[alfa] Alfa 156 Diesel Engines-Onward and Upward..mostly

["Tim Hancock" <timhancock@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The excellent 8 Valve 1.9 and 10 Valve 2.4 Unijet JTD engines have been
superceded by the 16 Valve M Jet 1.9 JTD and the 20 Valve M Jet 2.4. These
engines have moved the diesels into yet another plane. Dyed in the wool petrol
V6 afficionados are coming back from test drives in the diesels with very big
smiles on their faces.

To give a measure of the improvement, the M Jet 1.9 produces 140bhp, with 225
lb.ft of torque at 2000 rpm. This is more torque than either the previous
Unijet 2.4JTD or the 3.2 V6 GTA engine (221 lb ft at 4,800 rpm). Yes folks, in
day to day driving the 1.9 M Jet is faster than a 156 GTA. Only at the top end
does the GTA pull through. The new 2.4 M Jet JTD produces 284 lb ft of torque
at 2000rpm.

As far as weight is concerned the 2.4 5 Cylinder M Jet weighs in at 8 Kilos (
17 lbs) more than the 2.5 V6 Petrol, and 25 Kilos (52lbs approx) LESS than a
3.2 GTA V6.

As with the petrol engines, if its out and out power you want, then the 2.4 M
jet is the one, but more than one writer has expressed the view that just as
the JTS 2.0 Litre handles far better than the V6s, the nicest of the diesels
overall is the 1.9 M jet because it has the balance you like to feel in an
Alfa chassis.

Last year 76% of all 156 production was diesel. The 1.9 should return MPG in
the low 40s, and the 2.4 the mid 30s for average use.

Until fairly recently I too shunned the diesel...beneath my dignity etc etc.,
but as my boss once said to me many years ago shortly before I was disciplined
"There is none so blind as those who will not see"

It is a sad comment that the only thing letting the car down now is the
chassis, not the engines. The editor of the AROC (UK) magazine had this to say
of the 2.4 JTD Mjet   < Alfa Romeo need to come up with a chassis to match the
performance of their engines, and brakes that restore confidence in using that
performance. Til then, I am tempted to say it has feet of clay>

I have to say I could be seriously interested in a well maintained used
1.9Mjet Sportwagon when the 164 disease finally passes. I think that is the
peach of the current saloon/sedan range.

Tim Hancock    Boston UK

164TS
164Super
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided