Used Alfa Romeo 147 2001 - 2009 review
Category: Family car
The Alfa Romeo 147 looks the business and its quite fun to drive, but the interior is cramped and the running costs high for this type of car.
What's the used Alfa Romeo 147 hatchback like?
Rasping engines and super-quick steering show that the Alfa Romeo 147 was designed to be a sporty car, but where a VW Golf GTI or BMW 1 Series stay smooth and controlled over bumpy roads, the 147's body control is poor and the ride suffers, too.
Yet, if it can't cut it as a sporty car, it certainly looks right: inside and out, this is one handsome small hatch. The interior looks much better made than in older Alfas, too, but passenger space is tight and the boot small.
A facelift in 2005 smoothed the car's nose and brought extra equipment across the range.
The 147 scores only three Euro NCAP stars for occupant safety, a poor result when most rivals hace four or even five. It gained two stars for pedestrian protection, which is average.
Ownership cost
What used Alfa Romeo 147 hatchback will I get for my budget?
How much does it cost to run a Alfa Romeo 147 hatchback?
Alfa Romeo 147s are relatively cheap to buy. However, running costs are high.
Servicing is as expensive as for a BMW or Mercedes, and some spares are more costly than you'd expect. To make matters worse, a few routine repairs are complicated and push up labour charges.
Most models are reasonably affordable to insure, the exception being the 3.2 GTA, which is best avoided if you're under 25 or have had an accident or two.
The diesels are pretty frugal, returning up to 48mpg. The 34mpg officially quoted for the 1.6 petrol and the 31mpg for the 2.0 look perfectly respectable, but plenty of owners claim they can't get even close to those figures.
Our recommendations
Which used Alfa Romeo 147 hatchback should I buy?
The 1.6-litre petrol is the smallest engine in the range, but it still does a good job of pulling the car along, while the 2.0 packs real fizz. The larger engine also comes with the option of a semi-automatic gearbox, which works well, but isn't that reliable.
The 3.2 V6 in the top-of-the-range GTA has a whacking 250bhp, but can't be recommended because that is simply too much power for the car to handle.
There's also a pair of smooth 1.9-litre diesel engines, with 115bhp or 140bhp. But, given this is a sports hatch, we'd go for the model with the extra power.
Other than on the GTA, which has its own unique trim, the choice is between Turismo or Lusso across the range. On older cars, Turismo means no alloy wheels or CD player, so we'd go for Lusso, which includes both as standard.
Likewise, faced with a choice of three- or five-door models, we'd go for the extra doors for added practicality.
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