Only a small number of Alfa Romeos have ever carried the famous two-letter designation, TI. Now it's the turn of the Alfa 159 saloon and Sportwagon to carry the famous TI initials. Short for Turismo Internazionale, the TI badge now appears on several versions. The range-enhancing Alfa 159 TI line-up benefits from a unique body kit, lowered sports suspension, 19-inch alloy wheels, red Brembo brake callipers all-round, plus chrome effect door mirrors and exhaust.

Those are the facts. But the facts can't really describe what it's like to own one of these cars. Yes, for payments in the £23,000-£30,000 bracket, you could opt for an Audi A4, a BMW 3 Series or a Mercedes C-class. But you won't get the same surge of excitement every time you twitch open the bedroom curtains and look down upon your driveway.

Inside these TI models, electrically adjustable and heated leather front sports seats top the list of interior changes, along with new sports dials, aluminium sports pedals, kick plates and trim inserts. A leather-clad sports steering wheel and gear knob are also included in the sporty specification list.

Drivers can choose from four powerful yet flexible engines. There are two petrol units: a 2.2 JTS and 3.2 JTS V6; and two diesel options: a 1.9 JTDm and a 2.4 JTDm plus a choice of manual or QTRONIC gearboxes. In addition, Alfa Romeo's Q4 4WD system, standard equipment on the 3.2 JTS V6, can also be specified on the diesel version. And, by offering only three body colours - Alfa Red, Stromboli Grey and Carbonio black - Alfa Romeo is planning to keep the Alfa 159 TI models distinctive and exclusive. Prices start at £23,250 for the 1.9 JTDm TI, with an £1,100 surcharge if you go for the Sportwagon estate variant.

"No rival has the visual desirability of this 159"

So what's this car like to own? Well, slip inside and you might find the architecture of the 159's cabin to be perhaps a little disappointing, offering an evolution of the 156's fascia which looked great in '98 but which now looks a little dated compared to the more imaginative designs. Build quality seems better than before though and rear legroom and headroom have both improved, although you'd opt for a Saab or Volvo if this was a priority. The boot, however, is way bigger than you'd have any right to expect and the folding rear seats endow the 159 with an admirable load carrying ability.

For versatility however, you'll need the Sportwagon variant. Don't get too excited here in terms of space for as an 'estate car', this model's predecessor, the 156 Sportwagon, was, and let's not get too delicate here, a joke. With its rear seats in place, it possessed less useable luggage space than the saloon on which it was based. It had other redeeming qualities insofar as it was better looking and, well, better looking but beyond that, it was never the most pragmatic choice. Nor is the 159 Sportwagon, if your blend of practicality involves lugging wardrobes or cubic hectares of garden waste. Where the 159 Sportwagon does move the game forward, albeit moderately, is that despite having the same overall length as the 159 saloon, luggage carrying capacity actually rises. With 445 cubic litres when the rear seats are in place, it's only 15-litres shy of a 3 Series Touring and a whopping 80 litres up on the 156 Sportwagon. At least now it can justify its existence as something other than a pretty face.

Whereas many other manufacturers have learned all sorts of tricks from building MPV-style vehicles and have incorporated these into their estate cars, Alfa Romeo remain resiliently old school. The rear seats may be pleasantly light and easy to flip forward but the seat squabs stay fixed, which means that the seat backs won't fold flat. This limits the overall carrying capacity. Some estate cars also feature neat touches like fold out compartment dividers and chromed steel floor rails so that heavy goods can slide in without destroying the carpet, even pull out loading platforms.

You don't get that with the 159 Sportwagon but that's not to say the Alfa is just a show pony. As well as an auxiliary power supply in the luggage bay, there's a light, a pull cover and, best of all, the basic shape of the load area is broad, flat and low with no intrusion from the rear suspension. The actual useable space may well be greater than those with greater quoted capacity in cubic litres. The rear seats split 60/40 and there's a fold down section in the middle that's great for carrying longer items. There's even a small cargo net on one side that's a handy place to store gloves, a torch or other bits and pieces.

On the road? Well, it's not worth pretending that the Alfa 159 can hold a candle to a BMW 3 Series as an enthusiast's performance car. Its front wheel drive chassis precludes that but at least with all-wheel drive version at the top of the TI range, the 159 has an advantage when it comes to all-weather security. How Audi must be galled. First Jaguar steal their thunder with the all-wheel drive X-TYPE, Volvo show their S60 with drive to both ends and then Alfa unveil the Q4 four-wheel drive variants of the 159. Perhaps the 3 Series is the wrong car against which to benchmark the 159. It seems a more natural competitor to top-end Honda Accords and Saab 9-3s. This 'sub premium' compact executive sector still yields significant returns and is populated by cars like the Volvo S60 and the Jaguar X-TYPE, cars which the Alfa compares very favourably to.

None of these rivals have the visual desirability of the 159, especially in TI guise. And that could make all the difference.

TOP 1 159 DEALS

The results below show the top 159 deals on buyacar

	Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 V6 JTS Q4 Lusso 4dr QTRONIC Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £502	Saving £3,837	Price £26,498

typical 9.85% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000