On Fri, 9 Apr 2010 12:22:50 +0100, (SteveH)
wrote:

>Zathras > wrote:
>
>> I can't help feeling that Alfa have disadvantaged themselves (on the
>> Diesel front) after a good early start in the 90s, by having the
>> packaging limitations of front wheel drive. I guess the saviour will
>> be small capacity, high output turbo petrol engines. In Diesel land,
>> they can't get the power *and* economy of the bigger boys in town.
>
>I think the 5-pot could be a bit of a technical dead-end, really - but
>Alfa stick with it because it's now become an Alfa 'thing'.

>A 5-pot is definitely more characterful than a 6-pot (and you can stick
>an inline 6 in a transverse car - Volvo manage it) - people generally
>forgive Alfas some faults because of the character.

Alfa barely managed to fit the 5 pot in and had to reduce the turning
circle to manage it. There's minuscule clearance vertically and
horizontally. I'd guess that the block is quite an old design and the
cylinders are relatively far apart - I doubt a straight 6 mod to this
block would fit anything transversely. Alfa can't compete at all
against bigger straight sixes with smaller fours so they keep trying
their best with the 5.

These days straight 6 engines have very close cylinder positioning to
make fitting easier but also to reduce the length of the crank shaft
as much as possible. Fiat could bin the current 5 and do a short 6 but
the trouble is that it might well be a severely nose heavy car as well
as cost investment money for what could end up being a slow seller
with fuel process going the way they are.

What would be interesting would be if they could increase the current
5 to a 3 litre capacity to attempt to compete against the 3 litre
German opposition. Pumping more and more fuel into the 2.4 is going to
fail because many buy diesels for fuel efficiency and there is already
increased competition from smaller capacity turbo petrol engines.

I seriously think Alfa need to split the current diesel engines more
and have a 2 litre and 3 litre motor in the 159 class car. To enable
this in a good handling package, rear wheel drive needs to make a
return. It all sounds a bit pie-in-the-sky to me.

>What I'm more puzzled about is why Alfa don't take the Fiat Drivtrain
>option of the twin-turbo 2.0 as used by Lancia and, ISTR, Saab - that
>would appear to be the ideal way to get 2.4 matching power with 1.9
>economy.

Alfa seem perpetually confused. After all, in the 159 segment, who are
they competing against? Premium German or boggo
Ford/GM/French/Swedish/Japanese? I think they're really competing in
the latter segment because they don't have the packaging flexibility
to compete against,say, the 3 series (which can take small fours all
the way to V eights via straight sixes).

I just wish Alfa could do better but with bugger all dealers and
limited choice of premium saloon car it's an uphill task. I mean,
where were Alfa when the premium saloon knocked the Mondeo into touch?

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather (sold)
'Oil' be seeing you..
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