Alfa Romeo 159 (2005-2012) Owner Reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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Ultra reliable car has not let me down todate after six years of ownership

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No issues with the car atr all which I am pleased about, being my first Alfa Romeo

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No problems so far although has various rattles and the windscreen bond started to come away. Sorted under warranty. One of the boot struts was also missing when purchased. Again replaced under warranty

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No Red thumbs down

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quality made not the best but good

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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Not a boring german euro box which has been bought for no other reason than it is german. It is in a completely superior league in terms of style and value for money and real world driving experience. Audis may retain their value better, but they are so over priced that they end up costing more as you have to borrow more in the first place. I had an audi before the alfa and it simply can not compare. The alfa is a special place to be, i love it.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Pleasantly suprising considering the reputation of alfa romeo

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No Red thumbs down

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Stylish, comfortable, economical, unique and mostly reliable.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Great car, but its thirsty, overweight and nose heavy. To match the styling alfa should have made it rwd.

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No Red thumbs down

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More of a mistress than a wife- it's fun and makes you feel great (when its working!), But you wouldn't want to live with it!

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No Red thumbs down

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It's a nice car but there are too many things that are a compromise and a lot of features don't work as well as they have on bmw & mercedes benz models that i've owned in the past. Fuel economy is worse than the bmw 335i coupe i had before it. This was supposed to be more practical car than the coupe but isn't so i'm getting a new vw touareg instead. Depreciation is horrible.

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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Its brilliant!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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A very good but underated car. I don't know why more people haven't bought one as they are different!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Nice comfortable car to drive and use. Very heavy on tyres though.

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No Red thumbs down

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One word : brilliant!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Smashing

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No Red thumbs down

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Basics (engine, gearbox, etc.) reliable, but ancillaries (door locking, traction control, etc.) not.

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No Red thumbs down

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I have had o problems with the car

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No Red thumbs down

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No problems in 3 years

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Heavy tyre wear and brake pad and disc wear. Incurable engine misfire under light throttle

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No Red thumbs down

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Excellent looks, smooth ride, good handling, all the toys expected of a car of this class, reasonably economical for large car, only breakdown was dead battery other issues of leaking power steering rack and noisy gearbox were inherited from previous owner and resolved under warranty. Been surprisingly reliable considering alfa's reputation in the past. very pleased with car and would consider another .

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Best handling car in the wet i've had. Style wise it's the best looking of most cars on the road today. A joy to drive.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Clutch iffy/fuel consumption especially for a diesel dire

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No Red thumbs down

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A very solid car. It has shown to be reliable and economical.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Most stylish car in it's segment, it always makes me smile.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It's great!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Delighted with it as i've always dreamt of an alfa! I'm also pleased that i ignored many colleagues, friends and car journalists opinions etc with regards to buying an alfa over say a bmw/audi etc. I love it and i don't believe anything else would put a smile on my face for the same money!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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This is my second alfa, the previous being a 156 but i find there are so many improvements on the 159, although at the time i really was very happy with the 156 which like the 159 have given me no reason to complain over and above routine servicing and wear and tear.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I'm really happy with the car and it has not lived up to the alfa romeo reputation for unreliability.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

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More reliable than the brand would suggest. Fast. Not very economical.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Developed an engine problem which took 8 weeks to fix. Suspension parts have been replaced. The paintwork has stonechipped far too easily and the lacquer is peeling off the bumper (ongoing dispute). Hit & miss hands free & media player system which is as reliable as the car. All in all, a complete waste of time and money.

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No Red thumbs down

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Overall a nice car ....but totally let down by build quality ( lack of ) and dealership. So same ol alfa story ...seems nothing has changed .. unfortunatley. I like my cars and i like driving. I like the style of the alfa 159 ..but ...I Dont want a car that squeaks and creaks ..in this case beauty is only skin deep !!

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No Red thumbs down

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A very stylish car, which always makes me feel proud when i walk up to it. I just worry about its longer term reliability though ,perhaps due to the marque's history. There is still some work to be done coonfidence wise.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Modern Diesel Issues, EGR needs cleaning regularly, Forced DPF Regens are required every so often.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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starts every time no matter what the weather or temperature no issues

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Done 100k miles - usual things replaced at services - only fault has been three lights going

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Apart from wear and tear with a clutch replacement and brake discs and pads, its been utterly reliable

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Never get in an alfa you will want one. 2nd alfa and great to drive especially long distance

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very xcool

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It's a great car. It looks super sexy and i never tire from driving it. My only niggle is the heavy wear on tyres. Apart from that, i love it. In fact i can't wait until the next model comes out. I will be at the front of the queue. Alfa has done a great job and anyone who says they are unreliable rust buckets should open their eyes.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Stunning looks, very comfortable and with good handling. Great car to drive and look at. 100% reliable todate.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Beautiful, full of character, but with one or two annoying problems, and very thirsty.

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No Red thumbs down

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Brilliant

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No Red thumbs down

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Excellent,best car i have owned in 30 years of company car driving. Just needs a bit more room in the back,bigger boot with better access and an improved ride.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Outstanding piece of automotive engineering.

