Q4 and Q-Tronic: cutting-edge technology for the Alfa 159
The Alfa 159 returns to Frankfurt with a number of novelties in terms of its specifications and equipment. The saloon on display is the TI (Turismo Internazionale) sports version, equipped with the powerful 210 bhp 2.4 JTDM engine and the Q4 system. It also features the sophisticated Blue&MeTM Nav system, which offers a number of telematic services that are activated by dedicated keys, making it possible to make emergency calls and to ask for information, but also to stipulate insurance policies at advantageous conditions. An Alfa 159 Sportwagon will also be on the catwalk in Frankfurt, equipped with the brilliant 2.4 JTDM engine and the 6-speed ‘Q-Tronic’ transmission. A description of the two cars follows.
The 200 bhp 159 Sportwagon 2.4 JTDM with the Q-Tronic transmission
The Frankfurt stand will include an Alfa 159 Sportwagon with Light blue paintwork and 18” alloys with special hub trims from the Unique Alfa Vintage range. Inside there are several items from the Collezione range; the facia and panels are upholstered in beige leather, while the seats are covered with luxurious beige ‘pieno fiore’ Frau leather.
The car on show is powered by the powerful 200 bhp 2.4 JTDM 20v engine combined with the Q-Tronic transmission, delivering peak torque of 400 Nm at 2000 rpm. The torque delivery reaches its peak at very low engine speeds, and highlights the immediate, prompt response to the accelerator pedal. With this equipment, the Sportwagon reaches a top speed of 222 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 8.6 seconds.
The 6-speed Q-Tronic transmission can operate in automatic or sequential mode, exploiting the potential of the 200 bhp 2.4 JTDM engine in full. The ‘Q-Tronic’ control lets you drive the car automatically, with only a few simple moves of the gearshift, and all the functions of an automatic transmission (park, reverse, neutral and drive), or in sequential mode.
The name ‘Q-Tronic’ is the result of the combination of the letter ‘Q’ and the term ‘Tronic’. The ‘Q’ revives the root adopted for the ‘Q4’ technology of the four-wheel drive developed by Alfa Romeo, confirming the research undertaken by the brand into technologies and devices at the service of racing performance, driving comfort and active safety. The term ‘Tronic’, on the other hand, explains that the system incorporates an electronic control unit that governs gear changes optimally and intelligently.
This is how it works: the automatic transmission ensures the best exploitation of engine performance and excellent comfort, particularly in town. The ‘Q-Tronic’ combines these advantages with easy gear changes, with fewer impulses perceived by the driver. What is more, drivers who do not wish to forgo the entertainment of a sporty driving style can use the innovative system sequentially, like a transmission with fixed ratios in a sequence: moving the gearshift forward (towards the ‘+’) changes up to a higher speed, while an impulse in the other direction (towards the ‘-’) changes down to a lower speed.
The ‘Q-Tronic’ gearbox, which is exclusive to the 200 bhp 2.4 JTDM version, also offers two operating modes, ‘Sport’ and ‘Winter’. When the car is started and with the gearshift in Drive, the ‘Comfort’ mode is activated, which guarantees smooth gear changes and balanced consumption because speeds are engaged at a relatively low engine speed. Pressing the button next to the shift changes to ‘Sport’ mode, which emphasises performance and guarantees a brilliant, entertaining drive, with gear changes set at the higher engine speeds, to bring out the car’s sporty attitude. And finally, holding the button down engages ‘Winter’ mode, which maintains maximum grip even if the road surface is particularly insidious, for example on snow-covered roads.
Alfa 159 TI 2.4 JTDM Q4
This saloon stands out for a number of features peculiar to the TI specification. Starting from the low stance, the sideskirts and the dark 19” alloys. The sportiness of the instrumentation merges with elegance in the refined interior, with black stitching on the leather upholstery of the seats, steering wheel and gear lever gaiter. The equipment of this particular car includes ‘8C Red’ bodywork and the Blue&Me Nav system.
TI (Turismo Internazionale)
TI for Turismo Internazionale, the name that Alfa Romeo once gave only to the most lavishly equipped of its cars. They were derived from standard models but stylistic touches and mechanical changes turned them into thoroughbred sports cars for everyday driving. And today those two letters, so simple but so glorious, reappear on cars in the Alfa 159 family (saloon and Sportwagon). Underlining that the Alfa Romeo brand means the quality and guarantee of work performed right in the plant for this particular sporty characterisation.
Destined to a young, sporty public, the cars with the TI logo promise more entertaining driving, better handling and more powerful braking. In a word, the dynamic behaviour of a car that brings the sensations of the racing circuit to our everyday roads.
Models for people who want the maximum in terms of sportiness. And they want other people to know about it, albeit without ostentation. As a result, the exterior lines of the cars are not radically altered, and any intervention is limited to a few small touches. This is why the cars are still immediately recognisable from outside, but appear more assertive, literally ‘glued’ to the road, thanks in part to their low stance, larger tyres, 19” alloy wheels, sideskirts and larger brakes with red callipers.
Inside, the TI ambience is expressed in the sporty shape of the leather covered seats, the new steering wheel with its sports grip, the gear lever knob covered with perforated leather, and the dark upholstery of the ceiling and pillars. The same sporty look is evident in the instrument graphics, the pedals and the heel-high strip with the TI logo. And finally, the burnished aluminium trims and satin-effect housing of the wing mirrors (optional) that characterise this particular version, which also offers a superb array of standard equipment, including a climate system with dual-zone temperature and air distribution control, foglights and the VDC system. These are cars that give great sensations and authentic driving pleasure in everyday use, that interpret brand values one hundred percent and that are ambassadors of the ‘sportiness’ that makes them famous all over the world. In a word, the new TI specification is the perfect answer for customers who wish to enter the world of Alfa Romeo sports.
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Originally Posted by ruim20
