2009 Alfa Romeo 159 JTS Review - So Much Soul
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
- Alfa Romeo. Some love it, some hate it, but regardless of your stance, you have to agree that they are one of the few brands that seems to be styled with passion and built with flair, rather than churned out for the masses.
Having never driven one, I thought it would be interesting to take this one (that was traded on a far more reliable Honda lol) for a drive to see what all the fuss is about.
I was pleasantly surprised!
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:11 Exterior
2:08 Interior
3:20 Engine
4:11 Acceleration and Sound
4:30 Driving Experience
Music:
• Vein - KV | Free Backg...
• Sunset Drive - Tokyo M... - Авто та транспорт
Holy moly. Not a review I expected on this channel. But as an Alfista who always loved the misunderstood 159 (especially in 3.2 JTS form), this is the holy grail.
Yeah it's pretty cool
@@KiwiCarLife 0p
The 3.2 came with a free oil well and refinery.
My five Alfas were all reliable. If you look after them properly they are fine.
I'm sure, but this one has had one owner and a full alfa service history. Yet, it had a screaming power steering pump, and missfired numerous times with an engine light coming and going the entire time I drove it. While they are better than they used to be, they're certainly not all reliable.
@@KiwiCarLife I've owned 2 new Giulia's since 2017 and now I own the Stelvio. All 3 have had zero problems. Prior to these newer models, I owned a 1974 Spider Veloce, 1 1989 75 Milano sedan and a 1995 164L V6 sedan. All three of those gave me 0 problems. So, reliability is not an issue for my 6 experiences with the brand.
Reliabilty of well used cars is down to keeping on top of issues that arise this applies to all brands even honda.
@@KiwiCarLife the JTS engines, or at least the 2.2 4cyl form are pretty shite. dont know much about the 3.2 tbh but the jtdm diesels in this generation are really good, especially the later 2L one, very reliable: my dad took his 159 sportwagon, very similar to this but with the 2L JTDM, to spain and back and italy and back from England and it had zero issues at all. We've also been to the nurburgring and Milan in an older Alfa 155, which only suffered from a single sensor failing and therefore making it run a bit shit (good for a car from 1996 if you ask me) unplugged it and was fine the rest of the journey. ive seen really shit ones but usually just as a result of old owners not taking care of them
This channel is so underrated. All of your reviews are amazing keep up the amazing work!!
Thanks man!
I've had an alfa romeo brera and currently own a 159 sportwagon with no reliability issues in fact I had a big grin on my face when I passed a stranded tesla last weekend 😅
Very nice!
I love this car 😍 nice review
Cheers!
This video sums it up. I am owner of sedan version 3.2 and it works like a charm for 6y already. Just a regular maintenance.
Lovely!
Nice review mate
Why thank you
My first nice car was an Alfa 156 2.0L Twin Spark manual. Absolutely loved driving it. I had to replace a few things over a 4 year period but bought parts cheap from ebay UK. I personally don't think the 156/159 generations are any less reliable than other European cars from the same era.
True yeah their modern stuff is definitely a lot better than their older ones, but this one as an example has a screaming power steering pump and occasionally started misfiring as I drove it
Outside of Europe and Oceania those cars are a pain to own no parts available
@@nothing9271 yeah I imagine
@@KiwiCarLife having spoken to some 159 owners and mechanics, I realised reliability issues when it comes to 159 are an urban myth which only circles among those who have never actually owned one.
@@emilz85 I still own a 159 jts 2.2 ti from new since 2008 and have had very few issues with it other than it seems to go through 12v batteries - on average have to buy a new one every 3-4 years. the other issue was the power steering top hose was leaking and needed to be replaced - that what was causing the power steering to whirr. I bet your example KiwiCarLife has/had the same issue but the owner didn't check the fluid and let it run on too little fluid therefore damaging the pump. No other issues - though I am about to have the front bushings replaced on the double wishbone suspension, it is not necessary but I like to keep the car in top order. I always buy the correct tires (conti sports) etc. Also I should add I don't drive huge kms - my car has only 125,000 kms on the clock.
Love to see a video with a professional edit like that 👌👌
Thanks!
The 159 is a great car to drive, test drove one before I bought my manual V6 GT with the Busso V6. Unfortunately I never got to test it on a open or windy road so it's nice to hear your opinion on how it handles a b road!
Yeah it's quite nice
You are driving the wrong alfa and still enjoying it lol. Imagine if you drove an old alfa- 147gta, 156gta and everything before it lmao.
Very true!
