Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso Reviews

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Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso
★★★★☆
4.3
89.0% of users recommend this
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Latest Reviews

“I had an Alfasud years ago, that was like a different...”

★★★★★

written by phil o on 03/01/2009

I had an Alfasud years ago, that was like a different car every day, mainly because you never knew what it was going to do. The electrics would work(sometimes). Same with the engine. It was if nothing else entertaining and on a quiet night I swear you could hear it rust. The Alfa 156 1.8 TS Lusso is absolutely nothing like the Alfa of old. It's just as brilliant to drive, but in my experience it has none of the reliability issues of older Alfas. Had this 8 months, it's a 2000 plate on a 'X' and I love it. Had loads of other cars wish they had been even remotely close to this. Thanks

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“I have just bought a 1998 1.8TS Lusso. It cost me ...”

★★★★☆

written by tony21surgey on 25/10/2008

I have just bought a 1998 1.8TS Lusso. It cost me £788 and £300 to tidy up the wheels and paintwork. I now have a good looking car with a great engine, handling and good level of equipment.
Thw wood effect interior is old school sports car and feels so different to anything else I have ever driven including all the Beemers, Jags Audi's and Saab's I drove whilst in the motor trade.
Ite entertaining and makes you kind of want to kind of take care of it like a reliable friend.

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“Stunning looks - I bought the Selespeed version of the...”

★★★★☆

written by on 12/04/2008

Stunning looks - I bought the Selespeed version of the Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon and think it looks superior to the saloon. Superb steering - I have driven virtually every make of car there is from Peugeot to Audi and from Vauxhall to Ford and Citroen but have nver come across a car that is so easy to guide around a corner at speed. Very direct, unflustered even over irregular surfaces and pin-sharp. After a 'sloppy' Vauxhall Omega it took a few days to get used to a car steering like it ought to... Lovely design of the interior - looks sporty and seats are supportive and well designed. The light on the clock has gone but this is easy to forgive. The dash looks like a sports car dash and you can easily forgetthat you're in a relatively 'safe' family-friendly wagon. Some of the fittings and shut-lines aren't as precise as you would expect from an Audi or Beemer, but for the price the 156 is a marvel. I paid significantly less than 4,000 for a 5 years old model but would have had to pay a few grand more for an Audi of similar performance and age. And it still looks great! has a few minor 'dinks' and blemishes, but nothing you wouldn't expect from a 5 yr old car.
Best bit of all is the 2.0 twin spark engine. This is a real gem - a work of passion and engineering excellence. It comes on song at around 3,000 rpm, but goes mental after 5,000 and screams like a banshee up to 7,000 rpm redline. By the time you get there in 4th you could be doing well over 100 mph (on a German autobahn). Never driven a 2.0 which feels like it always wants more revs - the thing feels alive and it encourages you to thrash it to within an inch of its life. A week after buying the car I still have the urge to get up extra early on Saturday morning so I can give it 'a good seeing to' on the sweeping bends near the Lotus car factory in Norfolk. takes a special sort of car to make a grown man feel like a teenager again.... A very pretty car, built with what can only be described as 'Italian Flair' - dare I say, (yes I know its a cliche) with real 'passion'. Can most owners say that about their Beemers and Audis? I think not. The engine deserves to be paced in the Science Museum as a thing of beauty and performance in its own right, whilst the interior provides an object lesson to all other 'prestige' manufacturers in how to make an exciting environment for the driver without resorting to leather, baubles and cheap gimmicks. Alfas of old were always pretty, handled brilliantly and went like stick. So does the 156, but it also has some solidity - it doesn't rattle over bumps and feel relatively well put-together. My initial impressions are that we are going to enjoy a beautiful relationship, but I may feel differently in a few months time when the notoriously unreliable Selespeed 'box decides to join Pavarotti in the great graveyard of flawed Italian geniuses.

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Flyguy's Comment

Written on: 15/04/2008

Some detailed info, thanks for the fab Review.

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“Great car, you have comfort, style, power, what more...”

★★★★★

written by on 05/02/2008

Great car, you have comfort, style, power, what more can a man ask for!?

