General Comments:

I have an Alfa Romeo 147 GT Turismo, it is a beautiful drive compared to all cars in its price range, and surprisingly enough has better performance and handling, which makes it a winner.

I've raced a lot of cars from 1.6 above, and people ask me what litre engine the car has, and I say 1.6, "No it can't be, it's 2.0 litre", trust me, the best car for your money.

I still do not know the difference between the Lusso and Turismo.

Faults:

Gear selector cable snapped £150 inc labour.

Passenger side window started sticking £50 inc labour.

Poor mpg - oil/water in spark plug wells. 8 x replacement spark plugs £90.

Engine running rough / vibration into car - dealer can't seem to fix it.

Both front seat mechanisms seem to have stuck with the result that the front seats don't automatically slide forward when you try to get into the back.

Back box has rusted up. Replacement back box (Alfa Romeo part) has also begun rusting up after only 10,000 miles.

General Comments:

Beautiful, original looking car that's better to look at than to own.

Ride quality is okay on 15" wheels but deteriorates badly on 16" Alfa Romeo Sport Wheels with 205/55/16 tyres.

Handling is okay, but the car tends to roll in corners.

Car is very noisy on the motorway at 80mpg+ with engine, road, and wind noise all becoming intrusive. This is not a refined car at speed.

Clutch becoming increasingly heavy.

Engine is starting to sound very rough and smoke a little (84,000 miles). Dealer can't seem to diagnose what's causing it.

Engine uses 1 litre of oil every 1,000 miles.

Overall, an average car (apart from the fantastic looks) that is let down by the lack of refinement and the fragility of some of its parts / engineering.

Faults:

Brake Light switch needed replacing. Cost about £60 (including part and fitting at Alfa Dealer).

Rear Fog Light Failure warning goes off from time to time. Simply take lights out and move connectors to be more in contact.

CD Jumps over bumps.

Suspension a bit hard, but hey it's a sporty car!!

Paint starting to come off back box of exhaust.

General Comments:

Great drive. Great comfort and lots of little extras available, Climate Control, Traction control. All of which I have!

Probably the best car I have ever driven. Goes like a dream, and can really move for a 1.6 engine.

Sounds great too.

Quiet inside.

Looks amazing, especially the front. Interior is well built and very nice to be in and behind the wheel.

Don't listen to Alfa sceptics. Alfa make great cars!

Faults:

Airbag warning light went on without reason.

Right side door lock broke and the door couldn't be opened from outside.

Lights fail all the time.

General Comments:

About the looks, I must say that this is definitely the most beautiful car in it's class, and I think I said enough...

Handling is absolutely superb. This car sticks to the road like s**t. But this superb road holding abilities have a downside: the suspension is so stiff that it becomes uncomfortable very often, especially on the bumpy roads of Romania. The smallest movement of the steering wheel results in quick changes of direction. The steering wheel makes just two complete rotations from side to side. This tells a lot about the feeling and precision of the steering, but this is bad when you have to maneuver in a small space. The U-turn radius is outrageous and you have to make 3-4 moves back and forth where you would normally make two.

The engine is another strong point of this car. Surprisingly you get lots of torque in mid-range (for a 1.6 engine), and I think this is because of the two spark plugs per cylinder. But what this engine likes most is the red zone. It seems like it will revv forever... and the sound is... very impressive and distinctive.

Interior space is not big, but I made longer trips with 5 people onboard, and it was enough room for everyone.

Materials used for the interior are of very good quality, and look like anything, but cheap.

The car is packed with gadgets: cruise control, on board computer, dual zone automatic climate control, 10 (ten!!) airbags (which is a lot for a car in its class), electric everything and last, but not least a very good CD player and sound system. The sound is crisp and clear, but on bumpy roads the CD player can’t be used because it skips very very often. Being a heavy smoker, its imposible not to mention the incredibly small ashtrays for the front and back seats. You can hardly squeeze 3 cigarettes in there.