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Following its debut at the Sydney International Motor Show, the new Alfa
Romeo 156 Sportwagon is now on sale in Australia, adding the versatility of
five doors and fold-down seats to the stylish new exterior of the Alfa
Romeo 156 range.
"The Sportwagon version of the Alfa Romeo 156 accounts for nearly half of
all 156 sales in Europe and it is easy to see why," says Kevin Wall,
General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia. "Without sacrificing any of
the stylish good looks of the 156 saloon - indeed some say it even enhances
them - the Sportwagon adds a new level of versatility and flexibility that
is particularly attractive to owners who's professional, family or
lifestyle commitments require flexible space.
"At the same time, the 156 Sportwagon retains all the driving
characteristics that have made the 156 sedan such a legend and we believe
that this unique combination will enable the 156 Sportwagon to continue
grow its sales in Australia."
Like its saloon counterpart, the 156 Sportwagon's most striking change is
to the exterior, which has been re-styled by the "Designer of the Century",
Giorgetto Giugiaro, who has provided the 156, already a benchmark design in
its own right, with a new level of aggressiveness.
The key changes are a completely restyled front ahead of the A-pillar with
significant changes to the grille, which is now bigger and features new
design headlights. The lower bumper area is also narrower than on the
previous version. The end result is a front end that simultaneously oozes
performance, aggression and classic class.
Giorgetto Giugiaro's changes to the Alfa 156 respect distinctive brand
features, emphasize the features of a successful model and confirm, once
again, the profitable relationship that Alfa Romeo has enjoyed with the
great master of his trade, who was voted 'Designer of the Century' by more
than 120 international journalists and his peers at Las Vegas in 1999.
Even Alfa Romeo's colour palate now reflects the heritage of the company
with names that are drawn from its unique history. These include the
non-metallic colours of Alfa Red, Carrara White and Kyalami Black. Eleven
shades are metallic: Siena Red, Stresa Green, Light of Amalfi Green,
Taormina Blue, Capri Blue, Daytona Blue, Le Castellet Blue, Gonzaga Grey,
Vesuvius Grey, Lipari Grey and Jarama Black.
But the changes to the 156 are not a triumph of style over substance. There
have also been changes to the interior and the chassis that enhance the
Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon ownership experience.
The interior has also been enhanced by major and minor styling changes that
alter its appearance with the aim of increasing the sensation of light and
elegance while pursuing the close family ties with the Alfa 166 and the
Alfa 147.
The centre of the facia reveals another new detail. The upper part features
a multifunction display in an innovative, up-to-date design, while the
lower part contains a built-in radio and mono-zone or automatic dual zone
climate control system controls according to the specification. The radio,
complemented by a CD player, also offers an outstanding sound system
designed and built for the passenger compartment that consists of six
speakers and delivers a powerful output of 4x40 Watts.
Features such as the upper central air diffuser outlets and seat adjustment
controls have been carried over from the previous model. The outstandingly
ergonomic position of the mirror and foglight controls is also unchanged.
The same applies to the central console where the sensation of space has
been increased by oddments compartments.
The exterior and interior have thus been revised in a quest for the sporty
elegance that has always been written into Alfa's DNA.
The chassis of every Alfa Romeo is also a core value in its DNA and the
Alfa 156 has been acclaimed from day one for its dynamic combination of
comfort and sporting response from the steering, suspension and brakes.
Changes have been made to the Alfa Romeo 156 to enhance this, with the most
substantive being the use of a new vacuum cast aluminium cross member at
the rear, that is stronger, more rigid and lighter. In addition more
compliance has been built into the suspension mounts to enable them to
provide better insulation from road surface irregularities, but without
reducing the responsive nature of the chassis.
Both versions of the 156 Sportwagon are powered by the benchmark 2.0 litre
JTS engine, which has set a new standard for direct injection lean burn
technology, delivering the performance, fuel consumption and emission gains
promised by this cutting edge technology and removing the drawbacks
encountered by other car makers.
Fitted with the new JTS engine, the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon in both five
speed manual and Selespeed sequential manual gearbox versions now has a top
speed of 220 kmh and it dispatches the dash to 100 kmh in just 8.2 seconds,
while also offering average fuel consumption in the EU test of 6.8 litres
per 100 km.
Safety is enhanced at all levels in the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon. Active
safety - the ability to avoid accidents - is enhanced with the standard
fitment of Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Motor Speed Regulator (MSR) and
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA).
These, respectively, help the driver maintain control of the car in
emergency situations, stop wheel lock up skids caused by sharp gear changes
and take over braking in emergency situations for the fastest possible
stop, reducing braking distance by up to 35 per cent in an emergency.
Every Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon is fitted as standard with six airbags,
with window air bags joining the front air bags and the side impact airbags
fitted in the sides of the front seats. This combination of six airbags
enables the new Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon to offer, combined with features
such as the occupant safety cell surrounded by deformable sections, a new
level of occupant safety in the event of an accident.
Inside the new Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon the classic style that made the
156 such a breath of fresh air compared to the cold clinical interiors of
its competitors remains but it has been enhanced with new equipment, a new
finish to the dashboard and a new centre console.
Standard equipment includes a multi-zone climate control air conditioning
system that enables the front seat occupants to set their own temperature
settings. Its efficiency is enhanced by larger top dashboard vents in a new
unit that also houses the Alfa Romeo InfoCentre, an LCD screen that houses
the trip computer and external temperature readout.
Complimenting the glorious sound made by the Alfa Romeo JTS engine, the
Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon has a Blaupunkt audio system that is fully
integrated into the centre console. In addition to its powerful amplifier,
six speakers and state of the art CD player, operation is simplified by new
steering wheel mounted controls.
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