Reflections on owning an Alfa

bmw 330i i got 27mpg at 80mph curise control on, no aircon, windows closed
alfa 2.4 jtdm i got 28mpg at 80mph on same road, both reset. both was a auto

funny thing, my honda civic type r does better then both getting 30mpg (not fully tested, i had to slow down)
 
Do you need an SUV or 4x4 with one kid? Think about your usage, or potential usage, let that guide you.

I've got a lovely Honda S-MX going cheap allday247 :p lol.

I've been very impressed by the economy on my audi A4 avant, whilst it's an older model it is definately worth having it. I'd buy another audi based on that alone, and build quality is excellent. (obviously check any car for quality first!)

DRZ... what's your dilemma with the car decision?
 
Scougar. I've been in your souped up S-MX aka the blue velvet shaggin wagon. I think i will pass LOL.

probably dont need a 4x4/SUV with 1 kid but 1 i kinda like them and 2 planning ahead incase no.2 appears
 
To me the best looking normal 4 door saloon you can buy, a real thing of beauty as was the 156 when it was new and fresh. Italians understand how to make things of beauty.
 
allday247 said:
Hmmm nice write up. I need to change my current E46 330Ci to a 4 door car (have 13month baby) and the alfa 159 2.4 JTDM was one car on my list, along side the new 3 and 5 series and A4.

It definately looks the business and glad to hear it drives well but quite shocked about the MPG. that's almost in the same territory as my 330CI, which i got to improve the MPG status after owning a RX8.

As you said it's definitely value for money, hence why i'm still considering it but i wouldn't be buying new. Do you think it's a good family car? or should i look to another BMW or get a SUV/4x4?
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If its alongside the new 5 Series its absolutely no contest. With the exception of looks which are very much subjective the F10 5 Series is a considerably better car in every possible way.

But of course its also considerably more expensive, as well. But if its on your list, the 159 shouldnt be. F10's start at £30,000!
 
I'd definitely say that the long-term average economy was because I didnt "hang about" when getting from a to b, but on a motorway run 9 times out of 10 I would be trying to get the very best MPG I could.

One example was a round trip from Manchester to Cambridge done in the same day (went down for a 1 hour meeting). I was doing it for the company so I was trying to be as economical as possible and over the ~400 miles of me trying my level best to keep the instantaneous MPG computer as high as possible I got a whopping 39.8 MPG. I could actually achieve better in my E36 325i!!

As for test driving the petrol instead - I did, the 1750TBi. On a test drive I managed to get an average of 15mpg which I didn't think was all that great but put it down to me driving in a way I probably wouldn't drive it normally. That was until I got it back to the showroom and the salesman informed me that the car I was driving was 'his' and he commuted in from Blackpool every day and that I could realistically expect low to mid 20s on the motorway. That was the primary reason for me not going for the equivalent petrol, although the BIK was a little bit higher, the economy was just too poor to make sense as a company car.

EDIT: For those that want to know why it has gone:

My employers went into administration this week. On payday. Leaving me jobless, pennyless and carless. No warning, nothing - actually everything was going pretty well on the surface.
 
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[TW]Fox;17484928 said:
DRZ was kind enough to chuck me a set of keys and I took it for a spin a few months ago as well. I'll just do a quick paragraph as I only did a few miles.

Performance isn't bad, but it's still a 4 cylinder diesel so it still suffers from the nothing WHOA nothing power delivery, annoying noise and irritating vibrations. But the rest of the car? I hate to say it but it's actually quite nice. The build quality is leagues ahead of the 156, the seats are fantastic, the momo steering wheel was great to hold and the handling wasn't too shabby either. A credible Mondeo alternative. Infact, I'd probably have one over a Mondeo.
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Who are you and what have you done with Fox? :D


I'm going to need to try one of these out when the 156 is due replacement, I don't believe it totally can, but if it can hide the weight I might do it, if it doesn't shift/dance like the 156 I'll be looking at other things, a 6cyl E46 might be cheap enough by then.

Disappointing to hear about the Blue & Me; the specs of the system conjure up a wondrous dream of doing everything. Shame they didn't get round to ever testing it before GA.


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Damn, sorry to hear about the company stealing all your time like that.
 
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I had considered getting a 159, but by god what have they done to the fuel economy. Might as well pay more upfront for a 330i and enjoy knowing its a better engine for only a little bit more fuel.
 
Dredd said:
bmw 330i i got 27mpg at 80mph curise control on, no aircon, windows closed
alfa 2.4 jtdm i got 28mpg at 80mph on same road, both reset. both was a auto

funny thing, my honda civic type r does better then both getting 30mpg (not fully tested, i had to slow down)
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Wow, that is bad... I was getting 40MPG at 95MPH on French motorways back in August in my C220CDI Auto. I thought my diesel was a bit thirsty but it seems Alfa's rewrite the book.
 
Even with the facelift, the revised alloys and the new engines, the 159s are very heavy cars. Glad I didn't get one in the end, but also sort of wistful, as you never know if that was your last good chance. Still hope to pick up a nice Brera in a couple of years though - depending on the price of course.
 
semi-pro waster said:
Sorry to hear about the job, here's hoping that you get something else soon. It's horrendously irresponsible of companies not to allow staff to make some form of preparations if they can.
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But then that would leave the bosses with less money :confused:

Sorry to hear about it DRZ. Good luck :)
 
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