Alfa Romeo 159
Encyclopedia
The Alfa Romeo 159 is a compact executive car
Compact executive car
Compact executive car is a car classification term applied to premium cars smaller than executive cars. In European classification, compact executive cars are part of the D-segment. In North American terms, close equivalents are compact premium car, compact luxury car, entry-level luxury car and...
produced by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
manufacturer Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
between 2005 and 2011. The 159 was introduced in production form at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show
Salon International de l'Auto
The International Geneva Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport...
as a replacement for the successful Alfa Romeo 156
Alfa Romeo 156
The Alfa Romeo 156 is a compact executive car introduced by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155...
. The 159 uses the GM/Fiat Premium platform
GM/Fiat Premium platform
The Premium platform is General Motors's and Fiat Group's high-end automobile platform. The architecture debuted in production form with the Alfa Romeo Brera, was used earlier Opel Insignia in 2003 and Alfa Romeo Visconti in 2004...
, shared with the Brera
Alfa Romeo Brera
The Alfa Romeo Brera is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 2005 and 2010. The Spider roadster was produced between 2006 to 2010. Both cars were manufactured by Pininfarina. Only 12,488 units of Spider and 21,786 units of Brera were built. Production of both models...
, Spider, and concept cars Kamal
Alfa Romeo Kamal
The Alfa Romeo Kamal is a crossover SUV concept car designed by Alfa Romeo. It was presented at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show. It uses the Fiat Premium platform, shared with the 159, Spider, and Brera. Alfa Romeo also used the project name CXover during the development stages.In Sanskrit 'Kamal' means...
and Visconti
Alfa Romeo Visconti
The Alfa Romeo Visconti is a concept car made by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro.The car was seen for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in 2004. The car is a four door coupé and is almost long...
. The 159 came in third place in the 2006 European Car of the Year
European Car of the Year
The European Car of the Year award was established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organisers of the award are Auto , Autocar , Autopista , Autovisie , L'Automobile Magazine , Stern and Vi Bilägare .The voting jury consists of motoring...
awards.
Production of the 159 stopped in late 2011 to make way for its replacement, the Giulia
Alfa Romeo Giulia (2012)
The Alfa Romeo Giulia is upcoming compact executive car model by Alfa Romeo, it will replace the 159and it is planned to be unveiled in 2014 as sedan and station wagon body styles...
, the 159 is however still available to purchase new from stock.
Styling
The 159 was designed by Giorgetto GiugiaroGiorgetto Giugiaro
Giorgetto Giugiaro is an Italian automobile designer responsible equally for a stable of supercars and several of the most popular everyday vehicles driven today...
in collaboration with the Alfa Centro Stile. The nose features a traditional Alfa Romeo V-shaped grille and bonnet, and cylindrical head light clusters. A high waistline broadens until it reaches the rear "C" pillar. The interior also features styling treatments familiar from earlier cars, including the 156, such as deeply recessed instruments which are angled towards the driver. However, the 159 is larger than its predecessor at 4660 millimetres (183.4 in) long some 225 mm (8.9 in) longer than the Alfa 156, 1828 mm (71.9 in) wide and 1417 mm (55.7 in) high.
Overview
The 159 is available in both frontFront-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
and four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
, configurations. The "Q4" four-wheel drive system utilises a Torsen
Torsen
Torsen is a type of differential used in automobiles. It was invented by American Vernon Gleasman and manufactured by the Gleason Corporation. Torsen is a contraction of Torque-Sensing...
type C twin differential (front and center differential in the same unit) and is available on the 3.2 litre petrol and 2.4 litre diesel engines. The gearbox is a six-speed manual on most models (1.8 has a five-speed), and a six-speed automatic Q-Tronic gearbox (Aisin AW TF-80SC
AWTF-80 SC
The Aisin AWTF-80 SC is a 6 speed automatic transmission designed for use in transverse engine applications. It is designed to handle a maximum of of torque. It is built in Anjo, Japan. It is also called the TF80-SC, AWF21, AF40-6, AM6 and AW6A-EL.The design team set out to create a 6 speed...