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Big Dave Midlands's Comment

Written on: 05/08/2008

Great to read about the passion this owner feels for his Alfa and as an ex owner and petrol head I fully understand this. However i have severe reservations about engine and electrical reliability. Make sure the engine oil level is checked weekly or even daily and that it is at the top of the oil mark at all times, ignore this and the results could be fatal. The engineering on the 156 whilst an improvement on previous generations still relied upon a fiat platform and is still behind the likes of BMW or the VAG cars. Alfa's are a stylish alternative for sub BMW/Audi money but you do get what you pay for. P.S. BMW owners can be equally passionate about their cars!

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“The Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Luso is a great looking car...”

★★☆☆☆

written by Big Dave Midlands on 08/11/2005

The Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Luso is a great looking car for the enthusiast, that aspires to beat the Germans, but ultimately let down by poor engineering and refinement. With fundamental design flaws with the bottom end of the petrol engined t-spark models, I wouldn't recommend one to my worst enemy.

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“I dont understand where Alfa Romeo gets it's bad...”

★★★★★

written by Sesonic on 19/08/2005

I dont understand where Alfa Romeo gets it's bad reputation for poor quality interiors.

The cabin is gorgeous and is a very comfortable place to be over long journeys. In my opinion it is better designed than majority of the competitors including Mercedes, BMW and to a lesser extend VW.

1.8 has a sweet sound and revs freely through the gears and has top class performance.

No squeaking suspension or knocking sounds,no erratic idling etc.

Have had no reliability issues with this whatsoever.
I love this car, great to drive, great to look at and so far great to own. If the new 159, bererra and paltform sharing with Maserati is anything to go by the new rang of Alfa's will hearld a new era for this legendary mark.

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Davidfeldman001's Response to Sesonic's Review

Written on: 23/08/2005

I fully agree - 98000 miles in my 1.8 with very few problems - more reliable than my old Golf.
<br>No rattles at all, even after 4 years with kids & school runs.
<br>The secret is servicing. Do it by the book & avoid the Alpha main dealers then you will have a great car.

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“The Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso is definitely a superb...”

★★★★★

written by nikism on 28/02/2004

The Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso is definitely a superb limousine. Its exterior and interior design, the seats when equipped with leather ny Momo, look much more sporty and impressive than a Mercedes 200 Kompressor E. I have purchased the car in 2001. Since then I have done just 15.000 Kms (I am still using for short drives my 25 years old Giulietta). Sometimes I have some difficulty in sliding in the 5th gear. Up to now I did not have any mechanical or other problems. For that kind of money I would consider it as a very good buy!!

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“I have only had this Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso for 1...”

★★★★☆

written by snokio. on 01/10/2002

I have only had this Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso for 1 year and i love it to bits. I've only had minor things go wrong with the car: 1 exhaust bracket rusted off, a vent played up on one setting. When looking for a new car i wanted something that would make heads turn and a car that not many people have. I saw the alfa 156 and at first thought that this car would not be within my bugget. Thankfully it was. At the time i was also thinking of looking at bmw 318 and audi A4, but as soon as i saw and test drove the 156 it was the only thing i could think about.. so i bought one. I still love it to this day. Everyone says that the 2 litre 156 is the best to drive and the 2.5 V6 sounds and even looks the best but it's too heavy and the front suspension is a weee bit noisy for my liking - a bit creeky over bumps which may need looking at. I also seem to have a problem with second gear when changing from first gear in hi revs, and same from third gear (in hi revs) to second. Other than that, a great car to drive and would love to own the GTA...some day maybe!!!

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“I bought my Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso new, some 2...”

★★★★★

written by John G. on 25/06/2002

I bought my Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS Lusso new, some 2 years ago. At the time I considered Alfa, BMW 3 series and Audi A4. Having test driven them all I just fell in love with the Alfa - it is the best looking and best to drive in my opinion. To be fair the build quality is not as good as the Germans but you have to remember that the price differential is very significant so the Alfa is definitely the best value for money of the three as well.

I chose the Lusso which provides a wood effect steering wheel, console and gear stick, velour trim and a softer ride. I looked also at the sports version which has aluminium effect interior, sports trim and supposedly a sportier ride. I couldn't tell much of a difference in the ride quality and, in the 2 year old version I test drove, the trim inside was looking fairly shabby and cheap. The Lusso seems to wear much better and I think it looks much better also. The itnerior is still looking fine now and certainly doesn't look cheap and plasticky.

