Alfa Romeo 156 GTA test: flower of the songs

Welcome to 2002. Jacques Chirac returns for a second term, the euro definitively supplants the franc (ah, the table of 6.55957!), and France mourns the elimination, from the group stage, of its football team reigning world champion. There are however reasons to regret this palindrome year, for the bagnolards in general and the Alfists in particular. One of them is in three letters: GTA. A badge born thirty-seven years earlier on the famous Giulia coupe, then resurrected on one of the most desirable wagons of the momentthe Alfa Romeo 156.

Introduced in 1997, the standard 156 warmed up the most pessimistic of tifosi : balanced lines, neo-retro cabin, super direct steering chassis. And a range of Twin Spark engines headed by the famous “Busso” V6, whose 190 hp and 2.5 l displacement just lacked a bit of space compared to the contemporary BMW 328i. Complexes slimmed down five years later when its GTA majesty came. Displacement? 3.2 l thanks to the lengthening of the stroke of the pistons. Power ? 250 hp at 6,200 rpm, another 800 rpm before the red zone. Torque? 300 Nm, far from the 222 Nm of the pointed 2.5 l. Developments significant enough to justify others…

Understated elegance

Next to the current Giulia Quadrifoglio (which we’ll talk about below), its ancestor 156 GTA looks almost nice. No spoiler on the trunk, no bonnet scarred with air inlets, no carbon fiber roof, just specific skirts and shields and two small chrome exhaust pipes. Offering two designs of rims to choose from (thin and multiple sticks or five large holes evoking clovers, as here), the wheels peak at 17 inches, three less than those of a new electric Mégane. At the time, this was enough to visually fill the fender passages.

The soft lines and the nice gimmicks of the 156 go through the years wonderfully (no free ribs, mythical grille offsetting the license plate, hidden rear handles), unlike certain elements of the cabin. We thus smile in front of the poor integration of the passenger airbag, in view of the glove box which always seems badly closed, or in front of the plastics in slight decomposition on the gear lever (it crumbles) and the ashtray (it sticks ). I have to say that our 2003 copy has driven a lot, a lot, and then, other festivities sweep away our sterile quest for the material adjusted to the line. Irresistible counters in the well, pressure gauges oriented towards the pilot and inscriptions in Italian (giri, water Where gasoline and not rpm, water and gasoline) forgive all the sticky plastics in the world.

281,000 km for our 156 GTA!

The 156 GTA here being tested belongs to Claude Busson, brand specialist at biscione as was his father, an Alfa Romeo dealer in Sannois since the 1970s. His workshop is full of rarities (are you more of a Montreal V8 or GTV Production?) and brings together three 156 GTAs, a station wagon and two sedans, including his, which seem new . ” It was bought new in Switzerland by a salesman who drove a lot “, he tells us. Sweet understatement: this GTA Grigio Metallico (metal grey) will celebrate its 281,000 km with us.

The up-to-date service book shows pit stops every 10,000 km (often covered in less than six months!), timing belt replacements every five years (a tedious and expensive operation) and a new clutch at 165,000 km. Since her acquisition by Claude in 2016, this experienced worker has been on a well-deserved retirement. ” I only take it on certain weekends when I miss its sound, he said. It is amplified by a stainless steel exhaust silencer, but the consumption of the 3.2 V6 is cooling…”. The on-board computer thus displays 13.7 l/100 km of average and this, without ever exceeding 6,000 rpm “says Claude. But the Busso is content with much lower speeds to promise tones and wonders.

Driving the 156 GTA

Starting a 156 GTA is like watching an opera on the poor man’s jump seat. Before the performance, we complained about the driving position, the slightly high bucket seat, the non-adjustable steering wheel in depth. Then the curtain opens and everything is swept away. With a sweet first note full of promise, the V6 Busso invades the room which is silent, disappointed at not being able to close your eyes (not recommended on the open road) to better appreciate the melody. Launching useless shots of gas to take off at the green light or get out of a parking space has never been enjoyable. And this is timely given the truckish turning circle of the 156 GTA, forcing you to multiply the maneuvers for a half-turn that you imagined easy.

