"Zathras" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:00:53 +0100, (SteveH)
> wrote:
>
>>Agreed - 6-pots aren't the way forward. Everyone wants a small capacity
>>turbo these days.
>
> I'm not so sure..diesel has still got traction and the price equality
> between diesel and petrol helps diesel sales. I'm also not sure that
> the smaller turbo petrols (1.4-2.0 ish segment) will really give
> diesel that much to worry about in real world fuel economy.

Sorry - I meant 'small capacity turbo - either petrol or diesel'

> An example of this is that I can *easily* get 60mpg at 60mph out of my
> 3 litre. It's a big, heavy 4 door saloon but can still do 7.4 to
> 100kph and 144 top. The latest version of that engine (in the 330d)
> does 6.1(!!) to 100kph and 155 limited and has better fuel economy
> than mine. I just can't help feeling that even good turbo petrols are
> going to have a tough time pulling off both those tricks in a similar
> sized car.

Yet I struggled to top low 40s in a 320d....

> I don't really think Alfa can properly compete in the 2.0 diesel
> sector as they've not got the reputation, sales and service capacity
> and that market is saturated by more popular makes. Tends to make me
> think they should be pushing the envelope upwards and attempting to
> compete with the bigger boys. Hassle is that the reasons I gave for
> their failure in the lower segments would probably hinder them in the
> upper ones too. cf the 166. Some might risk buying some junk for
> 20,000UKP but fewer will for 40,000UKP. One escape would have been if
> the Mito had had a pretty front end..build up volume in smaller cars.
> Oh no, Fiat wouldn't allow that!

Hmmmm - most sub 2lt 4-pot diesels are trash. Haven't tried the 1.9-150 -
only the 1.9-120. Want to try the new 2.0 and 1.6 takes on it, though.

The 1.9-120 was pretty good in a Brava - certainly a lot better than the
Ford / PSA 1.6TDCI of similar (110) power.

>
> I don't really know what happened there. I mean the best of the 156
> cars (IMHO) were in 2001 roughly when sales also peaked. There were
> tales of people only buying one Alfa then moving elsewhere due to
> dissatisfaction with some element(s) of Alfa ownership but I also
> wonder if Giugiaro messed up the aspirational 156 look - he did for
> me.
>
> I didn't look at the post facelift cars and say "I've got to have one
> of those" but I certainly did with the original Da Silva car before my
> wife told me to get one! She now much prefers the Beemer but my 7 year
> old daughter wants the Alfa back!

I think our 156 is just about the best combination:

Sportwagon
Original body
Facelift interior
TS, rather than JTS engine.

Ignore the Sillyspeed, though ;-)

--
SteveH
Somewhere Sarf of Lahndan