Faults:

Suspect rear wheel bearings worn. Intermittent squeal from rear end, but dealer hasn't been able to pinpoint what the problem is yet.

Rear trailing arm bushes worn.

Noisy gearbox. Dealer suggests to strip down gearbox and rebuild. Thankfully this is covered by the warranty.

Interior rattles. Has been fixed by inserting cardboard in the appropriate places.

General Comments:

Fantastic performance at mid-high revs and great gearbox once you mastered it. Exceptional audio quality from the charismatic engine. No need for the stereo. Only the squealing from the real wheels ruins the soundtrack.

Handling is excellent for a front wheel drive, but lacks feel in comparison to a BMW therefore difficult to sense when the car is on the limit.

Ride height is impractically low as the car constantly grounds over country roads. The sport suspension is too firm and uncomfortable over bumpy roads.

Dealer service is awful and expensive in comparison to BMW.

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

I absolutely love my Alfa!

Although it is only a 1.6 engine it really shifts - faster then my 1.8 VW Golf.

It handles really well.

The interior is to die for (the Veloce model). I think it looks really classy -cream leather and the dash is nice to look at.

Faults:

Pop out ashtray broke, won't spring out anymore - probably because I keep tons of change in there!.

Electric reclining unit built into seat is loose.

Air Con isn't great.

Paintwork chips easily.

General Comments:

The car looks Amazing and drives really well, a little bit too easy to throw into corners too quickly, but the handling is top drawer.

I'm 6 foot and I can't see the speedometer past 60mph as the steering wheel impedes this.

The interior is stylish and the recaro buckets looks great.

This car with its EVO style spoiler and lowered suspension really turns heads. Get the sport pack to stand out from the crowd!!.

Faults:

Loose fuse box cover from new, but now replaced under warranty with a new design with a 'turn button' that locks it in place.

General Comments:

A fine example of a driver's car.

Looks 'to kill for'.

The selespeed is fun, but can catch you out in the wrong gear at roundabouts if you let it change down itself.

Faults:

The battery died after only 2 months.

The clutch thrust bearing has become noisy and is waiting to be replaced under warranty after 4 months. The brake servo has an internal leak (after 5 months) and is awaiting replacement under warranty.

Odd software glitches with the radio-CD player.

General Comments:

It's a great looking car, a pleasure to drive (it still makes me smile after 6 months and the catalog of problems). Cornering is a dream, the engine note is tuned to thrill, and heads turn when it goes by.

Faults:

These are initial impressions only, as I only bought the car 4 weeks ago.

The fuel gauge is a bit random below 1/2 a tank.

The drivers door button sticks in the cold.

General Comments:

Although I've only had the car a month it's been absolutely brilliant - the engine out powers many other cars I've driven, and the looks are unmatched in my opinion.

The car is going in for service soon to get a couple of minor faults fixed, but apart from those the car has run like a dream. So far...

Faults:

Rear suspension bushes replaced at 24,000 mile service under warranty.

General Comments:

I wanted a 156 from the moment I saw one. Circumstances dictated that I had to wait until last April.

18 months and 25,000 miles I am delighted with the car. Handling is superb, performance adequate (my one slight regret is that I didn't go for the 2.0, but the car on the top of my list next time around is the GTA, so that should solve the problem).

Build quality is the best I've ever experienced from Alfa Romeo and up there with the Germans. In terms of looks, style, desirability etc, it is streets ahead. I can't believe people buy ugly, asthmatic BMW Compacts and pay more for them than this!