No thanks. 159 !😮
Quite true, my son has a 147 TS with 199,000kms and everything still works, to be fair the previous owners probably spent a bit on it
Very nice! Yeah from reading the comments it seems a lot of people see these as reliable, but like with any euro you have to spend money to keep them happy
@@KiwiCarLife yes you’re bang on there, you’re also bang on about being surprised the first time you drive them. My brother had a 159 v6 wagon and he loved it, sold it and bought a v8 Volvo which was lovely (had the best exhaust noise just at idle even) but he always missed the Alfa. He has a Gulia now. If you find the right mechanic that appreciates Italian cars you’re on your way. Very lucky here in ChCh that we have the “Italian Job” based in central CHCH. They know all there is to know about Alfas and other Italian brands. This is crucial
On a set of bilstein dampers the ride is tight and very smooth, mapped turbo diesels are pretty quick.
Oh yeah I imagine
I've just bought a 2.4 diesel with a remap making 240hp and 480nm. While there certainly is some turbo lag down low and it doesn't make a lot of power up high, at freeway speeds if you plant your foot the thing moves like a train!
İ always thought that 159s do not have Paddle shifters. İs it something that the owner installed or do they have them from factory? İnteresting...
Nah all factory
@@KiwiCarLife Ooo very nice. İ never saw 159s with paddle shifters. İ think it's very rare. Nice car BTW!
I've driven an Alfa Romeo 159 2.2l JTS manual, and the drive is like nothing else. Really smooth car to drive, just completely effortless. The 159 is a great car, it's a car that thoroughly stands out from the crowd.
Regarding reliability, 159's are ageing, complicated luxury cars. They're not bought by "ordinary people", they're bought by petrolheads who know what they're getting in to.
Yeah they’re nice cars eh
What road is the one when you are pushing on? Dont recognise it. Looks epic
Coast road, wainuiomata
Was waiting on you to stop at a car shop at some point🤣🤣🤣... hello from CROATIA m8 🇭🇷 HONDA 4LIFE🔰
Hello!
mazda mps review please!
Got one planned soon!
If you're ever in Canberra, feel free to message me and see my Alf 4C :) always keen to hear what people that are new to Alfas think about them
Nice!
Ive got an alfa 159. Had to buy an estate for work so it sat there for a year and a half! Put a new battery in. And it started first time! So reliability issues? I dont think so. Did some maintenance on it and it passed mot and is back on the rd! 😮
Very nice!
If you think a 159 is surprising, you should really try out the 156. I've owned both a 156 V6 2.5 and a 159 Ti 2.2 JTS. While I think the 159 is pretty nice to drive, the 156 just blows it away in terms of driving fun. The 156 felt quite a bit more nimble and playful, and the steering was a lot more direct and communicative. The steering feel was just awesome.
Yep driven one, review coming soon
@@KiwiCarLife Great! Look forward to that.
Dont try crash testing the 156. 159 is extremely safe car on par with Volvo during these years. One of my pals smashed his 159 at 90kmh and walked away fine. He rear ended a taxi that jumped the lane with no lights. He had no braking distance at all. When I looked at the car, you cant say that it was an impact at 90kmh.
@@kamata93 my dad wrote off his old 159 lol, 20mph crash so not really bad and he literally just drove it home leaving a little line of coolant drops across the street but nothing else. honestly wasnt even that badly damaged
i own essentially the manual version of this car with the AWD. I actually think the awd kinda ruins it a bit as it bogs it down on the autobahn. it seems to make the car feel more like it has the power of a gti than a what it actually has. BTW, working on it is a total pain.
Yeah I don't really understand why cars at this power level need AWD. Honda's Accord V6 and Toyota Camry never came with AWD and they put down power just fine and feel very spritely. As you say, the extra drivetrain losses from the AWD setup definitely make it feel slower than it really is.
I have the 159 tbi 1.75 cc its had some minor blips and maintence costs .However what car does not ,I have had 5 Alfa and the TBI is overall better than the others.Interior is plastic fantastic wing mirrors glass corrodes badly,coolant bottles are ropey and the cover to the cam can be brittle.The gear boxes are the poor GM32 ones ,but I still love the driving experience.
Yeah they're awesome to drive
Apparently the 2.4 diesel is the engine to get, the 3.2 has a drinking problem and doesn’t make a lot of power, plus is a GM unit so …….I would take issue with the interior feeling “cheap” I tried a diesel 2.4 6 speed manual and the interior felt very solid. Possibly an early series 159 , often they will cut costs on “refreshed” models so perhaps that’s the case with your test car.
