Alfa Romeo has done the impossible: It has made the Alfa Romeo 147 look even better looking, and now the New Zealand importer has made it even more financially attractive for the launch of the new Alfa Romeo 147 in this most distant of markets.

The award winning Alfa Romeo 147, already acclaimed as one of the most beautiful cars in the world, has been given a sharp new look and its prices - already some of the sharpest in its market sector - and been dropped with the launch in New Zealand of the new car. The Alfa Romeo 147 Twin Spark now costs NZ$46,990 in both three and five door form, while the 147 Selespeed, with its Formula One derived sequential manual gearbox, is NZ$49,990 regardless of the number of doors.

Front and rear, the new Alfa Romeo 147 has a new, aggressive look, with a larger, repositioned Alfa Romeo shield and new headlights providing a new, more purposeful look, while at the rear, the Alfa Romeo 147 has revised lights, hatch trim and bumpers endowing the rear of the 147 with a new, purposeful stance. Inside, the Alfa Romeo 147 retains the interior against which all cars with sporting pretensions must be judged, from the hip-hugging, leather clad seats, to the triple-cowled instruments, the Alfa Romeo 147 interior screams unique.

The Alfa Romeo 147 is spectacularly well equipped, whether it's the technical specification, with ASR, EBD, VDC and MSR all included in the equipment roster, or safety features, with six air bags, ABS brakes, fire prevention system, all included. And as for luxury. Leather is standard, hand crafted Momo in the five door versions, soft and supple sports leather in the three door versions; power windows, mirrors and locks are included, as its cruise control, trip computer and dual zone climate control Air Conditioning. Both versions have 17 inch alloy wheels - Super Sport on the
three door 147 and multi-spoke on the five door - fitted with low profile/high grip tyres.

In addition to the melodious sound provided by the renowned Alfa Romeo Twin Spark engine, the Alfa Romeo 147 is fitted, as standard with a digital radio/CD system, powering eight speakers, controlled by finger tip controls on the steering wheel.

And what of that unique engine? Efficiency is the name of the game, withtwo spark plugs per cylinder means that every drop of fuel sucked into the 147's engine is burnt for maximum effect. In addition to producing 110 kW, the Twin Spark unit pumps out 181 Nm of torque with a commendably flat torque curve. This combines to produce a vital, exciting driving experience, whether the rev counter is being wrapped around to the red line or the torque is being left to push the 147 down the road. Either way, 100 kmh comes up in 9.3 seconds and - where the law permits - the Alfa 147 maxes out at 208 kmh. That remarkable engine also means that all pleasure is not paid for at the fuel pump: The Alfa Romeo 147 will effortlessly offer a fuel consumption of 7.0 litres per 100 km on the open road.
 

And when it comes to those open roads, the Alfa 147 reveals another part of its impressive armory: A revised chassis. Already one of the best on the road, how could Alfa Romeo make it any better? By making it more comfortable. Alfa Romeo's skilled engineers have dialed in more suspension travel, which means that it can cope even better with the worst conditions on some of New Zealand's back roads. At the same time, the engineers have not forgotten that this is a sports a car, so that extra suspension travel is superbly well controlled, keeping body roll to a minimum and ensuring that the 147 goes where its aimed.

Supporting this new suspension are the set of computer controlled electronic chassis controls that stunned the world at the launch of the original Alfa 147, all honed and sharpened for the new model. VDC - vehicle dynamic control - makes ESP look pedestrian. Designed specifically for Alfa Romeo, its steps in to enhance the driving experience, not dampen it. ASR allows both front wheels to spin together for a quick get away, but stops one wheel spinning for stability. EBD steps in and ensures each wheel brakes to maximum of its ability, maintaining vehicle directional stability. MSR allows the driver to plunge down through the gearbox, knowing that these is no risk of a compression-induced wheel lock up as each lower gear is selected.

The Alfa Romeo 147 already has 27 leading automotive awards in its account, including 'Car of the Year 2001', 'Volante d'Oro', 'Trophées du design 2000' and 'Auto Importado del Año en Brasil 2002', not to mention accolades
from motoring magazine readers: 'Auto Europa 1' in 2001 and 'L'auto che preferisco' in 2001, 2003 and 2004. This is been folded by sales that have made the 147 one of the most successful Alfa Romeo in the company's history, with 360,000 people choosing the 147 between October 2000 and
September 2004.

"Why have we dropped the price on the 147 when conventional wisdom says a price rise always accompanies a new model," asks Lawrie Malatios, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in New Zealand. "Because conventional is a word that's never been used with Alfa Romeo! "Not only is Alfa Romeo's styling, which reaches a new high point with the new Alfa 147, anything but conventional in its search for beauty, we don't follow convention that says that cars in this sector must be expensive and have a long options list," says Mr Malatios. "The new Alfa Romeo 147 ignores convention: It is good looking in a sector of the market where the norm is ordinary; it offers real value for money in the prestige sector of the market; and it comes fully equipped at a price our rivals offer their stripped entry level cars. Therefore, we fully expect the new 147 to continue setting new sales records for Alfa Romeo."