) is available for the 1.9 diesel, 2.4 diesel and 3.2 petrol models. The Selespeed
Selespeed
Selespeed is the name of an electrohydraulic manual transmission used in Alfa Romeo cars, developed by Italian company Magneti Marelli. The Selespeed is a robotized manual gearbox with electronic clutch. In its current incarnation it can be operated via paddle shifters from the steering wheel or...
gearbox is for sale in some countries with the 2.2 petrol engine.
Several levels of trim are available, depending on market. Four trim levels: Progression, Distinctive, Exclusive and Turismo Internazionale (TI). In the UK there are three levels of trim: Turismo, Lusso and Turismo Internazionale (TI). Among other options, the 159 is also available with the Blue&Me
Blue&Me
Blue&Me is an infotainment system for Fiat Group cars based on Microsoft Auto and developed in a partnership between Magneti Marelli and Microsoft Corporation. The system is based on modular structure which allows installation and use of arbitrary services. The system offers Bluetooth and USB...
infotainment system.
The torsional rigidity
Stiffness
Stiffness is the resistance of an elastic body to deformation by an applied force along a given degree of freedom when a set of loading points and boundary conditions are prescribed on the elastic body.-Calculations:...
of the chassis is one of the best in this category, at 180.000 daNm/rad.
Development
A Sportwagon variant was introduced at the Geneva Motor ShowSalon International de l'Auto
The International Geneva Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport...
in 2006. An automatic gearbox option for the 2.4 JTDM diesel model was also launched that year, and later extended to other versions. In 2007 a four wheel drive diesel model was released and the 2.4-litre diesel engines' power output increased to 210 PS, with a newly reintroduced TI trim level also available as an option.
For model year 2008 the mechanics and interiors of the 159 were further developed. The 3.2 litre V6 model is offered in front wheel drive configuration, achieving a top speed of 250 kilometre per hour. All model variants are equipped with Alfa's electronic "Q2" limited slip differential. As a result of newly introduced aluminium components, a 45 kilograms (99.2 lb) weight reduction has been achieved. Recent model versions were introduced in Geneva Motor Show in 2008.
For model year 2009 Alfa Romeo introduced a new turbocharged petrol engine badged as "TBi", this 1742 cc unit has direct injection and variable valve timing in both inlet and exhaust cams. This new engine has 200 PS and 320 newton metre of torque. Eventually this unit will replace GM derived 2.2 and 1.9 JTS units. Also a new 170 PS JTDm diesel became available.
In 2010, all petrol engines except for the 1750TBi were retired, ending the use of General Motors based engines in the 159. The only remaining diesel engines are now the 136 and 170 PS 2.0 JTDm engines.
Since 2011, the 159 was powered only by diesel engines, with both the 136 PS and 170 PS 2.0 JTDm available on the 159 Sportwagen, and only the 136 PS variant available on the 159 sedan.
Alfa Romeo stopped taking orders in the UK for the 159 on 8 July 2011. Other European countries are expected to follow suit shortly.
Engines
All petrol engines are direct fuel injectionGasoline direct injection
In internal combustion engines, gasoline direct injection , also known as petrol direct injection or direct petrol injection, is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke and four-stroke gasoline engines...
type (except 1.8L), named as JTS
JTS engine
The JTS engine is a gasoline direct injection engine produced by Alfa Romeo. It exists in two forms, straight-4 and V6, and was introduced into the Alfa lineup in 2002.-2.0:...
(Jet Thrust Stoichiometric) and JTD diesels are common rail
Common rail
Common rail direct fuel injection is a modern variant of direct fuel injection system for petrol and diesel engines.On diesel engines, it features a high-pressure fuel rail feeding individual solenoid valves, as opposed to low-pressure fuel pump feeding unit injectors...
direct fuel injection.
