An intelligent man who loves powaaah , steaks and people punching once said that you are not a true petrolhead until you've owned an Alfa Romeo. Seeing how Alfas are either considered bad, unreliable shit with healthy and rational people or totally revered by devoted fans, I guess there must be something about them. Maybe it's just amazing "car soul" everyone talks about.
When I got modern Alfas, I tend to lean towards the "they're crap" crowd. The Mito's just a Fiat Punto that was made worse and more expensive, while the Giulietta can be a hoot to drive, but you want it off in gasoline and light on fire every time you need to use it as means of transport. It is like someone did the first 0 % development and decided to do some chianti instead of finishing the rest. this is probably what happened.
As usual, fanboys say that older cars are the "real" Alfas, before the mark was ruined by someone or something (usually Fiat or GM). and with the price of 156, 166 and even iteration FWD GTV from ridiculously low 0s, I was eyeing an older Alfa, preferably with the famous V6 Busso, for some time. But with my tight budget does not allow for two cars at once, I finished always go for something bigger, more comfortable and (supposedly-) more reliable - like an old Mercedes E-Class, Chrysler LHS, borrowed Lincoln or even borrowed Chevy Van.
Just recently made a perfect opportunity to get an Alfa presents itself. I managed to find a poor soul who was willing to give me real money for Chrysler and one of my friends needed to get rid of his old Alfa as it obtained a newer (diesel Wagon 159). The car in question was a 164 great, very optioned and last year the production of the model, with a few "cosmetic defects" (= it looks a little crazy Italian drove around Rome for a month, while intoxicated ) and driven by diesel.
a diesel engine type ruins point to prove that you are a gasoline head. Also, I hate them. I did not understand why American auto enthusiasts, with their access to cheap gas and powerful engines, lust for diesel cars so much. Diesel stinks, rattles and booms, and it is slow. It does not rev, which spoils the point of gearshift. Worse, the 164 is powered by VM Motori 2.5 TD infamous four-cylinder with a cylinder head, known for ruining the Chrysler reliability score in Europe when it was used in Voyagers and Cherokees.
On the other hand, the car had its merits. First, it was free. Second, the four-cylinder diesel tend to be very economical, which is a welcome change after several years of European pay expensive gas in a series of American cars all broken. And third, it is still an Alfa "best time" (although it was developed in cooperation with Fiat, Lancia and Saab), so it should be interesting at least. Fourth, as I learned shortly after being offered the car, it has a wooden steering wheel, which is incredibly cool and in itself reason enough that I want.
So when the time came for me to choose my new car, I'm very excited. Except for the various press lenders to their fancy new common-rail engines and old Mercedes W124 300D-24 from a friend, I've never really driven a manual car diesel in some time. Also, my last four daily drivers (see above) were invariably automatics with very powerful engines, but with a completely numb steering and suspension tuning for comfort. Is Alfa feel like a somebody put an old tractor engine in it? Can it be the terrible turbo-lag turbo old were known for? And can a diesel engine, Alfa-based Saab-and-Fiat show signs of the famous soul Alfa Romeo ?
The last question was answered right after placing my background in blue-green fabric seat. Remember all these ramblings about the ape-like driving position old Italian sportscars? The modern Alfas do not. Even the 156 had not. But once you sit in the 164, you instantly feel like you are in an old Italian film. You instantly forget about sitting "appropriate", with almost vertical back and flying close to your chest, and instead of finding a relaxed position, leaning slightly backwards and apparently flying too far in your knees and much more horizontal as you would find acceptable in a modern car.
