Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed Review

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Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed
4.2 stars
Average rating for this product is: 4.2 out of 5

From 5 ratings and 22 reviews

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Richard.'s Review of Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed

20th Mar 2002

Overall Rating

3 stars
  • Value for money
    2.5 stars
  • Practicality
    2.5 stars
  • Performance
    3.5 stars
  • Reliability
    1.5 stars
Good Points

Excellent handling, precise steering, good road-holding, willing and smooth engine, beautiful design, Selespeed allows perfectly-executed downshifts, engine sounds great.


Bad Points

Selespeed seriously flawed - jerky during urban crawls, would not enter 1st gear at 1-5 km/h range unless brake pedal is depressed, occasionally refuses to enter reverse gear, at times it enters into neutral whilst on the move, leaky hydraulics, actuator replaced 3 times, gearbox replaced once, in-dash gear indicator will flash for no reason.
Engine can be difficult to start.
Air-con barely sufficient in the tropics.
Fuel gauge can malfunction at times.
Poor build quality overall inside and out. Examples: creaky/rattly interior trim, inconsistent shut-lines (the right side front and rear doors' top corners clash with each other), misaligned body panels, torn soundproofing, torn door trim, interior trim's clips were broken, creaky dashboard, stitching for leather upholstery became undone, "swollen" exterior rubber trim (probably due to tropical heat), car was delivered with a cracked foglamp lens etc.

Wiper blades cannot last longer than a couple of months in the tropical heat.


General Comments

I sold my Alfa 156 2.0 T-Spark Selespeed after 18 months of use and 30,000 km - although I understand that no car is perfect, I just could not accept the bad points listed above. The car spends too much time at the workshop! Bought a BMW 325i (E46) instead which is ultimately the more satisfying car to own, all things considered. Would I recommend the Alfa 156 Selespeed? I am afraid not.

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