Pics of the new 'ride'

What wheels drive it? Is it turboed? How many hp? What does it weigh? Because for an Italian car it looks like a Nissan Bluebird.

Fraser

FWD, no turbo, pretty sure it's 150bhp - think the 155bhp version came later. Weighs about 1200kgs.

Depending on who you believe, 60 comes up in somewhere between 7.8 and

8.6 seconds. I'd say it's around 8 dead.

It's a very odd car, incredibly dull and low profile on the outside but mad as a box of frogs under the skin.

Looks like we have very different ideas about what constitutes a quick car. I can see why you like Italian cars. Even the slow old ones feel slightly maniacal when you drive them. Maybe it's because the pedals are always so close together you can hit the brake without hitting the accelerator. ; )

Glad you are enjoying it.

Fraser

Heh. It's very manic, I'll give it that.

I know speed is relative - I don't really think you can make a lot of use of anything much quicker on UK roads. It's enough power to see off most of the other stuff out there, anyway. Especially given the element of surprise :-)

Oh, I am, thanks. It's like the 156's slightly wayward little brother, IYSWIM.

Does this one require the special "luigi" optional tool kit pocket mechanics, specially bred by fiat to climb down into the engine bay, with 3 foot long 5 mm thick carbon and titanium fingers, for changing cambelts and reaching anything else with out pulling the engine out.

Yes.

Should I grab a shot of the engine bay?

Yes, and go out, cain the living crap out of it, and record it for people who have never heard one on song :) I've heard it in the Bravo (i might mean Brava?), so i assume it sounds the same?

Right, well I've just washed it, off out to wash the 156, then I'll try and get some decent shots.

Sorry, have to ask - I take it it's not just Alfa's you're keen on - any unreliable Italian car will do?! Yep, fugly pretty much covers it, but 8 second 0-60 is good. How's the handling?

Nick

Handling is very much like a 156. It's just lacking the 'quick rack' steering, other than that it corners very flat and appears to have massive amounts of grip available.

looks a bit dull inside, sadly prefere the alfa. no one can beat a good alfa interior well not a leather one anyway. it's defo ugly and i don't call

8secs 0-60mph quick but then you are getting on abit now steve compared to me :) i wouldn't want anything less than 150bhp out of any car now really so it passes the 'just the right amount of go' if nothing else. you should get it in the body shop for a respray though mate that colour sucks!

Taste and colours...

Taste and colours...

OK, good for you. Lets see how cheap it is after 1 year running.

No: it might feel very quick but it isn't.

It is just an avarage Italian run-around with bad suspension, lousy tires, vague steering, greedy with fuel for the performance and quirky build quality. And all that was expected and intended.

As a result the average Fiat looses half of its value it about 6 months.

Fiat didnot almost go belly up building quick or quality cars.

Tom De Moor

So Sir can not be interested in an Elise MK1?

TDM

A lot of what you say isn't a mile from the truth. I had one around five years ago and I paid a lot more than SteveH (naturally).

It's the type of car that only really makes sense if bought cheaply just after a timing belt has been done - like he has done.

On the plus side, they make a fantastic door thunk, and not just 'for a Fiat'.

Anyway - the best of luck with the car Steve.

Actually they're not that bad, we had a couple at work a year or two back. The interiors are reasonably quality for something that old and personally I quite like the styling.

The suspension is generally too soft tho and - whilst they may be nippy

- quick is something they definetely are not. 155bhp really isn't enough to pull around something weighing over 1300 kilos at a decent rate of knots.

Even worse, he has the gall to slag off the BMW...

They're only just over 1200kgs, and you could never accuse the suspension of the HLX model of being 'soft'.

It certainly feels faster than the 156, which is similar power and weight - it's definitely more firmly sprung.

whack a super charger in then maybe, would rather have the later 190bhp :)

Yea, for the base model. I thought we were talking about the 2.0 20V tho.

Just a matter of perspective again, I definetely remember it as being comfort orientated - quite a nice cruiser actually.