NEW PERFORMANCE DIESEL FOR ALFA 147

Marking the first appearance here of a groundbreaking, second generation common rail direct injection turbodiesel, the Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD 16V goes on sale in the UK this month, extending the diesel 'reach' of the three and five door model range, which already includes 115 bhp 1.9 JTD versions.

The Alfa 147's remarkable new 1.9 litre twin overhead camshaft, four-valves-per-cylinder, multijet engine combines a robust power delivery of 140 bhp at 4000 rpm and an outstanding torque figure of 224 lb.ft at just 2000 rpm, with a reduction in noise levels of between 3 and 6 decibels according to rpm and running temperature, minimal fuel consumption, and low exhaust emissions.

Mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, the Alfa 147 1.9 JTD 16V will accelerate from 0-62 mph in 9.1 seconds and achieve a top speed of 129 mph, whilst returning an impressive 47.9 mpg over a combined cycle, and CO₂ emissions of just 157 g/km.

Wholesale advances in turbocharging, noise reduction and refinement, allied to recent changes in company car tax assessment linking the amount paid to CO₂ emissions, have caused a re-evaluation of diesel power among both business users and private buyers in the UK.

Whilst European sales of petrol engined cars in the lower-medium and medium sectors actually fell last year, diesel sales have grown rapidly from around 15% to nearly 25% in the past three years, with a projected rise to 28% for 2003. In Europe, one in three cars sold in 2002 was a diesel, a figure expected to rise to 50% of this market by 2007.

In the UK, the picture is even more marked. The market here grew by just 4.3% last year. But, within this, petrol demand declined by some 3%, whilst diesel growth amounted to a massive 37.8%.

Fiat Group, which was first to the passenger car market with direct injection diesel technology back in 1986, was last year awarded the prestigious Economist Innovation Award (Energy and Environment category) for its ground-breaking work in developing the 'common rail' diesel technology that is now used by every major European car maker.

Alfa Romeo was itself first to the market with a JTD common rail direct injection diesel engine, when the Alfa 156 was launched in 1997. This crucial lead in diesel technology has not been squandered and, in a new, 16-valve Multijet guise, the exceptionally reliable, 1.9 litre 4-cylinder common rail turbodiesel has been further perfected to provide optimal performance, maximum fuel efficiency and minimal CO₂ emissions.

The new 1.9 litre 140 bhp Multijet engine, with four-valves-per-cylinder driven directly by twin overhead camshafts, features a large number of technical advances to increase performance and engine torque at low speeds, whilst reducing noise and vibration.

Key components of the engine are brand new, such as the twin overhead camshaft cylinder head with hydraulic tappets, steel connecting rods and crankshaft, pistons with an internal channel to carry cooling oil to the little end bearings, and connecting rod bearings made out of a different material to those of the 115 bhp JTD unit. The intake and exhaust manifolds are also new; the latter being of a special high-strength material, the former manufactured from pressure cast aluminium.

There are new, electronic EGR and exhaust gas cooling systems.  The lubrication circuit features a new oil pump and external air/oil radiator, and the cooling circuit comes with a new pump. This long series of improvements has culminated in a smooth, reliable, quiet and powerful engine, with remarkably low fuel consumption.

The adoption of the Multijet system has made this new 1.9 JTD 16V engine the first of its type in full production. It is based on the same Unijet common rail principles as the 8-valve unit, i.e. high injection pressure and electronic injector control.

Within a Unijet engine, a pilot injection raises temperature and pressure inside the cylinder to improve combustion at the time of the main power stroke. However, by dividing the main injection into a number of smaller injections, a Multijet engine affords a fuller, more gradual combustion whilst the amount of diesel burnt at each stroke remains the same; thus abetting smoother, quieter combustion, reduced emissions and increased performance.

The Multijet engine differs from its Unijet counterpart in two essential areas; the injectors and the electronic control unit.

To facilitate multi-injection, the new injectors reduce the time lag between injections from 1500 to just 150 microseconds, and reduce the minimum quantity of fuel injected from 2 to less than 1 cu mm. In tandem, the new control unit modulates injection strategy continually to adjust to changes within three parameters; engine rpm, torque required at any given time by the driver, and coolant temperatures.

Thus, when coolant temperature is less than 60 degrees and torque requirement low, two small and one large injection are performed. As torque demand increases, the number of injections drops to two; one small and one large. Under conditions of high rpm and high torque demand, only one injection is required whilst, with coolant temperature at over 60 degrees, emissions are minimised with one small, one large, then one small injection in the sequence.

Hence, start-up times and exhaust smoke are reduced, noise levels and vibration are lowered to ensure a quieter drive and improved passenger comfort, fuel consumption is reduced by a further 10% and emission control reduction amounts to 50%.

The new engine’s impressive power (140 bhp) and torque (224 lb.ft) have been achieved through new engine control settings; an increase in direct injection pressure from 1300 to 1400 bar, and a new turbocharger arrangement. The power unit is boosted by a Garrett turbocharger with a variable geometry turbine that helps optimise power delivery by allowing very high torque delivery even at low rpm. Suffice to say that 90% of maximum torque is available between 1750 and 3250 rpm.

These statistics promote very pleasant driving characteristics allied to sparkling performance in the Alfa 147 1.9 JTD 16V; this new engine's maximum torque figure actually being greater than that generated by the 250 bhp 3.2 litre petrol V6 of the 147 GTA.

Thus, in sixth gear, the Alfa 147 JTD 16V accelerates from 50-75 mph in 7.9 seconds. Its performance is achieved with notably low fuel consumption; at constant speed in top gear, the Alfa 147 JTD 16V Multijet returns 32 mpg at 93 mph, 40 mpg at 75 mph and a frugal 62 mpg at 60 mph.

Priced from £16,170-£17,970 on-the-road, the 140 bhp Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD 16V Multijet is available in four versions, including two trim levels. Comprehensive standard specification corresponds to that of the 1.6 Twin Spark petrol engined version of the 147, and includes the following:

Turismo

• Power assisted steering
• 6 airbags
• ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
• Electronic Stability program (ESP) with ASR
• Remote central locking with immobiliser and alarm
• Electric windows
• 'Follow Me Home' headlights
• Stereo radio / cassette
• Leather steering wheel
• Heated, electrically adjustable door mirrors
• Front fog lights
• Tinted windows
• Multifunction display and trip computer
• Manual climate control
• Fire Prevention System

Lusso

In addition to the Turismo specification, Lusso adds:

• Automatic dual-zone climate control
• Cruise control
• Steering wheel audio controls
• Stereo radio / CD
• 16" elegant alloy wheels

PRICES

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For further information please contact:

PETER NEWTON Public Relations Director, Alfa Romeo (UK)
Tel: 01753 511 431 Fax: 01753 516 871
e-mail address: peter.newton@fiat.com

This press release is also available at the dedicated press website
www.alfaromeo4media.co.uk or at www.newspress.co.uk  

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ALFA ROMEO 147 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS