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Alfa Romeo 159 Wagon's 3.2-Liter V6 Sounds Like a Golf R32 on the Autobahn

Objectively, it's not the best European car of that era, but it's impossible not to find something you love on this Alfa Romeo 159 Ti Wagon. It's Italian, has an interesting engine, and looks like an Audi RS4 for people on a budget.
Alfa Romeo 159 Ti Wagon's 3.2-Liter V6 Sounds Like a Golf R32 on the Autobahn 5 photos
Photo: AutoTopNL/YouTube screenshot
Alfa Romeo 159 Ti Wagon's 3.2-Liter V6 Sounds Like a Golf R32 on the AutobahnAlfa Romeo 159 Ti Wagon's 3.2-Liter V6 Sounds Like a Golf R32 on the AutobahnAlfa Romeo 159 Ti Wagon's 3.2-Liter V6 Sounds Like a Golf R32 on the AutobahnAlfa Romeo 159 Ti Wagon's 3.2-Liter V6 Sounds Like a Golf R32 on the Autobahn
Currently, Ti is a decent trim level to have on a 2021 Giulia or Stelvio. It comes with sporty looks, and a 280-horsepower version of the Italian 2.0-liter turbo engine, matched to the German-made ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. But the 159 Ti is a classic with its own character.

It doesn't have some fake carbon-fiber trim or clever marketing behind it, just the purest Italian engineering of the time. The American readership probably doesn't know this, but just before the 4C arrived was probably the darkest period in Alfa history.

The company used to produce a trickle of front-wheel-drive hatchbacks and just before that was the era of the 159—objectively beautiful but not a dynamic match for rivals such as the BMW 3 Series. However, if you now think of it as a Passat competitor, it becomes more appealing, especially when you consider what's under the hood.

Much like the Passat had its sweet-sounding R36 version, this 159 Ti is equipped with a 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V6, which produces 256 horsepower and 237 pound-feet (322 Newton-meters) of torque.

This Autobahn test by AutoTopNL partially explains why the 159 wasn't a hit back in the day. The top speed depends on the exact year and powertrain. But since this doesn't appear to have Q4 (AWD) or the Q-Tronic gearbox, it should hit 248 km/h or 154 mph. However, the highest registered speed was about 138 mph (222 kph).

Even so, it's such an interesting-looking car, with Ferrari-like paint, flared fenders, those six headlights, and an Italian wagon body. The problem with car culture is that as soon as modern classics are seen as cool, prices go way up because there's not many of them. So, if you had your eye on one of those little 147 GTA hatchbacks with the V6... just get one of these instead.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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