It was more the radio screen that felt cheap, everything else was nice. I’d have the V6 - simple and reliable. And it makes a sweet noise
Quality soldering is present
Lovely reliable vehicle
they are good cars I think it is time to stop saying that they are not very reliable
Hah good car, not reliable sorry. This one was a one owner, full service history NZ new, low k's car. Yet it still had a cooked power steering pump and the head gasket was on its way out along with an intermittent engine light and missfire. GM derived engine and italian electronics? No thanks
@@KiwiCarLife Doesn't happen with Mercs, BMWs and Audis? Please stop trashing a great car. What do you drive? An Accord, wow, how adventurous. Japanese cars are as bland as porridge.
The 3.2 is a general motors engine it's not a proper Alfa Romeo imo
True, but alfa did rework the top end to give it more of that alfa sound
@@KiwiCarLife Exactly. People still pulling this old, bad joke. The block could've come from Honda it wouldn't have made any difference. The engine is oversquare (like the old Busso), has DOHC, a metal intake manifold, quite large cams from the factory, is rev happy but unfortunately... it has direct injection.
Perhaps you need to understand what an engine block is. All the rest is made by Alfa, to their specifications. Even the timing chains are different from the GM, that's how much they changed it.
All Alfa got was the alloytec block and then Alfa put in forged internals, their own heads, cams etc.
Two best engines for the 159 - 2.4 JTDm and 1750TBi. Anything else is a compromise.
Ah yes
2.2 JTS rocks. An Alfa should always be petrol engined. I've heard the 1750TBi, aren't as reliable as my Holden block 2.2.
She is beautiful
Sure is!
Not a real Alfa. The gearknob didn't come off in your hand. Wait a minute, the last Alfa I drove was one of these V6 159 Sportwagons and the gearknob came off in my hand while still stationary, clearly delivering its Alfa credentials. It's driver error.
The 156’s gear knob came off in my hand when I reviewed that haha
The Powersteering problem is it head the wrong fluïd in it. Green was std from factory but it needs purple they changed it later! The timingchain is a probleem when you dont change the oil every year. But come on people Alfa Romeo makes really good cars now a days im from Europe and love my 159
Ah yes
Why would anyone wear shorts shooting this?
I do!
@@KiwiCarLife It's an Alfa, it deserves a bit of decorum.
Also Alfa GT 3.2L would be quite better
Probably
Thanks for the video. But JTS is a piece of crap. JTD is the best. And of course TBi but it's really hard to find one
Id have the v6 over the diesel personally, and the turbo one is cool, but it just doesn't have the charm of a colourful sounding v6
Alfas should ALWAYS be petrol. Diesel? Particulate filter causes problems unless highway driven. You speaking from experience or what you read from other uninformed punters?
@@ibanmayo2 oh but I thought alfas were immune from issues. You’re not telling me they have a problem are you?
Probably no less reliable than a commodore, since many parts are shared.
I suppose
wow i'm impressed you still get this shit in new Zealand, oh well 2 years ago, but if i could still get this car... how much km/lt
Yeah we get all sorts of odd stuff. Probably about 10km/l
It's always the same alfa and reliability as no other make has problems any car on this planet is as reliable as its owner it really is tiring when these so called car experts talk about something they have no clue about I'm an alfisti best marque on the planet
Yeah and I get tired of biased Alfa enthusiasts coming on here claiming absolute nonsense like that Alfas are as reliable as the earth. They just aren't. Jokes be it generalized or not, usually always have some truth to them. This one for example had 1 owner from new and a full service history. Power steering pump was going, and engine we discovered afterwards had a blown head gasket. You can't make that up
Absolutely Ian, and it peaves me off. Mine has been more reliable than a Toyota. Lazy journalism.
@@KiwiCarLife So no other makes have those issues? How many cars have you driven with zero issues?
@@ibanmayo2 I don’t review cars that have problems normally, but I made an exception for this Alfa because it was a cracking car to drive. But it also had a head gasket that was showing signs of going, a ruined power steering pump, intermittent engine light and missfires, and numerous creaks and rattles. It’s had low k’s, one owner and a full Alfa svc history before they traded it at Honda and I filmed a review
This is probably the worst engine you can get for 159 in terms of actual possesion, not Just borowi g for a review.
Ah yes
Using silly old stereotypes not watching!!
Ah yes
today looks old comparing with new models
True, but I reckon it looks far more unique than most other family wagons to come out of the 2000's
you will learn how to be an alfa mechanic if u own one
Yeah true haha
Boolshit. See my response.
Buy a Golf or Micra. With every unique car you learn how to repair it and maintain it by yourself.