om oa Dp TLE Ss 5 Alfa has pinned just sucha thing, for both the right, is flexible, strong and brisk application of the throt- re ee ee See ee Pre tC ee eee ee ea ere ee ee ee eee See ere ae eo Peano aie Eero ngs nick eee Ue ee Pra ita an amm es ena aene S Co oe ers ea re eS Fe cre re Re eae 164. However, — Siyle is purely subjective, of quite the opposite end of the — Pirelli P4000s-do not mate well Sie etree weet eterna eaten eee re tee ey Simon Arron Cee eC ame ROe CC en Tee me CRU RT eme re oa eee ee er ee ee cere Seed pee nethere asi Cee ee Teen eee tree erect et eres ta es eee ae eae ee Tee eee er rt ae a er re Pe eee eee ee ee eet Seems rectet rere Seer ree CONTE en ee eee ee Ee SCTE Ty meena te rar se ee Sean ee ee ec compensate for ee eos Pee et tit ——_ cerry coe oes ea ea serious flaws cae sare manna = Seema ernie BOL ee ee SS ee Oe ey eee STO oe acc eee Ree en ae ee a ee ee ec e SC a Uma cM Ce ee RCD Se sro ee eee ea igs cere ee icone ee Ne er ee ees ee ee eae ore ee eee ee FA Soe a ee aa ee coo ea a Oe ec ee NE ete ae kee ee eet eee ce ee eee eee 5 eet eet O ane eeeALFA ROMEO 164 3.0 V6 LUSSO NEARLY, BUT NOT QUITER OF ADTeEs TF mented by well-weighted pow- cr steering. As you would ex- pect given the front-drive configuration, it is that end which loses erip initially, but you have to go some to pro- vvoke such a reaction, It turns into quick comer precisely amd flows neutrally. through ‘once you're committed. It's such a shame tat the afore- mentioned torque steer grem- lin mmucks things up around slower, low-sear bends. In addition, the ride is a match for anything else in the class, The car is as relaxed on motorways as it is quiet, and handles the merciless ruts of Surrey B-roads with equal ‘composure, ‘The gearbox is by no means perfect yet, with a slightly otchy change that requires a Title getting used to. It is however. a great improvement over other Alfa "boxes of the recent past. of the rear trans- axle variety. and the five ratios are well-chosen. Those who drove the initial Tefchook i6ds on its launch found the all-round ventilated discs (backed up by Bosch ABS) made for a anicely- weighted pedal and progres- sive braking. Unfortunately this reassuring state of affairs hhas been lost in the translation to RHD. There is now too much pedal travel before any- thing happens, and when it does the retardation comes in all at once, leaving you a choice of all or nothing, ‘Smooth braking requires mare ‘than a degree of finesse. Indoors, the 164 is an ox: remely comfortable convey- ance for four. The driving po- sition is better than that in previous Alfas, although its heritage i vaguely apparent ‘The range of steering adjust ments applies only 10 rake, rather than reach, whieh may prevent some drivers from finding a happy compromise. The seats themselves (ele srically adjustable front and ar) provide ample support, conc trie windows and suaroof, Far less satisfactory is the outbreak Of black plastie switches on the centre console. Mast relate to the over-fussy heating syst with its fourspeed fan (ex. ‘tremely noisy) and muli-direc- tional capabilities. Lost among this lot are such fas the fog lamp and heated rear sereen controls. It is all rather OTT; nobody. could reasonably be expected to op. erate it as required without diverting their eyes from the “The doors slot into place with the sort of thump that echoes ‘Imcury car” although the hard, flat back- rest allows the enthusiastic driver's torso to slide around during fleet cross-country transit. ‘All dials (analogue to the last) and major controls aze well-placed, as are the switch- es for ancillaries such as elec- road for longer than would be advisable, Presuming you have activat- ed the correct heating con- trols, the system functions well enough via a comprehensive array of vents, which are also poorly labelled and require education in Kalin automo.ALFA ROMEO 164 3.0 V6 LUSSO ——————————————— bile hieroglyphics. However, the ventilation is dependent uupon heater setting, ‘All-round visibility is_first- rate and, generally speaking the cockpit feels like place to be. The overall fin inside and out, is excellent. Fven the doors slot into place with the sort of resounding thump that echoes ‘luxury car” Alfa has also managed to play down its use of plastics ithasa’t yet matched BMW's ability to make cheap materials seem more substantial, but the cabin has a solid, quality feel to it, For the family man there isa capacious boot, although inte rior storage space (save for an enormous glove box) is medio- cre, and the door pockets are sufficiently inaccessible to be of virtually no use. The standard equipment list covers all the aforementioned electrical gadgets plus such as heated electric door mirrors, climate control and six-speak- price of the lesser model) The 164 comes up against the likes of Rover's Vitesse (£19,944), Honda Legend 27 (£20,300), Vauxhall Carlton 3.0 “GSI (£18,999), BMW “Fi fine chassis, wonderful engine and many other attributes” ‘er CDiradio hidden trom pry- ing eyes by a hinged plastic flap. ‘The 164 buyer will want for litle, whether he goes for the ‘plain’ V6 (at £17,925) or the Lusso (at £20,250, but with alloy wheels, low profile tyres, electric sunroof and CD, all of which would add £2,750 to the S25iSE (£20,250), Renault 25 Vo. (£20,400), Ford Granada Scorpio (£19,018), Volvo 760 Turbo (£20,790), Mercedes: Benz 260E, (£22,100) and ~ conceivably — the Jaguar XJ6 in 2.9itre guise (£18,400). The Alfa is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch, sim- ply on the grounds of its new- ness. Of the rest, only BMW and Rover can claim any sort that the Alfa falls slightly short of initial expectations, Tt isn’t a bad ear, far from it, for it has a fine chassis, a wonderful en gine and many other attributes. It is seriously let down by the excessive torque reaction, overservoed brakes and a lack of fine attention to detail in some areas. Given the eager- ‘ness with which its arrival was anticipated, it was thus slightly disappointing, although there is nothing amiss which can't — and therefore, we hope, will be cured. ALFA ROMEO 164 3.0 Pree (ted) £20,250 ‘V6 LUSSO. ENGINE Cina Six, ing sce Capacity, Bere/sroke am oun Gon Soh per bank Compression tle 951 Fuel stem Rosch Motonic MLA. elctronic injection avian power, bap 19015600 Mor sorgue, 1 ep 1813.00 TRANSMISSION Te Freeep manual Inter atin and ph pn Fine assaiss sasaa12 hira Liss 2a? Fie 351168 29Et ‘DEMENSIONS Teh ai set, in sin “Feonteartiac, fuel ani gall Ker weit, ent ge pe s sas. iss ae PERFORMANCE Mastin oped mp 1 Accleration tough gars, S 030i O-4imph——SOmph————O-60mPH «TO Op MPH AE ote BQ i AL 38 16 102 as 159 209 203 ‘Sseleration inoue, se 2.809 ——T09Hmph_—_ HOOP AL 13) 2 (0-80mpb 7090p Reet u. wa So BrP Br FUEL CONSUMPTION ‘Overall test gure, ee 2. Government et pres mp ‘Ucian cyle 2.) "Shel Sémph29.2 ‘Sealy Sep 3R 0 , i aS