My 156GTA test ride

[Luca <nodoubt@domain.elided>]

I had the pleasure to test ride the GTA this past friday noon.

I say the "pleasure" because to me driving is a pleasure, and test
riding vehicles is a good way to open my mind trying not seeing my
own car as the only car available. Loving one single car is ok
for enthusiasts, but I also wanna know, I also wanna find that reason
more to love my oldie, or just open my mind whether I was wrong.
So I happily accepted the local dealer invitation, and went testing 
this car. I tried testing it as a car, not as the GTA with the incredible
history load this name carries.

The version I has on my hands was a lovely blue painted GTA station
wagon, with manual 6 speed gearbox.
The car is long. On parking moves and in corner I feel it being LONG,
but I might have been cheated by the very different FWD behaviour (I am
pretty used to RWD). I believe it's no longer than the sedane
version, so it must have been that strange feedback I had looking
backward with the inner mirror :)) I saw the rear glass too far
away, and even too small not giving a complete sight IMO.
Anyway off I went and I drove it alone for 25 minutes, with my girlfriend 
on a side taking pics. 
The suspensions are just lovely. It's stiff like hell, but
absolutely forbidding on bumps and roads craps. It's not like
our Koni equipped transaxle cars that just seem to fall apart on
bumps... This car appears SOFT being pretty STIFF (And this is 
something you realize on corners, analizing side roll feedback).
These suspesnsion, these wheel, and the good reaction of the steering 
wheel provides a really great feeling in direction changing and chicanes.
Again here I suffered that "this car is too long" feeling, maybe
just because the rear end wasn't sliding the "right way" as I am
used to. ;)
Anyway having tested other newer Fiat group cars (like the Stilo),
I must say ALL these cars comes with these good suspension and
reactions. It's just the GTA seems like grabbing the tarmac
with so much violence.

Let's move to the engine side.
What a voice. I don't really know how they managed to pass omologation.
I heard it arriving (previous tester), and I heard it among 100
other car noises. It's so sexy, so wild. Driving this car just prints
a permanent smile on your mouth! The sounds is so exciting so powefull and
the melody is capable to rev up to 7000 RPM with ease. With fun.
I really was in love for the sound of this car it's something 
I couldn't believe! I do only imagine it removing the Cat. and installing
a free flower unit! What a music.

The grunt is amazing. It has such a torque that you feel like
having a turbine whiplash even hitting the gas in 6th from 50km/h.
Power is a lot, and you feel it's all there ready to go.
Anyway they did a big mistake. FWD.  This opinion goes further than
the mere "I love RWD" and "RWD is a real Alfa transmission". I am
speaking about safety. Preferring a pure driving feeling, the 1st
thing I did when I picked a twisty road was disabling the ASR system,
realizing how DANGEROUS these 250hp could be when delivered on the
front end. Inside the corners, and once reached the apex, I hit
the throttle (this usually causes an oversteer on a RWD, taking
the car completely off the corner)... when suddenly I felt the front 
wheels just sliding sideway. TOO MUCH power for a FWD. This car had at
least to be AWD to be safe, and definitely RWD to make this piece

of fine machinery a complete fun tool.  Anyway it deserve a much 
better electronic equipment to keep it safe, and surely that's not
the ASR (which I don't really like so much, it behaves like an unnatural
diff system).
To make it short:
It's the right engine on the wrong transmission to me. Really.


On the comfort side the car is just fine. Very nice seats, friedly
functions, just a stuck gear knob... it wasn't so intuictive shifting
to 5th and 6th, anyway it's just all about getting used to it. 

The feedback I left with is POSITIVE. IT's a great car, but I doubt
we're getting something more than a 3.0V6 Alfa 164.  Much more
power, ok, surely more grip and handling probably, more confort and
assembling 
quality (these cars are really well built to me). But it's all but the 
"Cuore sportivo" resurrection. 
Drop the wagon version, and install an AWD. Drop some kilos aswell,
and this is THE CAR to desire. There's nothing on this market range 
with such a lovely power delivery and such a voice, definitely!

Ciao
Luca




nodoubt, 
937 landpilot
"I like anything that don't talk." King Benny - Sleepers
937RS2, 75 Turbo, RM250



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