News August 6 2006 – Page 2

Equipment

Along with drivetrains, the 159 Sportwagon will also offer the same generous equipment levels as the sedan, with the addition of features designed to enhance its use.

This include aluminium finish roof rails and load area features such as a retractable load area cover, netting system, side lockers in the load area and a rear power socket.

These items are in addition to the luxurious hand crafted Italian leather interior including , even on entry level vehicles, many features only available as expensive options on rival models, including seven airbags, automatic Dual Zone climate control, cruise control, rear parking sensors, auto dimming rear view mirror, a multi-function display and trip computer, fog lights, 17 inch spoked alloy wheels (18 inch on the V6), and an RDS 8-speaker stereo radio with ten CD stacker and steering wheel mounted controls.

Optional equipment includes a sunroof, metallic paint and electrically operated seats.

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Platform

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in collaboration with Alfa Romeo Centro Stile at Arese, Milan, the new Alfa 159 Sportwagon combines superlative engineering with outstanding performance and handling characteristics appropriate to the pedigree of one of the world’s most famous sporting marques.

The Alfa 159 Sportwagon  is built on a brand new platform, making it one of the toughest cars around, with a best-in-class torsional rigidity of over 180,000 daNm/rad. In terms of safety, it has nothing to fear from the competition, and has recently been awarded the prestigious five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, which puts it ahead of the field for its segment with regard to crash safety performance.

One of the Italian sporting car manufacturer’s aims with the Alfa 159 project was to take the lead in the field of automotive passive safety. An Alfa Romeo engineered all-new premium floorpan, which incorporates high performance materials, multi-ply sheet metal, and laser welding, was the starting point.

The construction of the bodyshell also benefits from numerous measures, such as the use of boxed elements that are connected rigidly both transversely and vertically; three ‘load lines’ in the front, longitudinal beams that run the entire length of the car, built-in deformable structures, and a large number of spot welds around structural nodes.

The result is impressive and class-leading torsional rigidity of the bodyshell. The Alfa 159 also boasts seven airbags, including a special bag to protect the driver’s knees, and sidebags that extend all along the complete window area. In addition, there are innovative restraint systems with pre-tensioners and load limiters on the seatbelts, and front seats with an anti-whiplash system that automatically brings the head restraint closer to the occupant’s neck in the event of a rear impact.

The torsional rigidity of this new generation chassis also assures optimum roadholding, and superb strength and safety even in the event of a high-speed collision. This is achieved by using cutting edge technology, innovative materials, and the use of high-strength steels (58% of the total), and dual-phase steels (7%).

The central (B) pillar has three reinforcement levels to protect passengers from side-on collisions, whilst the high-strength steel floor has been designed with three load lines to prevent it from folding even in high speed head-on collisions.

The 3.2 JTS engined versions of the new Alfa 159 Sportwagon are equipped, as standard, with Alfa Romeo’s state-of-the-art Q4 permanent four-wheel drive system. Q4 employs three differentials, with a self-locking Torsen C unit at the centre of the system which divides drive torque by a ratio of 57% to the rear wheels and 43% to the front in normal driving conditions.

Torque is split between front and rear axles and constantly modulated by the central Torsen differential on the basis of available grip, with a bias towards the rear axle promoting handling characteristics appropriate to an Alfa Romeo sports saloon.

The suspension of the new Alfa 159 Sportwagon combines revisions to the proven high double wishbone set-up of the outgoing Alfa 156 with a new, sophisticated multilink rear configuration. The new system is designed to promote smooth, accurate steering responses, exceptional stability and controllability – even when close to adhesion limits – and first class body control allied to remarkable comfort over all road surface conditions.

The powerful braking system of the Alfa 159 Sportwagon comprises 305 mm ventilated front discs, and 278mm solid discs at the rear. Versions powered by the 3.2 JTS petrol and 2.4 JTDM turbodiesel engines feature larger, 330mm ventilated discs and Brembo four piston monobloc aluminium callipers at the front, with 292mm ventilated discs at the rear, for even greater, fade-free stopping power.

In the best Alfa Romeo tradition, the Alfa 159 Sportwagon offers direct, lively and responsive speed-sensitive power assisted steering, with a rack requiring just 2.3 turns lock-to-lock; the most direct steering in its class.

Both passive and active safety features are comprehensively represented in the new Alfa 159 Sportwagon. In addition to seven airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, and a fully integrated Fire Prevention System, the new car comes with a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art electronic braking, traction control and stability systems fitted as standard. ABS anti-lock braking is combined with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution over all four wheels, and a sophisticated Vehicle Dynamic Control unit enhances cornering stability. VDC is further augmented by Anti-Schlupf Regelung (ASR) to limit wheelspin during acceleration.

The Motor Speed Regulator (MSR) modulates braking torque when changing down through the gears, and a unique Hill Holder function facilitates smooth hill starts.

The new Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon is priced from $52,990 to $77,990 and is on sale now.

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