By Jonathan Crouch
Alfa Romeos 156 GTA Is The Kind Of Flagship This Drivers Car Deserves.
If you make a compact executive saloon, then you have to have a distinct sporting brand for your flagship variant. BMW has its M3, Mercedes its C32 AMG, Audi its S4 and Rover its ZT. So what of Alfa Romeo, in purist terms, the most red-blooded of them all? Well Alfa can at last deliver. Bring on the 156 GTA.
Its fortunate that few buyers in this sector know their automotive onions, for there may be a trade descriptions issue here. The A in GTA stands for alleggerita (lightened in Italian) and was a badge first used by a lightweight version of the companys classic Giulia GT coupe back in 1965. The 156 GTA, in contrast, is actually 200lb heavier than the standard 2.5-litre V6 156 model on which its based, so at a portly 3100lb, its no lightweight at all.
Never mind. Who needs to be picky when youve a car this good. Yes, this Alfa gives a fair bit away to its rivals in the power stakes, the standard 3.0-litre 24-valve V6 boosted by just 37bhp to 247bhp.
But, priced from £27,520, its also considerably cheaper than the German sporting alternatives: in fact, a Mercedes C32 is getting on for twice the cost and isnt much faster. Sixty is just 6.3s away from rest in the 156, on the way to 155mph and theres a choice of saloon or Sportwagon (estate) bodystyles. Looking at the opposition, you can forgive Alfa for not going the purist lightweight stripped-out route (though you wonder whether there might be a low volume place for a model like that in the future).
Cars like this are essentially bought as high speed executive expresses and must be as comfortable on the autostrada as on the old Targa Florio circuit in Sicily where the car was launched. They must also be subtle, yet devastatingly effective: the 156 GTA scores on both counts.
"Subtle, yet devastatingly effective"
Lets start with subtlety. Look at one and you know its not a standard 156 yet you have to stare closely to understand why. No garish spoilers or side skirts, though slim skirts have been added and the front chin spoiler is deeper. Essentially however, the changes have been achieved simply through using more aerodynamic redesigned front and rear bumpers and employing a lower stance with wider 225/45 ZR Michelins on 17" alloys. Circular front foglamps set like jewels into the new front spoiler, wider wheelarches, xenon headlamps, twin chromed exhaust pipes and red brake callipers bearing the Alfa Romeo script complete the visual package. Inside, the GTA benefits from all the latest 156 interior revisions. These include a revised centre console which at last features dual-zone climate controls so that driver and front passenger can set their own temperatures.
There are new fabrics too, as well as an impressive Bose eight-speaker stereo system and the option of the clever CONNECT telematics system, offering satellite navigation, internet use and access to the emergency services. There are six airbags as standard, plus the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) stability system, brake assist and Isofix child seat mountings. None of this however, is alone really enough to make the GTA feel particularly special, so we also get special leather seats and carefully pleated door inserts, as well as bespoke alloy pedals and different speedo and rev counter graphics. No change to the steering wheel position though, so despite four-way adjustment, many will still find it positioned too far away.
Trying to get 247 braked horses through just two front-driven wheels is never an easy task but in this case, the engineers at Alfas Balocca test track appear to have done an outstanding job. Theres no one thing that makes it all work: just a careful combination of detail differences. Specially designed new front suspension struts for example, as well as revised attachments for the rear suspension which have created a wider track. The steering is more responsive too and, fortunately, the brakes have been beefed up. A longer stroke (increased from 72.
6 to 78mm) has taken the venerable 3.0-litre V6s capacity up to 3179cc and this, along with changes to the exhaust and intake ports, accounts for the increase in power (and torque to 221lb ft) over the standard V6. Mind you, its necessary to work the engine hard to get it, the maximum torque figure not achievable until you get to 4,800rpm. Still, youll enjoy doing that: this engine is as wonderful to listen to as ever. The automatic Selespeed option is worth considering too, with its F1-style steering wheel paddles and involving design: if I had a largish percentage of urban driving to do, I wouldnt hesitate. Whichever transmission you choose, this car is one of those which just begs to be driven. Maybe its the wonderful steering, that glorious engine wail, the prodigious grip or the well-controlled body roll. Whatever it is, the whole thing adds up to an intoxicating mix nor must you put up with a harsh, unpleasant ride as a penance for it.
Alfa took too long to come up with a sporting flagship really capable of doing the 156 justice. In the GTA it has just the thing. Try an Italian as a lighter alternative.