The 1.8 engine is simply superb. Okay performance isn't as good as the 2.0 (which is probably the best of the 156s), but is far from sluggish and I only really miss the difference when the car is fully loaded.

My only quibbles about the car are the air con -which is rather feeble even in the UK - and the boot space - I cannot understand why they didn't put in a folding rear seat; a trip to the DIY store for a couple of planks of wood is out of the question unless you have a roof rack.

I have found the car to be fairly reliable but have had a few minor problems. Based on other new cars I or my friends have had I'd say it is equivalent in reliability from new to a Ford or Peugeot but not as good overall as BMW or VW/Audi. However, given the much cheaper prices I'm very happy overall.

So what's gone wrong:

Squeaking front suspension - a very common fault supposedly fixed on new versions. Only noticable on speedbumps and an annoyance rather than a problem.

Wiper switch packed in in the rain. Luigi's spaghetti strikes again. Fixed under warranty.

Slightly erratic idling in the engine - again was a originally a software problem in the EMC supposedly fixed in new cars or with a simple update at the dealerships.

Uneven wear on front tyres caused by the wheels getting out of alignment. Fairly common on the Alfa 156 and my fault for not spotting it sooner - cost 2 new tyres and a minor adjustment to the alignment.

Squeaky, rubbing sound from rear brakes. Fixed by stripping and rebuilding them - the backing plate had worked loose.

When wet the failed lightbulb warning light has a tendency to come on or start flickering. The curse of Luigi's spaghetti again.

The battery has run down a few times. I think the cause was my small child turning on the interior light but I'm not 100% sure - it's happened a couple of times.

The paintwork picks up stone chips easilly. Apparently this is common in all new cars due to a switch from oil based to water absed paints for environmental reasons. I know of BMW and Audi drivers complaining of the same.

All in all fairly minor stuff and only 2 days in the garage in two years other than services.

Would I buy one again? You bet! Every time I drive it it still brings a smile to my face.

JG.

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Nikism's Response to 29207_John G.'s Review

Written on: 28/02/2004

I agree very much in the excellent design. In fact I orderd my Alfa 156 with leather upholstery. A BMW 316 or 318 is very poor design comparison. Mine came with superb Momo leather upholstering which looks fantastic. I didn\'t know that problem of the alignment of the front wheels. Thank you Alfa friend from Aberdeen. Next Monday its the first thing which I will do. One should be very carefull with Alfa Romeos when changing gears, or he will have to do repairs. Oh yes I like the Alfa 156. Certain friends made big eyes when they did see the Polare White Alfa 156. I was considering of ordering a Mercedes 200 Kompressor, but I would feel a very old man with a Mercedes.

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Nikism's Response to 29207_John G.'s Review

Written on: 31/07/2010

I agree very much in the excellent design and mine is too the Polare White Alfa 156. In fact I consider it a piece of art, a "Collectors Item".I orderd my Alfa 156 with leather upholstery and it came with superb Momo (!) dark blue leather upholstering. I am always tending every year on the front wheels alignment.I am using Wurth saBesto silicone spray on all rubber fittings of doors.I agree on being very carefull when changing gears and using an indipendent service according to the Users Manual. Oh yes, I like the Alfa 156 and I would even like it better if it had a turbo motor with at least 200 PS and all electronic additives! (Mine goes very well without all electronic gadgetry of the newer models).Then it would be a really HOT CAR, THE CAR. My last car was an Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1,8 lt and it was going like a bomb!! I certainely miss the acceleration I had once upon a time from old the Giulietta! I, too, was considering of ordering a Mercedes C 200 Kompressor, but I would really feel a very old man with such a car. You see I am young, I am only 73 ... years old .....!
<br/>Oh yes the air conditionig could be better. Here in Greece, when temeperature goes up to 35 Centigrade then you have to open here and there the windows to lower the temeperature!
<br/>I purchased my 156 on March 2001 and the Kilometer stand is 78.000 Kms. As of servicing I had to change: - the gas pump because it was broken,- the "zafor" (I don't know what that is, but when driving over uneven surface something was knocking and they told me that the "zafor" had to changed!), a cooged wheel on which the belt runs, the battery once and after nine years the Michelin tires.
<br/>Nick from Patras-Greece

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