After a few kilometers at a gentle pace, the upper red screen gives the green light: the oil is at temperature. Extremely flexible from 1,000 rpm, the V6 3.2 then shows another facet of its personality, which gradually gains in character without ever exaggerating. Here, no sudden kick in the buttocks or violent turbo effect, but a bugger who amplifies his thrust and his sound as he approaches the red zone. Nothing to do with the catapults of the contemporary Giulia, whose 510 hp twin-turbo V6 pushes like a deaf but whose vocalizations, more muddled, and the gears, disproportionate on the open road, sometimes generate more frustration than pleasure.

Modulable to the nearest horse, the power alters less than expected the traction of the front axle, except to accelerate like a zouave in second. The chassis even appears to be an excellent surprise: front axle pushing the limits of understeer, rear placing just enough when releasing the accelerator. Tires, silent blocks and recent shock absorbers play here in its favor. Finally, only the direction, already very direct, seems a little fuzzy around the middle point and then too light in dynamic driving.

And braking in all this? Not folichon but sufficient in these conditions, at least with the drilled discs of 330 mm supplanting here their counterparts of origin of 305 mm in diameter (the standard discs, easy to “veil” on hard braking, have moreover evolved to 330mm from 2004). Or the only element modified with the stainless steel exhaust line… Purists will doubtless cry wolf, but these two pieces of equipment in fact sublimate this family better than all the electronic devices in the world. Here, no driving mode, no controlled suspension, no ESP anti-skid, but a set of well-balanced elements that flatter the driver to be the only master on board. Or rather the only conductor, in (al)fa major of course.

The Giulia Quadrifoglio on another planet

After a superb Alfa Romeo 159 but very far from the 156 technically (significantly increased weight, mute V6 from the General Motors component bank), it was believed that the Italian family was definitively sacrificed on the altar of economies of scale. It was badly anticipating the sequel and the arrival of the Giulia in 2016, patched up with the contained weight and the propulsion architecture of the Alfas of yesteryear. To have better than a four-cylinder, however, you have to climb high, very high. The only V6 available is fed by two turbos and spits out 510 hp and 600 Nm. This is downright double the 156 GTA, propelling the Giulia Quadrifoglio into a completely different category, that of the Audi RS4 and BMW M3.

The name GTA has also revived in 2020 with a limited series of 500 copies and closer to the original “Gran Tourisme Lightened” spirit. It adopted multiple carbon body parts and even, on the Giulia GTAm tested here, a half-roll bar instead of the bench seat! A wonderfully successful engineering frenzy, at a tremendously crazy price: €171,600, almost double that of a Quadrifoglio and… quadruple that of a 156 GTA. Remember that when it was released, the 156 GTA was priced at €40,300, equivalent to €52,000 today, taking inflation into account.

Find a GTA 156 today

Marketed between 2002 and 2005, the 156 GTA was produced in 4,651 copies, including 3,185 sedans and 1,668 station wagons. There are no major developments to report (it was not affected by the restyling of the 156 in 2002, with different lights and grilles) nor any particular variation other than the possible choice between a six-speed manual gearbox and a robotic single clutch baptized Selespeed. The project of a 156 GTAm with V6 3.5 of 300 hp, seen in the reserves of the museum of Milan, will never have seen the light of day…

While prices start at €11,000, an example in good original condition hovers between €15,000 and €20,000 depending on mileage, maintenance and recent costs. The price/pleasure ratio therefore appears interesting, but do not forget that the fuel/maintenance budget is not negligible (the replacement of the timing belt, recommended every five years, requires a ticket of almost €1,500) and that certain bodywork or interior parts are beginning to be missing. Finally, remember that the 156 GTA had a little sister, the 147 GTA, powered by the same 250 hp 3.2 V6. A fixed ESP anti-skid muzzled its chassis, however, slightly more outdated than that of a 156 just equipped with disengageable traction control. The recklessness of the twenties, no doubt…

TO READ. Alfa 147 GTA vs VW Golf 4 R32: our match in 2002

Comparative data sheets

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