Alfa Romeo | Car Advice

2009 Alfa Romeo 149 spied and rendered

June 19th, 2009 14 Comments

An all-new successor to the current Alfa Romeo 147 is due to be released later this year which will take its design inspiration from the 8C Competizione which also spawned the MiTo.

Though heavily camouflaged, the distinctive new Alfa Romeo styling means it is relatively easy to imagine what the new 149 looks like beneath the canvas, as depicted with these artists renderings.

Novitec tunes the Alfa Romeo MiTo

June 3rd, 2009 11 Comments

German tuning house Novitec Rosso, better known for its potent take on the Ferrari stable, has visited the other end of the Italian sports car scale with a new version of the Alfa Romeo MiTo.

The entire MiTo range has been graced by the Novitec touch, headlined by the 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol model along with two diesel-powered variants.

2009 Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA Concept

February 23rd, 2009 10 Comments

Alfa Romeo has released the first official teaser image of its highly-anticipated GTA variant of the MiTo hatch.

The MiTo GTA Concept will star at next month’s Geneva motor show boasting not only a more aggressive appearance but also a performance upgrade which prioritises weight reduction rather than brute power.

Alfa Romeo diesels dominate Bathurst 12 hour

February 23rd, 2009 12 Comments

Alfa Romeo has dominated the diesel class cars at this weekend’s WPS Bathurst 12 hour race with its 159 JTD (2.4-litre) taking the large category prize and 147 JTD (1.9-litre) coming first in the small diesel category.

Driven by Kean Booker, Rocco Rinaldo and Alfa Romeo Australia’s racing MD, David Stone, the Alfa Romeo 159 JTD completed 208 laps (or nearly 1300kms) of the demanding Bathurst track while the Alfa Romeo 147 JTD piloted by David Filipetto, Nathan Gotch and Wayne Vinckx covered nearly 1000 km during its 156 lap run.

2009 Alfa Romeo 149 spied

January 15th, 2009 25 Comments

The new-generation Alfa Romeo 149 has been spied prowling the streets of Italy, and is due to arrive in showrooms overseas in the next few months.

The successor to the current 147 will go head to head with its main rival, the Volkswagen Golf, boasting the usual level of Alfa Romeo flair and style.

What’s Your Favourite Car?

January 2nd, 2009 95 Comments

I don’t think a single day has gone by that someone hasn’t asked me, “out of all the cars you’ve driven, what is your favourite car?” Oh no, not this question, not again. I usually answer; “Have you got five hours to spare? ‘Cause that’s how long it will take to respond!”.

- Alborz Fallah

What is my favourite car? Well 2008 was a supremely awesome year for CarAdvice, we broke new barriers and once again proved to the industry that the internet is the most vital resource for those looking to buy a new car.

I’ll ask you a simple question, when you’re going to buy a car, what’s the first thing you do? Come online and research it. Simple, however you won’t believe how hard this concept has been for us to emphasis to manufacturers. Some simply believe the internet is a fad and one that will disappear.

If you’ve noticed, we rarely feature any reviews on Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Ferrari and Maserati. This is not because we don’t like them (we love them), but because the agency responsible (same agency for all brands) for the press cars doesn’t believe in new-age media such as CarAdvice. Although, ironically, its marketing department disagrees and you may well have seen constant advertisements for Alfa Romeo on CarAdvice in recent months. Somewhat bizarre!

The internet is still a new concept to some but given the financial turmoil some of these companies are in, I imagine this will change sooner, rather than later.

The reason I mentioned this is because I am going to go over some of the highlights of the past year and some of the cars that really changed my attitude to brands and car culture in general. Unfortunately I can’t honestly say I’ve experienced all cars, for the reason already mentioned, but here is what I can tell you.

The car that changed my perception of an entire brand. If you read my Volvo C30 T5 review, you may in fact realise that just a week before I wrote it, I had this deep hatred for Volvo as a whole. Yes, hate is the appropriate word as it was true.

Honestly, how many of you out there dislike Volvo? Don’t deny it, you know it’s true, you can’t even imagine driving a Volvo, you can’t ever imagine answering “Oh, what do I drive? Umm … a … uh … Volvo”. Unfortunately for the Swedish manufacturer cool is simply not a word that can be associated with its brand.

Well, I tell you what. The perception and conception is completely wrong. Here I was, going flat out, keeping up with Anthony in the Aston Martin DB9 around twisty mountain roads and I felt sick. Sick because I realised that I’d been so wrong. Sick because I realised I’d been propagating this anti-Volvo stereotype for years (something of which I am still guilty).

You see the Volvo C30 T5 is a brilliant car, it’s a good $3000 more expensive than it ought to be and the list of options is extensive but it’s still brilliant. It looks good and it goes like a rocket. Then there is the Volvo S80, the car that convinced me that Volvo can be cool.

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2009 Alfa Romeo 149 hatch first look

October 20th, 2008 34 Comments

Following the design chemistry first introduced with the 8C Competizione then successfully transplanted onto its new MiTo model, Alfa Romeo has revealed its stunning 149 hatch.

A direct rival to the Ford Focus, the new 149 is based on the same platform as the Fiat Bravo which is also shared with the Lancia Delta.

Alfa Romeo at the Paris Motor Show

September 29th, 2008 6 Comments

This year’s Paris Motor Show will prelude the launch of two new models in the Alfa Romeo range with the new MiTo and Brera Ti.

With the brand’s notable absence from the 2008 Sydney Motor Show, Alfa Romeo has instead announced Australian-specific details surrounding its new models in the lead-up to their Paris debut.