switching from a VXR8 to a 159

[ls3steve]

Hey Alfa peoples..

Its getting very close to me saying goodbye to my VXR8, i've had from new (2009) and absolutely love it. I've never had a car like it before and fear i wont have one like it again

So.. after hunting around for different replacement cars, i've come to the 159 2.0 JTDM TI.. Got a couple of questions.

Im tall (6ft6) is there lots of head/leg room in the car ?
HONESTLY is the 159 a reliable car, as so far i've had zero issues with the VXR8 over the past few years.
What real life MPG would i be looking at, considering i do mainly motorway miles and a bit of A-roads
Is the build quality good on the interior? many rattles/squeeks that are common issues

what would i be on the lookout for on a 2008/2009 car ?



Many thanks


Steve

[Big JK]

I had a 147 GTA, which I loved, and when it came time to change I went to a VXR8. Whilst I can't say I hated the car I did hate the dealer that had to do the warranty work. There was a lot of warranty work! That, and a change of circumstances, meant I needed to go back to something smaller and a tad more economical so bought a Giulietta QV but we also changed the wife's car to a 159 Ti 2.0 JTDm which I drive frequently.

A couple of things:

1: There isn't anywhere near as much room in the back of the 159 as there was in the VXR8 but roomy enough in the front.
2: I'm 6'7"

Edit: I should also say that we've only covered a few thousand miles in the car and the only real issue has been the passenger mirror wouldn't electrically fold and was replaced under warranty.

Our 159 is a Sportwagon so fuel consumption is slightly worse than the saloon but we get from mid 30s on short town runs to low 40s on longer runs.

Edited by Big JK on Monday 22 April 15:38

[ls3steve]

Thats a pretty much perfect reply..
yeah the VXR8 has its ups and downs. suspension being a BIG down.

will test drive the 159 and see. I dont have too many people in the back of my car as it is, occasionally 3-4peoples. So wouldnt be that much of a change there, and if your getting nearly 40mpg !! well thats double what im getting now lol

thanks

[Big JK]

ls3steve said:

Thats a pretty much perfect reply..
yeah the VXR8 has its ups and downs. suspension being a BIG down.

will test drive the 159 and see. I dont have too many people in the back of my car as it is, occasionally 3-4peoples. So wouldnt be that much of a change there, and if your getting nearly 40mpg !! well thats double what im getting now lol

thanks

I had a number of issues with the VXR8, suspension being only one of many, but it was mainly the dealer that caused me most heartache; this included bending the flange at the end of the manifold where it joins the exhaust pipe, botching a repair, denying it was a botch and then denying completely that they had caused the damage. Thankfully when I threatened witness statements to the contrary they replaced the manifold at their expense (I'm guessing a VXR8 manifold ain't cheap).

One thing to bear in mind is that the Ti version of the 159 seems to have a relatively aggressive toe setting on the front from the factory so that the tyres wear quickly on the inner edge. Most owners get them set to zero toe which solves the issue.

On the fuel consumption we probably average mid 30's but the car is used as a school run hack so not too bad. The 1.4 Bravo Sport the wife had previously averaged around 30mpg. My QV averages high 20's but even this is better than the high teens in the VXR8.