It is interesting to see how sitting changes your attitude towards driving. Although it reminds me of the old Italian sports cars, it is certainly not sporty in your "sit straight and focus on the tops" conventionally. Instead, it makes you want to drive an Italian way. Fast and joyful abandonment instead of accuracy. You can imagine bombard you around Rome with a smoke in the corner of the mouth, blasting across the narrow streets and closely scooters and Fiats tiny missing. Or, sometimes, do not miss them, as evidenced by the state of the beat-up car (actually, it was laugh-free when it came to the Czech Republic, but it just gaze as it was driven in Rome).
cockpit is not the only part of the interior that feels foreign to someone used to new cars. There are, of course, slender pillars of the body and that the 164, although it is the largest Alfa of his time and a large vehicle completely by all (European) means, feels a bit like the with its narrow windshield right in front of you at arm's reach. But there are more bizarre pieces. Its full instrumentation with a cool layout - big speedo and tach in the game, voltage, oil pressure, higher water temperature and fuel in the lower row - crazy and central panel with rows of buttons that look like a '80s tape. Or orders for electric windows, with buttons for the front windows on the doors and rear windows on the center console.
Being an Alfa, expected break. And stereotyping, it does. Cool buttons on the central panel only work sometimes, and often the trunk button activates the hazard lights. Or the hazard lights are activated. Or trunk unlocks while driving. And HVAC control panel does not work. No more than the electric locks.
But good Alfa should also be sensitive mechanically and prone to rust, at least if you believe the popular opinions, which makes it a bit strange the most common sense of the whole car is that of sturdiness and solidity. It may be that my example is in better mechanical form, but it does not feel less than the same time Mercedes E-Class And unlike Mercedes, he shows no signs of rust -. Probably the result of the disaster with Alfa Alfasud (which was usually already rusty on the floor of the exhibition hall) and its drive to avoid problems in the future
at the same time, there is still a bit of sportiness Alfa Romeo 164 differs from its siblings - the Thema, Croma and Saab 000 (or at least people who led all say that). For someone who is used to big American cars and old Benzes, or new cars with their electric steering racks numb, head of Alfa's incredibly direct and full of feelings. The action of change is nearly as big, but that is offset by the perfectly positioned pedals for heel-toe downshifting.
Of course, the big diesel type spoil the fun. It is much smoother than expected in an oil burner which is almost two decades compared to, for example, the 1.9 TDI / 66kW VW. He almost zero turbo lag and straight draws 1,0 rpm. When driven slowly, it is an engine quite nice, but try any kind of dynamic driving and you are in for a disappointment. It is still a diesel old, noisy, rude and seems to hate revving above 3,500 rpm. In addition, the VM Motori four, with its four fragile cylinder heads, is subject to overheating and subsequent head failures.
Even with this in mind, I could not resist taking the Alfa our last trackday / cheap car racing event, but at nearly 0 degrees Fahrenheit, I was quite afraid blow the head gasket and never found the courage to really push the engine. Even so, Alfa showed some pretty interesting manipulation. With the large and heavy diesel front, expected to understeer like crazy. In fact, the 164 is pretty well balanced. On the old winter tires, it was quite easy to adjust the understeer to oversteer by lifting the throttle and even throw in slide four wheels quite spectacular.
Verdict
Although it may be linked Saab and diesel, 164 is always able to give you a taste of Alfa Romeo soul. It is interesting to drive and after a series of big American cars, it made me understand how American fans may consider diesel manual cars as something really cool. There also appears to be contrary to public opinion, fairly reliable (except for electric stuff) and it is certainly one of the cheapest cars I've ever had to run. Even if I had to buy it at market value (probably $ 500 or more), it would be dirt cheap transportation. On the other hand, the Italian suspension and driving position, with a cool design Pininfarina, always make me think of how cool this car would be with a proper engine - illustrated V6 "Busso." Since 164s with V6s are almost extinct, I begin to think that there is a Busso powered 166 in my near future. You must have a good Alfa, at least once, to be a good petrolhead
is @VojtaDobes Motoring journalist from the Czech Republic who has worked for local editions Coach and TopGear magazine. Today, he runs his own website, www.Autickar.cz. After a failed adventure with the importation of classic American cars in Europe, it is quite broken, he drives an Alfa 164 Diesel he got free. His previous cars included a Caprice New York Taxi livery in 1988, hot rodded Opel diplomat, two Dodge Coronets, a Simca, a Fiat 0 and Austin Maestro. He never owned a diesel, manual trolley
Photography :. Author
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