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No Red thumbs down

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My alfa 159 is stylish inside and out, has good performance, is very comfortable with good roadholding but perhaps the most surprising aspect has been its utter reliability in over 3 years of ownership so far.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Better than the Alfa reputation would have you believe

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No Red thumbs down

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Never had issues till date

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Nothing gone wrong so far apart from dodgy battery.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Aoart from an EGR valve failing (Ł85), the car starts first time every time, used daily in all weathers, no suspension rattles despite Yorkshires appalling road surfaces. Engine still runs as sweet as a nut.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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In the 7 months that I have owned the car it's never let me down

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No Red thumbs down

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had 2 clutches and one water pump

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No Red thumbs down

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Beautiful styling, characterful car, but expensive to run, and suffers a niggling condensation issue that has never been successfully addressed. The most comfortable seats of any car i've owned. A challenge to drive well, but rewarding.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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A sheer joy

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Great looking car and good to drive, boot ok but gap to get stuff in it is small, rear legroom poor for size of car. Fuel consumption is criminal compared to claimed mpg, manufacturer claims 47 mpg, cant get anywhere over 34 and neither can several other owners i have talked to

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No Red thumbs down

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Alternator failure has been only problem but as it happened on christmas eve and resultant holidays it took 7 days to fix. I love the car for comfort and pleasure driving only down side is fuel economy 30-31mpg for a 2.2 litre engin

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Good technology but too unreliable for mainstreem car manufacturing ..... better they get out the market!

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Its an alfa! They are finally getting their act together

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Great car very under rated by the press car does have the class factor in ti form

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent - much better than company car - passat (also known as a pos)

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It meets my expectations

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Love it but could be better.

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No Red thumbs down

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Stylish, potential concern over reliability

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No Red thumbs down

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Very beautiful car, which goes very well and feels solid. Love driving it. Whoever says the italians can't build a great car clearly hasn't driven any of the latest alfas.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Extremely underated, reliability, performance, comfort and trim levels all far exceed the usual suspects. Whenever audi/bmw launch new cars they are lauded as being remaskable feats of engineering yest everyone who i know that owns one who has either been in or driven my alfa thinks it is far superior (whether they like to admit it or not)! However, i'm glad it retains its exclusivity!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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The 159 is stylish, economical (for its size) and practical. I've had no reliability or build issues after 3 years of high mileage and it still feels special even now.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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Drop dead gorgeous looks. I love driving it. Had always been told how unreliable alfas could be but i've covered 50,000+ miles with no major problems - 1 minor electrical fault is all. It's a bit heavy on tyres and it's a stiff ride but that's down to a combination of the enormous ti spec wheels and the reduction in authority spending on filling potholes.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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This is the best car that i've ever had, well screwed together, comfortable, fast and economic, good looking too, the cockpit is a nice place to sit in. The whole car gives you a feel good factor.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yet to require attention.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I've not had any main problems, but I had a degradation of the return valve in the power-steering reservoir which caused micro-bubbles in the fluid. These were being drawn down into the power-steering pump, causing a vacuum which created a "grinding" noise similar to when the fluid runs low. I discovered, mainly through www.alfaowner.com, that this was a known problem and that Alfa had since changed both the return valve and the type of fluid used. They wouldn't accept responsibility and I had to pay out Ł98:00 to put things right. Other than this, I have been extremely happy with the vehicle.

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No Red thumbs down

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Only problem has been the battery which needed replacing.

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No Red thumbs down

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No break downs

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Beautiful to look at, some very early minor niggles but just as expected from an alfa!

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No Red thumbs down

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+'s: fantastic to look at, comfortable, good engine for performance great brakes and great handling. -'s: rubbish economy for a diesel (average 26 mpg) unbelievably bad front tyre wear (6500 miles for the front tyres!), High servicing costs (oil service every 8000 miles!). Overall a very expensive car to run. Alfa uk's excuse... you have bought an alfa romeo, 'it's set up for track use'! (it's a 2.0 diesel estate!)

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No Red thumbs down

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Clutch suspect-fuel comsumption dire

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No Red thumbs down

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The 159 is fantastic. Superbly comfortable, well-built and a great and refreshing alternative to the usual suspects in the saloon sector. The 2.4 diesel offers great torque and the handling, especially from the lowered ti model, inspires confidence. A superb, feelgood, great value car. Very pleased.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Apart from one problem, fully satisfied. Better than last car and overall no better or worse than any model previously owned from other manufacturers

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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Disappointing long term refinement considering the price of the car. Engine was quite rough, too much transmission noise. Fuel economy not as good as competition by a big margin. Tyre life poor (standard 17 inch wheels) and spares and servicing expensive from dealers......... ended up using independent with good results but not the same experience as using premium dealer. Car is feeling dated.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

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My 159 is good in every way,it has been in for warranty work which is a trate of the 159,but when everything is doing as it should its one of the best driving and looking cars on the road

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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I was a little nervous about buying an alfa because of its poor reliability reputation, but i couldn't resist the gorgeous styling and the car is a delight. The only problem has been with the 'blue and me' only working from one channel but this was fixed under warranty. Alfa have followed up after services to ensure satisfaction and while i think the servicing costs are expensive the dealers have performed well. The qtronic gearbox is superb, smooth with quick changes when you need to overtake although it does cost in fuel efficiency, i get 33+ mpg around town and 40+ on a journey. The car is very comfortable and relaxing to drive; great on motorways and agile through the lanes. The suspension is well tuned and the steering well weighted. Noise is kept to a minimum and i'm impressed that thare are no rattles, buzzes or other irritating noises. The car is now approaching 90000 miles and the seats still look new and there really is no sign of wear and tear anywhere. I'm pleased i bought the car and would highly recommend it.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up