Overview

The Alfa Romeo 147 is a compact car made by the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo, a division of FIAT Group. Alfa Romeo produced the 147 from 2000 until 2010. The car was launched at the 2000 Turin Motor Show as the direct replacement for the Alfa Romeo 145 / 146 hatchbacks; the Alfa Romeo 147 was replaced at the end of its production life by the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

Alfa Romeo offered the 147 in two body styles a three door hatchback and a five door hatchback. The car was based on the same platform as the larger Alfa Romeo 156 sedan. The Alfa Romeo 147 was designed by Walter de'Silva and Wolfgang Egger. The 147 received considerable praise for its styling at its launch, even receiving Troph es du design (Automobile Magazine - France) in 2000. Alfa Romeo facelifted the 147 in 2004 to be up to date with the exterior styling of the then new Alfa Romeo 159 and Alfa Romeo Brera models.

Variants

The 147 was available with three petrol engines - a 1.6 liter straight four, a 2.0 liter straight four and a 3.2 liter V6 - and a diesel engine - a 1.9 liter straight four -.

The entry level 1.6 liter inline four engine was offered in two power outputs. The least powerful produced 105 hp @ 5600 rpm and maximum torque of 103 lb/ft @ 4200 rpm. The engine came with a five speed manual transmission that delivered the power to the front wheels. In terms of performance the car could get from zero to 60 mph in 10.8 seconds, cover a standing quarter mile in 18.5 seconds and get to a top speed of 115 mph. As for the fuel consumption, on average the Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 returned 29.3 mpg.

The most powerful 1.6 liter produced 120 hp @ 6300 rpm and maximum of 108 lb/ft of torque @ 4200 rpm. The engine was connected to the five speed manual transmission. The extra horse power and torque enabled the car to sprint to 60 mph in 10.2 seconds, cover a standing quarter mile in 17.4 seconds and get to a top speed of 121 mph. This version of the engine returned 28.1 miles per gallon on average.

Next in the petrol range, the 2.0 liter straight four, developed some 150 hp @ 6300 rpm and a maximum torque of 133 lb/ft @ 3800 rpm. The engine was available with either a five speed manual or an optional five speed semiautomatic. The Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 could sprint to 60 mph in 8.9 sec / 9.0 sec (5MT / 5S-AT), cover a quarter mile from a standing start in 16.7 sec / 17.0 sec (5MT / 5S-AT) and get to a top speed of 129 mph (5MT & 5S-AT). As for the fuel consumption the car retuned and average of 24.3 mpg / 24 mpg (5MT / 5S-AT).

In 2002 the hot hatch 147 GTA was launched. The car featured a 3.2 liter V6 that produced no less than 250 hp @ 6200 rpm and a maximum torque of 221 lb/ft @ 4800 rpm. Both the five speed manual and the five speed semi automatic were available. The performances of the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA were very good, the car could get to 60 mph in 6.0 sec / 6.0 sec (5MT / 5S-AT), cover a quarter of a mile in 14.2 sec / 14.4 sec (5MT / 5S-AT) and get to a top speed of 153 mph (5MT & 5S-AT). On average the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA returned 19.4 mpg / 19.1 mpg (5MT / 5S-AT).

The 1.9 liter diesel engine was offered in four power outputs. The least powerful version made 100 hp @ 4000 rpm and maximum of 147 lb/ft @ 2000; the mot powerful version made 170 hp @ 3750 rpm and maximum torque of 243 lb/ft @ 2000 rpm. The diesel 147 came with either a five speed manual or a six speed manual.

Additional Information

The Alfa Rome 147 GTA was reviewed by the British TV presented from Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson characterized the acceleration "...Ferrari throttle Forget it. When you stamp on the accelerator it's like you've hit the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive. Suddenly all the stars are fluorescent tubes. ..." and the handling "....A corner was coming. And then it was a distant speck in my rear-view mirror. I vaguely remember turning the wheel and I have a dim recollection of being astounded by the grip . . . and then the moment was gone. No, really, the damn thing is a barnacle....".