Alfa Romeo 147
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The Alfa Romeo 147 was launched at the 2000 Turin Motorshow as a replacement for the aging 145 three-door and 146 five-door hatchbacks. It is a subcompact, 3- or 5-door hatchback (the hatch counts as a door). It is about as large as a Honda Civic or the old Chevrolet Vega. It was based on the running gear of the larger 156 saloon and Sportwagon estate. It is available with 1.6- and 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engines and a 1.9-liter diesel engine. Competitors of the 147 include the BMW 1 Series, the Audi A3, and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. All of those are German cars and none except one (the Audi A3 as of 2005) is sold in the US. The 147 is hampered by light (sensitive) steering, something that can magnify directional changes to dangerous levels at high speeds and can also make hitting apexes of inside corners during high-speed maneuvers difficult. Light steering does help during parking because there are less turns lock-to-lock (degrees of turning the steering wheel until it cannot be turned any longer), though. Another shortcoming would be the fact that it’s harder to move the gear selector lever in the 147 than in its rivals. Of course, German cars are known for being very quiet and that is where the Alfa holds a distinctive advantage because certain consumers prefer to hear an exhaust note at least under hard acceleration. Alfa Romeos are also known for having mellifluous-sounding exhausts and this car is no exception. Its seats, however, aren’t very supportive, although this is more of a problem noted by automotive journalists than European drivers on short stints. An aspect that is noticeable in the 147, however, and in Alfa Romeos in general is the un-intuitive arrangement of controls in front of the driver. In addition, the interior offers less space than its German rivals. The 147 was voted European Car of the Year for 2001.
All 147s undercut their competitors in Europe and its possible competitors in the US on price, but they also have less prestige than them. This hurts the car’s resale value. Besides the driving characteristics mentioned above, there are other reasons for this, including the bad reputation Italian cars have for reliability and durability. The 147 is relatively free of such problems, though, because it is a base nameplate (model line), and because few people in Europe opt for the V-6-powered GTA. However, even though break downs are not a big problem for the 147, bugs are (e.g., warning lights unnecessarily coming on and engine oil being burned even in brand-new engines).
GTA
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Alfa Romeo decided that 147 drivers should have a sportier alternative to the standard range, so in 2002 launched the 147 GTA trim level (option package). The GTA used a 3.2 V6 engine, produced 250bhp and could exceed 150mph. It is somewhat unique in that it has a medium-sized V-6 engine in such a small car. Its competitors in Europe include the Audi A3 3.2 and the Renault Sport Clio V-6—a French car that pioneered the concept of a V-6 hot hatch with so much power in 2001. Ford used to offer the Focus RS as a competitor, but only sold it from 2002 to 2003. However, if Alfa ever decides to re-enter the US market, the 147 GTA would have to contend with the Volkswagen Golf R32 and the Acura RSX Type-S. However, this actually highlights an opportunity for the 147, because the R32 is heavier and the RSX has less power. The GTA is also lighter than both the Audi A3 3.2 and the Renault in Europe. It is officially the fastest-ever 'hot hatch'.