Alfa Romeo does not build many cars like the Alfa Romeo 147: a 3/5-door hatchback with Petrol engine, built from 2000 to 2010 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Walter de Silva and Wolfgang Egger at Centro Stile Alfa Romeo / Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign (restyling). Production ran to 651,823 cars.
The background
The Alfa Romeo 147 (Type 937) is a small family car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 2000 to 2010. The 147 was voted European Car of the Year in 2001. The 147 was launched at the Turin Motor Show in June 2000 as a replacement for the Alfa Romeo 145 and 146 hatchbacks and is based on the running gear of the larger 156 saloon.
It was sold with 1.6, 2.0, and 3.2-liter petrol engines, and a 1.9-liter diesel engine. A paddle-operated Selespeed automatic transmission was available from launch. Two trim levels, Turismo and Lusso were available, and the 147 was the first Alfa Romeo to have dual-zone climate control and electronic traction control. In production for ten years, the 147 was one of the oldest small family cars on sale in Europe at the time of its replacement, reaching a production figure of 651,823.
The engineering
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1200 –. The gearbox is a 5-speed Manual transmission / manual / 6-speed manual / 5-speed Selespeed automated manual transmission / automated manual / 6-speed Selespeed automated manual. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2546 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Alfa Romeo's history is not in doubt: the Alfa Romeo 145/146 came before it; the Alfa Romeo Giulietta (940) followed it; it was built at Pomigliano d'Arco plant, Campania, Italy. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Hyundai Santa Fe, the BMW X5, the Toyota Yaris. Its Alfa Romeo stablemates include the A.L.F.A 12 HP and the A.L.F.A 15 HP.