Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon (00-05) - Review

Review by Parkers on
The 156 Sportwagon is a 'lifestyle estate', which in short means that it's trendy, respectable to have on the drive, but lacks the interior space of a traditional load-lugger. Its subtle and pure styling may give it the edge over rivals like the BMW 3-Series as the choice of a design-led individual, but it's neither as solidly built nor as spacious as its German rivals. It gives a lot of driving pleasure even with the smaller engines, and it's also much cheaper to buy.
3.5 out of 5

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3 out of 5

Safety

The underlying 156 design dates back to 1998 and is beginning to fall behind in the safety stakes. There’s no Euro NCAP crash test result - pretty standard in today’s executive market - and some early models even lacked a standard passenger airbag. Models from June 2000 fare better and passenger and side airbags became standard from July 1999. Security is good with a standard alarm, immobiliser, keyless entry and a unique-fit stereo.

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3 out of 5

Reliability

The 156 was a massive leap forward for Alfa Romeo in terms of build quality, but the Sportwagon has still had its fair share of problems, including faulty electrics, blown head gaskets and water leaks. This is a problem in a market that demands perfection and dependability

Car check problem points

Body

Damage to rear door handles, scrapes on body colour bumpers.

Engine/Gearbox

Service history crucial - 60,000 mile service is vital, faulty clutch.

Other

Scratched wheel, minor electrical niggles, noisy suspension.

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