Few vehicles can properly maintain a balance of style, safety and practicality quite like the Alfa Romeo 159 has. It may come as no surprise at all or a complete shock (depending on how much one keeps their ear to the ground in the automotive industry) that the Alfa Romeo 159 has some exceptional capabilities to suit the wants and needs of its drivers and passengers beyond having a simple and beautiful chassis.
The safety features of such an aesthetically pleasing and symmetrical moving work of art usually are not the first thing that comes to mind when one sees an Alfa Romeo 159 in motion, but they are not something to be dismissed.
* The Alfa Romeo 159 comes with seven airbags in its standard model, offering exceptional protection for the driver and passengers (five out of four stars for adult passengers and four out of five stars for child passengers according to the European New Car Assessment Programme).
* It also boasts noticeable protection in crash tests specifically designed to assess rear-end collisions. The result was a substantial benefit from “anti-whiplash” seats specifically designed for such traffic collisions. Clearly the Alfa Romeo 159 has some serious defenses to match its beautiful appearance.
And speaking of beautiful appearances, in terms of style, the Alfa Romeo 159 is easily one of the strongest competitors (if not head-and-shoulders above some competition) on the market even after manufacturing has been discontinued indefinitely (which may only make it that much more valuable in the eyes of car lovers). The mad genius behind the design is Giorgetto Giugiaro. Giugiaro has designed over one hundred vehicles, and has been called the Leonardo Da Vinci of cars by many and even named car designer of the century in 1999. The Alfa Romeo 159 was the product of collaborative work between Giugiaro and the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo in Italy. In its infancy, the Alfa Romeo 159 was first introduced to the world in 2005 and was intended to be used as a replacement for the Alfa Romeo 156, and while it may not be considered an upgrade in all specifications from the Alfa Romeo 156, it has been better received than its predecessor overall.
The practicality of the Alfa Romeo 159 is certainly more noticeable than most of its competitors. This is made most true in the availability of its four trim options: Distinctive, Exclusive, Progression and Turismo Internazionale along with a Sportwagon. The Sportwagon variant is by no means as beautiful as the sedan version and its options, but it offers the invaluably practical aspect of additional space for anyone who is used to having many passengers at a time. This is one of the most enjoyed aspects of the Alfa Romeo 159 as some of the worst complaints about its predecessor the Alfa Romeo 156 had to do with the often uncomfortable and limited seating space and weight capacity. So soccer moms and dads may rejoice for they now have a beautiful car to pick up the kids and the groceries comfortably while still enjoying a luxurious interior and feel like a celebrity.
With all the safety options, stylistic variants and practical attractive qualities that the Alfa Romeo 159 has going for it, it is abundantly clear that it is a triple threat in the automotive world.