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Alfa show new Spider and 159 Sportwagon at Geneva

Alfa Romeo is displaying for the first time the complete range of cars derived from the Project 159 Platform, with the Alfa Spider and the Alfa 159 Sportwagon joining the Alfa Romeo 159 sports saloon and the stunning Alfa Romeo Brera sports car. The Swiss Show also sees the debut of a new version of the Alfa Brera, equipped with the 200 bhp 2.4 JTDm 20v engine, and lavish, elegant 'Collezione' versions of the Alfa GT and Alfa 147.

Three versions of the 159 Sportwagon are on display in Geneva: one has 'Alfa Silver' paintwork and is equipped with the powerful 3.2 V6 Q4 24-valve engine delivering 260 bhp, the second is 'Ruby Red' with the 185 bhp 2.2 JTS engine, and the third is 'Dawn Light Blue', powered by the 200 bhp 2.4 JTDm engine.

The other undisputed star of the stand is the fascinating, new Alfa Spider which through a complex, refined game of allusions, recalls Alfa Romeo's glorious tradition in this sector (from the Giulietta Spider of the 1950s to the Duetto and this model launched in the 1990s); it proposes cutting-edge solutions, inheriting the excellence of the mechanicals and engineering from the Alfa Brera, as well as its elegant, sporty styling.

Two versions of the new Alfa Spider are on display in Geneva: a 2.2 JTS delivering 185 bhp and a 3.2 V6 Q4 delivering 260 bhp, both in the top-of-the-range outfit that includes 7 airbags, VDC, ASR, automatic dual-zone climate control, Wind-stop, Blue Tobacco natural leather upholstery and 18" alloys.

Brera
There is also room for the other two cars from the '159 project': the Brera and the 159. Geneva marks the debut of a new version of the Brera equipped with the powerful 200 bhp 2.4 JTDm 20v engine, with a maximum power output of 147 kW (200 bhp) at 4,000 rpm and peak torque of 400 Nm (40.8 kgm) at 2,000 rpm. The engine has 5 cylinders in line and is the most powerful of the JTD multivalve engines with Multijet technology, with a specific power of 84 bhp/litre.

Next to this debutante is the second Alfa Brera, a Q4 version with black paintwork and a 3.2 V6 JTS 24-valve engine delivering 191 kW (260 bhp) at 6,200 rpm and peak torque of 322 Nm (32.8 kgm) at 4,500 rpm.

Both cars are well equipped: 7 airbags (including knee bags on the driver's side) VDC, ABS with EBD, ventilated disc brakes front and rear, MSR, Hill Holder, ASR and foglights, dual-zone automatic climate control, radio with CD player and CD changer, parking sensor, Bose Hi-Fi system, a Visibility Pack (rain sensor, dusk sensor and misting sensor), map radio navigator and telephone with voice controls. The two versions both have natural leather upholstery and 18" alloy wheels.

159
The four-wheel drive Q4 version is being shown in Geneva, equipped with the new Australian built 3.2 V6 JTS 24v engine (191 kW - 260 bhp), with 'Ocean Black' paintwork. Inside it is lavishly appointed with Frau 'pieno fiore' fine-grain leather upholstery on the facia, seats and door panels. Plus tri-zone climate control, aluminium trims, electric seats, Cruise control, 7 airbags, VDC stability control with a hill holder, map radio navigator and telephone with voice controls, xenon headlights and 18" alloy wheels, parking sensors and reclining rear seat.

GT and 147
Under the spotlights of the Swiss Show is a special version of the Alfa GT developed in collaboration with Bertone -'Collezione' - designed for a more 'sophisticated' clientele (Alfa's words not ours!). In addition to the usual standard equipment, it also has a number of exclusive features: 17" alloy wheels (a borehole pattern with chrome treatment), black-framed front headlights, a body-coloured front bumper grille, two-tone leather seats with a perforated cushion and Alfa Romeo logo, beige/black facia and gear and hand brake levers covered with leather. The carpet and mats, centre console and side partitions are all the same beige colour. And finally, this refined Alfa GT also offers a map navigator with a telephone and voice controls, complete with a subscription to the info-telematic services.

The 147 is given the same treatment, with a 5-door version on show in Geneva with the 'Collezione' outfit and metallic black paintwork. This is a 147 JTD with the 150 bhp 1.9 JTDm engine, and features sophisticated safety equipment as standard: VDC, ASR, ABS with EBD and six airbags. The outfit also includes dual-zone automatic climate control, new 17" alloys with a double ray pattern, radio with CD player, Cruise Control and electric rear windows. The car on display also features exclusive two-tone beige leather seat upholstery, a map navigator with built-in hands-free telephone, and radio and telephone controls on the steering wheel.

The sophisticated 'Blue&Me' system
Some versions of the 159 Sportwagon and Brera feature the innovative BLUE&ME system, based on Windows Mobile technology, and developed jointly by Fiat Auto and Microsoft (see previous ItalianCar article), which provides a whole new level of communications, information and entertainment in the car, the aim being to improve the comfort and quality of the time spent on board.

The device is extremely simple to use, and allows you to make/receive telephone calls and to listen to music simply and safely as you drive. And thanks to Bluetooth® technology, you can also communicate with the outside world from the car using your own personal mobile phone or HDA. The system on offer will be supplemented in future with more evolved devices giving access to the many novelties that technological progress has in store for the coming years: from a complete multimedia system to satellite navigation. In addition to which there is a whole range of services that will make all your journeys more comfortable, safer and easier.

The 'Blue&Me' device on the 159 Sportwagon and Brera incorporates a sophisticated hands-free system with voice recognition that - according to Alfa - guarantees maximum driving safety in all conditions, and respects the law because the driver can use the system without taking his hands off the wheel. The system allows drivers with a Bluetooth® mobile phone to use the telephone even if it is in a jacket or a bag, automatically lowering the radio volume (when this is on) and routing the interlocutor's voice through the stereo speakers. The system is also claimed to be extremely compatible with all cell phones currently on the market and can be updated to comply with new standards and future telephones.

The 'Blue&Me' device is built into the car and the control keys are positioned on the steering wheel for immediate, safe access to the system; the driver can find a number in his phone book by scrolling the control panel display, or 'mute' the call for confidentiality. One interesting feature is the fact that the mobile phone only has to be registered with the system once. It is also possible to transfer one's personal phone book to the car, automatically updating it every time the system recognises a cell phone.

Privacy is guaranteed because access is only granted to the phone book if the telephone registered with the system is in the car. The number or name of the caller is shown on the display if it is in the phone book and the number can be called 'vocally' by dictating the numbers or pronouncing the name if it has been memorised.

The evolved voice recognition process means that the voice does not have to be 'learned', and the device is able to memorise up to 5 cell phones at the same time, allowing immediate use of the hands-free system by several users of the same car; and programming can obviously be modified whenever necessary. And finally, the hands-free system with voice recognition can also reproduce a 'personal' call tone using the radio speakers.

These are the features of the hands-free system with voice recognition, but there is more to the innovative 'Blue&Me' system on the 159 Sportwagon and Brera: it allows the motorist to listen to his favourite music when it is recorded on a mobile phone, one of the new smart phones, on an MP3 player or on a USB pen drive. A USB port in the glove compartment allows any USB-equipped digital device to be connected and allowing musical audio files (MP3, WMA and WAV) to be reproduced directly through the stereo system. And because all the information is visible on the instrument panel display, the client can scroll through the system archive (divided by type, album, artist, etc.) either vocally or using the steering wheel controls, and select the piece he wants to listen to by the controls on the steering wheel.

© italiancar.com.au 19/03/06