bits.

I'm sure a lot of people will turn their nose up at an Alfa because of the old image of unreliability and rust but they really have sorted out any problems and the build quality does rival that of it's German counterparts.

To start with, the exterior. Sumptuous curves, an aggressive stance yet it doesn't jump out at you like a Mitsubishi Evo or Subaru Impreza. As standard they come with the 17in Teledial alloys which I think suit the Itlaian Stallion well or the 18in multi-spokes which make the car look slightly higher on it's suspension in my opinion. As you walk round the car you can't not be taken in by it's beauty, the twin exit exhaust, the flared arches, the chrome door handles, the red brake calipers with the Alfa Romeo writing down them, exquisite. The paint is also a good thickness I have found and it doesn't seem to suffer too badly with stone chips. The most expensive colour though was the pearlescent white which was a £1000+ option. Bear in mind though that if you need anything respraying in this colour it's going to cost you.

Once you step inside it's a very intimate experience, you are far better off getting hold of one with a leather interior in it as these will sell better when you are getting rid of it at a later stage. There were several different colour options but I believe the black and tan interior is by far and away the best, true Italian style. The seats are leather around the outside and the inserts are in the different colour. I believe there were four different options with the leather; black, black and tan, black and blue and black and silver. As you slide in to the seats they are deep and hold you very well to stop you being thrown out round corners. They are also heated for that added warmth in winter. Looking around you have a very neat dashboard with all the dials easy to read and a decent information centre slap bang in the middle for you to keep an eye on anything else (oil temp, mpg, etc etc). Temparature can either be set to automatic or manual with dual-zone climate control.

The stereos are all Bose as standard in the GTA's with 7 speakers and a decent amplifier powering it all. Also available as an option was the SatNav in its place but I can't comment on that as I've never used one.

Everything works and feels like it's going to last, which is more than I can say for the brand new Volkswagen Golf I've just had delivered by work, and it's all within easy reach of the driver. Cruise control is also another standard fitting in the car.

Boot space is quite good but to be honest the rear leg room isn't that good. My 6ft mates can fit in but I wouldn't want to put them in their for a 4 hours journey.

On to the driving experience. Once that engine is fired up any true petrol head (and Alfaholic!) will have goosebumps. The noise is absolutely incredible from the 3.2ltr V6. Not intrusive but you certainly know there are 250 angy Italian horses waiting to be let loose. A blip of the throttle and the revs rise and fall more like a motorbike than a car. I've never been in a road car that's revs rise and fall so quick. The V6 fires the car towards the horizon like a bullet (and it's 7000rpm redline!). Never mind your turbo whistling, this is where the action is. Performance wise it's 250 bhp and enough torque to let it accelearate in sixth at 2000rpm quite happily (about 300nm of torque from recollection).

Select first in the precise and light gearbox and set off. It will behave like an absolute pussy cat around town and when cruising but if you give the fun pedal a little prod it takes off like it's had a pan of water thrown at it. Even at slow speeds it feels responsive, the steering is very direct taking only 1.75 turns lock to lock (some cars I've been in are 3.5 turns lock to lock). At 30mph it will pootle along in sixth gear no problem and still accelerate with traffic quite happily. Obviously if you hit a national speed limit I suggest second gear and a quick prod of the accelerator just for fun.

0-60mph pops up in 6 seconds, yes 6 seconds, from a front wheel dirve hatch-back. After that there really isn't any let up until you're on the silly side of 110mph and even then it keeps on going till the wrong side of 150mph.

In 8 months of ownership I've never found traction to be a problem. Sure you can make it spin its wheels but with 250bhp that should be pretty obvious. For driving around on public roads believe me there aren't a lot of cars on the road that give it a decent run for it's money. The only time I've ever had the steering wheel pull was on a very badly sufaced country road and I was at full throttle but I eased off slightly and it was fine again.

Cornering also isn't a problem, I know Top Gear said it under-steers like mad but how often do you drive on the road like you're on a race track? Never. The only people I've ever heard comments about it's handling from are the people who expect the car to sort out the problems for them. Not what a true petrol head is in my opinion.

The ride is quite good, if a little hard, but what do you expect from a car designed to be the flagship sports model? It's comfy enough for me going to work everyday and doing 400 miles a week in so for crusing it's definitely alright.

By now you've probably gathered I love my Alfa so what are the downsides?

First off. Petrol. To fill up it costs £55 (todays the 14th Dec 2006) and that will do about 300 miles. 270 if you're constantly giving it plenty or 320 if you drive like your dead. I normally average about 25mpg which is a cross between motorway driving and town stuff. If you treat it gently and cruise you'll get 30+mpg out of it but once you've got that V6 soundtrack going it isn't easy to back off. Flat out you'll be doing 6mpg! Frightening isn't it . . . . . . .

Secondly, if you use main Alfa dealers expect to pay heavily for servicing. As with all Alfa's (and any other car for that matter)make sure it's got a good service history. Never mind if it hasn't been looked after by a dealer, there are plenty of Alfa specialists out there who all love their Alfa's. Make sure the cam-belts get done as if it does go wrong you'll be looking at a bill on the wrong side of £1500 (or a new engine worst case). A cambelt change will set you back the best part of £500 easily, probably more around £600 so factor this in if looking at one three years old and try and get some money knocked off. Normal services are about £200-£240 which is about right for most cars these days. Tyres seem to last alright for the amount of abuse they ge as well. As with all Alfa's as well, mine seems to use about 05ltr's of oil every 1000 miles so keep an eye on that.

Also Alfa did a brake upgrade for the GTA's in 2004. Some have had it done before that date at Alfa's cost but some haven't. The way you can tell is if the calipers look like their about to touch the alloys then it's had it done. If not there is a 5-10mm gap in between the alloy and caliper. This was done due to some owners warping the front brakes every few thousand miles and Alfa realised it needed bigger, stronger brakes fitting.

Insruance, well, group 19. I'm 28 and paying £610 a year fully comp which I don't think is that bad for something like this.

You will find that most Alfa's, espcially the top of the range models like the GTA, are bought and looked after by Alfa Romeo enthusiasts so there will be lots of receipts for work that probably didn't need carrying out but they've had done anyway to keep their baby in tip top shape.

Some GTA's are now going for as little as £13000 which is a heck of a lot of car for the money. From my experience you will not regret owning a 147GTA. Sure the fuel bills will probably cripple you but if you want economy you don't buy something with a 3.2 in it do you? Just look outside and think "That's my very own Alfa GTA". I still do it after 8 months of ownership (and yes the girlfriend does think I love it more than her).

If you are looking at a car like this chances are you know what you want and like your cars. Don't be put off by people sucking their teeth at the word "Alfa Romeo", all that have done that to me have never owned one.

If you're passionate about cars then I can whole heartedly recommend the 147 GTA. I looked at BMW's, Audi's, Evo's, Scoobies etc, but none even held a candle to it for sheer personality and how it made you feel driving it.

As Jeremy Clarkson said "You aren't a true petrol head unless at some point you've owned an Alfa."

Cuore Sportivo 

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