Petrol
| Model | Engine | Displacement | Power | Torque | Comp. Ratio | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.75 TBi | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
1742 cc | 147 kW (200 PS) @5000 rpm | 320 newton metres (236 ft·lbf) @1400 rpm | 9.5:1 | 2009-2011 |
| 1.8 | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
1796 cc | 103 kW (140 PS) @6500 rpm | 175 newton metres (129.1 ft·lbf) @3800 rpm | 10,5:1 | 2005–2010 |
| 1.9 JTS | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
1859 cc | 118 kW (160 PS) @6500 rpm | 190 newton metres (140.1 ft·lbf) @4500 rpm | 11,3:1 | 2005–2010 |
| 2.2 JTS | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
2198 cc | 136 kW (185 PS) @6500 rpm | 230 newton metres (169.6 ft·lbf) @4500 rpm | 11,3:1 | 2005–2010 |
| 3.2 V6 JTS Q4 | V6 | 3195 cc | 191 kW (260 PS) @6200 rpm | 322 newton metres (237.5 ft·lbf) @3800 rpm | 11,25:1 | 2005–2010 |
Diesel
| Model | Engine | Displacement | Power | Torque | Comp. Ratio | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9 JTDM 8V | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
1910 cc | 88 kW (120 PS) @4000 rpm | 280 newton metres (206.5 ft·lbf) @2000 rpm | 18,0:1 | 2005–2010 |
| 1.9 JTDM 16V | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
1910 cc | 110 kW (150 PS) @4000 rpm | 320 newton metres (236 ft·lbf) @2000 rpm | 17,5:1 | 2005–2010 |
| 2.0 JTDM 16V | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
1956 cc | 100 kW (136 PS) @4000 rpm | 350 newton metres (258.1 ft·lbf) @1750 rpm | 16.5:1 | 2010-2011 |
| 2.0 JTDM 16V | I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
1956 cc | 125 kW (170 PS) @4000 rpm | 360 newton metres (265.5 ft·lbf) @1750 rpm | 16.5:1 | 2009-2011 |
| 2.4 JTDM | I5 Straight-5 The straight-five engine or inline-five engine is an internal combustion engine with five cylinders aligned in one row or plane, sharing a single engine block and crankcase... |
2387 cc | 147 kW (200 PS) @4000 rpm | 400 newton metres (295 ft·lbf) @2000 rpm | 17,0:1 | 2005–2010 |
| 2.4 JTDM | I5 Straight-5 The straight-five engine or inline-five engine is an internal combustion engine with five cylinders aligned in one row or plane, sharing a single engine block and crankcase... |
2387 cc | 154 kW (210 PS) @4000 rpm | 400 newton metres (295 ft·lbf) @1500 rpm | 17,0:1 | 2007–2010 |
Performance
| Model | Top Speed, km/h (mph) | 0–100 km/h,s 0-62 mph,s |
Fuel cons. combined EU | Years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| manual | automatic | manual | automatic | manual | automatic | |||
| 1.75 TBi | 235 (146) | 7.7 | 8.1 L/100 km | 2009-2011 | ||||
| 1.8 | 206 (128) | 10.2 | 7.7 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | ||||
| 1.8 | 208 (129) | 10.2 | 7.6 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 1.9 JTDM 8V | 191 (119) | 11.0 | 5.9 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | ||||
| 1.9 JTDM 8V | 193 (120) | 10.7 | 5.9 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 1.9 JTDM 16V | 210 (130) | 210 (130) | 9.4 | 9.4 | 6 L/100 km | 7.1 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | |
| 1.9 JTDM 16V | 212 (131) | 209 (130) | 9.2 | 9.5 | 5.9 L/100 km | 7.1 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | |
| 2.0 JTDM 16V 136 PS | 202 (135) | 9.9 | 5.1 L/100 km | 2010-2011 | ||||
| 2.0 JTDM 16V 170 PS | 218 (135) | 8.8 | 5.4 L/100 km | 2009-2011 | ||||
| 1.9 JTS | 212 (132) | 9.7 | 8.7 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | ||||
| 1.9 JTS | 214 (133) | 9.5 | 8.7 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 2.2 JTS | 222 (138) | 8.8 | 9.4 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | ||||
| 2.2 JTS | 224 (139) | 8.7 | 9.2 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 2.2 JTS Selespeed | 222 (138) | 8.8 | 9.2 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | ||||
| 2.2 JTS Selespeed | 224 (139) | 8.7 | 9.1 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 2.4 JTDM | 228 (142) | 224 (139) | 8.4 | 8.4 | 6.8 L/100 km | 8 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | |
