Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon (06-11) - Review

It's not as roomy in the rear as you might expect, but it's no worse than many cars of this size. That said, less expensive cars like the Honda Accord Tourer and Volkswagen Passat estate have more generous rear seats, but many people don't see these brands on the same level for image. However, the Alfa also comes with automatic climate control, electric windows, and the seats themselves are generally comfortable.

Unlike the 156, the 159 Sportwagon actually has more luggage space than the saloon version with the rear seats in place. There is a decent 460 litres available up to the height of the luggage cover and a maximum of 1385 litres with the rear seats folded. There are a few storage compartments at the sides of the boot and the luggage area is a useful square shape. The rear seats don't quite fold flat, and the tailgate has quite a high sill, but it's a reasonable compromise for such a stylish looking estate. Storage up front could be better though - the door pockets are narrow and shallow while the central cubby between the front seats isn't very useful.

The 159 Sportwagon shares its interior design with the sporty Brera and Spider, which means deep-set dials and either a metal-effect plastic (on Turismo models) or an aluminium (on Lusso models) finish. The writing on the dials is unchanged from the original Italian - the petrol gauge is marked 'benzina', for example - and the quality of the materials is excellent. The finish could be better with the occasional uneven gap letting the Alfa down, but the steering moves for height and reach, and the seats offer an excellent range of adjustment.