With the New Year upon us, I thought we
might look at one of the cars we don’t get in Thailand, but
can dream about. We do get the ‘cooking model’ Alfa 147
which has a 2 litre four cylinder in the sharp end, but the
one our Down-under correspondent John Weinthal has just spent
a week with, the 147 GTA version, has a 3.2 litre V6
delivering a very healthy 184 kW.
John heads his write-up with “Driver
fatigue will never occur in this one!” Here are the Words
from Weinthal on the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA.
“Like a long planned holiday there can be
much anticipation of a drive in what seems to be a
particularly exciting new car. As with holidays, the
anticipation is often better than the reality. Such was not
the case with the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA.
“Back
in May I drove its bigger brother and declared it one of the
great drivers cars even at a seemingly implausible AUD 90,000.
After a week in that car the price seemed wholly reasonable
and I knew I had driven another of those rare cars to be
remembered forever.
“This has been a good year for excitement
machines - the brilliant-for-the-money Ford Falcon XR6 Turbos
and GT, Nissan’s delicious 350Z, Suzuki’s astounding
top-value Ignis Sport and the fascinating Mazda RX8 among
them.
“But
one of the best came right at the end - the Alfa 147 GTA with
the same outstanding 184kW 3.2 litre V6 powerplant as the 156
GTA in a smaller, lighter package. It had to be good - and so
it proved.
“At AUD 60,000 it makes a heap of sense
for anybody who wants to carry four people in a stylish,
always exciting machine without, say, the bulk of a Camry -
and dare I say it, with the supposed prestige attaching to a
heritage-laden badge like Alfa’s.
“This car whips its class against the
clock with the 0-100 kph dash taking just 6.4 seconds and a
top speed of around 240kph. Never was the term pocket-rocket
more aptly applied.
“The
GTA brings the number of stylish Alfa 147s available in
Australia to six including the three and five-door offerings
with Alfa’s confusing Selespeed manual-automatic
transmission - a choice I would forego were it my money on the
line. (We get only the 3 door and 5 door variants with the 2
litre and Selespeed (Sillyspeed) in Thailand and costing
around 2 million baht. Dr. Iain)
“This car responds almost telepathically
to any driver input. The car almost appears to anticipate the
driver’s intent, which is wonderful provided you give 100%
attention to your driving at all times.
“Rolls-Royce used to refer to their
building in a ‘sneeze factor’ to the steering and other
controls - an allowance for the fact that the chauffeur’s
intent might be considered momentarily by the car so as not to
upset Milord and Ma’am in the rear. Sorry folks, Alfa does
not subscribe to that theory. This car is fabulously nervous.
Keep your eyes on the road, your mind on the job and your
reflexes primed at all times.
“Of course such sheer driving joy
involves some compromise. The ride is firm at all times, but
surprisingly bump absorbent at the same time. Never harsh, one
is nevertheless always aware of road imperfections. Rapid
progress through less than excellent hill country can see your
Alfa twitch offline, but it is always easily caught adding to
the great driving experience. In this car one comes alive and
stays that way. So-called ‘driver fatigue’ will never
assail the pilot of a 147 GTA!
“There are, as ever, a few beefs about
the Alfa as with so many Italian cars. Driving satisfaction
clearly has priority over user friendliness in some areas. The
most notable problem - and it IS a problem - is an absurdly
large turning circle, just like other current Alfas. Ordinary
streets in which one can perform an easy U-Turn in a Commodore
(Chevrolet Lumina here) become three-pointers with all that
implies for traffic hold-ups and even potential danger or
damage to the expensive alloy wheels.
“It takes a while to achieve a totally
satisfactory driving position in the 147 and there are
inadequate storage spaces. The excellent 8-speaker sound
system can be confusing to operate. By day there is bad
reflection in the instruments although they are an exemplar of
clarity by night.
The cruise control switches and lever are
hidden by the steering wheel and the speedo has ridiculous
30kph interval numbering.
“Ah, such mild complaints against the
backdrop of the sheer guaranteed driving pleasure. This is a
stunning smile-a-mile experience - all the more rare in a
roomy, hugely stylish sedan!
“The engine has seemingly endless torque
at all times. It will pull strongly from as low as 60 kph in
sixth gear. It is so tempting to skip 2nd, 4th and 5th gears
in everyday driving, while 6th can still be used around town
while ensuring safe, rapid autobahn-style overtaking.
“The Alfa is strong on safety with front,
side and window airbags, electronic vehicle stability control
and huge ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution. It has
climate control air-con, remote central locking and power
front windows, a powerful 8-speaker sound system with CD
player, central rear armrest and five-hole design 17 inch
alloy wheels. Xenon headlamps and a sunroof are optional.
“This was another week to remember. For AUD 60,000 this
147 GTA would be a fine fit in any driving enthusiast’s
driveway. This car was long anticipated and the experience
more than matched my high expectations.
Our
Down-under correspondent, John Weinthal has been a Subaru fan
for many years, especially of the potent Subaru Impreza WRX,
but has spent a week with the Forester and claims that it is a
totally deserving multi-award winner. Here are the Words from
Weinthal.
“As
an aside it is worth noting that Subaru also share the Best
Sports Car under AUD 60,000 award with the Falcon XR6 Turbo,
and the AUD 24,000 Impreza GX was named best mid-size car
under AUD 28,000.
“My
one ongoing criticism of the Forester is the degree of tyre
squeal from the dual-purpose Yokohama Geolander tyres. It is
notable with all Foresters but is inevitably magnified in the
higher performance XT. Tyre squeal is a rarity these days and
nobody needs the attention which it attracts from bystanders
and other drivers.