| 2.4 JTDM (210 PS) | 231 (143) | 8.1 | 6.8 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 2.4 JTDM (200 PS Q-Tronic) | 225 (140) | 8.3 | 7.9 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 2.4 JTDM (210 PS) | 230 (143) | 8.2 | 6.8 L/100 km | 2007–2010 | ||||
| 2.4 JTDM Q4 (210 PS) | 226 (141) | 8.4 | 7.5 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | ||||
| 2.4 JTDM Q4 (210 PS) | 227 (141) | 8.3 | 7.2 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 3.2 V6 JTS Q4 | 240 (149) | 240 (149) | 7.0 | 7.2 | 11.5 L/100 km | 12.2 L/100 km | 2005–2007 | |
| 3.2 V6 JTS FWD | 250 (155) | 7.1 | 11 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | ||||
| 3.2 V6 JTS Q4 | 244 (151) | 242 (150) | 7.0 | 7.2 | 11.4 L/100 km | 12.1 L/100 km | 2008–2010 | |
Safety
The 159 is fitted with seven airbags as standard, with additional knee airbags also available as an option. The car performed well in rear-end crash protection tests, benefiting from "anti-whiplashWhiplash (medicine)
Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension. The term "whiplash" is a colloquialism...
" seats.
Alfa Romeo 159 passed the Euro NCAP car safety tests with following ratings:
Awards
- Auto BildAuto BildAuto Bild is a leading German automobile magazine. It is published by Axel Springer AG, and first appeared in 1986.AUTO BILD with its worldwide licensed editions, of which more than 7 million copies are sold every month, is published in 36 countries. Foreign editions include France's Auto Plus...
Design Award 2006 - Design Award in the 2006 Fleet World Honours
- Die Besten Autos 2007 Import category (Auto, Motor und SportAuto, Motor und Sportauto motor und sport , often abbreviated to AMS, is a leading German automobile magazine. It is published fortnightly by Motor Presse Netzwerk subsidiary Motor Presse Stuttgart, a specialist magazine publisher that is 59.9% owned by the publishing house Gruner + Jahr.The magazine, originally...
) - 'L'Automobile piu Bella del Mondo
Alfa Romeo 159 in film
Two black 159s (3.2 JTS V6 TI) appeared in the opening scenes of the 2008 James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Quantum of Solace. They featured in the car chase
Car chase
A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
with James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
's Aston Martin DBS V12
Aston Martin DBS V12
The modern Aston Martin DBS is a high performance GT sports car from the UK manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston has used the DBS name once before on their 1967–72 grand tourer coupe...
around Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The Alfa Romeo 159 also appeared in the 2009 film Angels and Demons
Angels and Demons
Angels & Demons is a 2000 bestselling mystery-thriller novel written by American author Dan Brown and published by Pocket Books. The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who is also the protagonist of Brown's subsequent 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code, and 2009 novel, The Lost Symbol...
.
Four 159s were featured in the Johnny English Reborn
Johnny English Reborn
Johnny English Reborn is a 2011 British spy comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre and film franchise reboots. The film is the sequel to Johnny English , and stars Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as the title character and directed by Oliver Parker. The film has a slightly...
movie that were used to chase Rowan Atkinson's
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
character.
Alfa Romeo 159 in Motorsports
The Alfa Romeo 159 has been involved in touring car racing at Bathurst in the 12 Hour Challenge fom 2007. Claiming first place in the unique fuel category, Alfa Romeo has claimed this result for consecutive years. Alfa use the 2.4 Litre JTDm engine for this event.In addition the Alfa Romeo 159 has been used as a safety car, in various motorsport events.