When was the last time you saw a 156 Sportwagon in Malaysia
This 156 Sportwagon is probably as rare as the Alfa 4C, maybe even more rare. We recently spotted this car in Petaling Jaya with a lady behind the wheel. This only means that she or her husband is a true car enthusiast as no normal person will invest money in ‘sportswagon’ from Italy.
Well, in case you were interested in learning more about this Alfa. Here goes.
PRESS RELEASE: October 9 1997, was the day when the international press got its first glimpse of the Alfa Romeo 156 in Lisbon, Portugal. At that time, Alfa Romeo stepped up to reclaim its own tradition and also its place in the tight circle of prestige sports car manufacturers.
Later models were to build on this success: from the flagship Alfa Romeo 166 to the effervescent Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon and the newer, highly acclaimed compact Alfa Romeo 147.
Interestingly it was this event that set Alfa Romeo on its new path was the appearance of the 156, a medium-sized car that encloses all Alfa’s proud sporting and engineering heritage within one clean, stylish Italian-looking package.
We did not have to wait for long to see the results. The new car won acclaim from the motoring and financial press, who voted it ‘Car of the Year 1998’ (this award was followed by 35 more accolades) and motorists themselves, who ordered 90,000 units (at the time it was plenty).
The other motor manufacturers also had to sit up and take notice. It did not take long for them to follow suite and extend their ranges to include the common rail turbodiesel engines you first saw on the Alfa saloon.
Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon offer more performance. The model has another sophisticated automotive engineering ace up its sleeve in the form of a brand new power unit that is Alfa Romeo’s interpretation of a direct injection petrol engine.
The engine is referred to as a JTS (Jet Thrust Stoichiometric) and is the first direct injection petrol engine with a specific power greater than 60 kW/l and a specific torque higher than 100 Nm/l. It guarantees the performance of a 2.3 unit, yet consumes 10% less fuel.
This revolutionary new engine reduces fuel consumption by adopting a stratified charge lean burn system at speeds of up to 1500 rpm. Above this threshold, the engine harnesses all the engine’s power to increase performance.
Meanwhile, unlike other lean burn engines, the new unit is fitted with a normal trivalent catalytic converter and can use the normal unleaded fuel on sale today instead of low sulphur fuel. The engine was ready to meet the strict Euro 4 emission limits due to come into force at the time.
So, what is this car worth today? In Malaysia? Well will guess between RM40,000 to RM50,000 which is 20 to 25 percent higher than its sedan sibling.
