Alfa's New Wagon Rolls

Only the Italians could create an estate that looks this good! The exclusive photos in this week's issue are of Alfa Romeo's forthcoming 157 Sportwagon, which is set to appear in UK showrooms alongside its four-door saloon brother later this year.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Chris Thorp

02nd June 2004

Our main picture in the magazine shows how the final production version will look. Overall, the Giuigaro-designed shape has stayed very similar to that of the current load-lugging 156. Most of the changes have come at the front, where the five-door has been given a more aggressive look.

Our spyshots of the disguised model were taken as the lifestyle estate was undergoing final testing. They show that the car is all but ready to make its official debut, and emphasise the fact that Alfa is keen to launch all variants of the 157 at the same time.

A range of direct-injection petrol and diesel engines will power both versions of the new car. It's believed that flagship models will make use of either a revised 3.2-litre petrol V6 unit or a potent new six-cylinder oil-burner.

As with the current 156, both manual and semi-automatic Selespeed gearboxes will be available, but engineers have been working hard to make sure that the Alfa's clutchless transmission will be smoother than ever.

Another major change will be the move to four-wheel drive for the high-performance GTA-badged model. While most of the range will continue to feed power to the front wheels, bosses at the company have decided the speed and handling the GTA needs to beat rivals can't be delivered without making the switch to all-wheel drive.

Owners will also notice a significant difference inside, as a new, classier interior has been fitted to reflect the newcomer's shift upmarket. The move towards greater luxury is partly down to the importance of the 157 range in Alfa's return to the American market, where the company hopes to be competitive by 2007. Although there's no official word on prices for the new car yet, insiders suggest there will be an increase of at least ΂£2,000 over the outgoing 156 line-up - so buyers can expect entry-level models to weigh in at around the ΂£17,000 mark.