Alfa Romeo has released first images of the Geneva Motor Show debuting Alfa 159 Model Year 2009 which will be categorised primarily under the skin by its exciting new 1.8 turbocharged engine options which will replace the 1.9 and 2.2 JTS versions. At the same time this engine will debut in the 159's Sportwagon variant.

Giorgetto Giugiaro-styled Alfa 159 was saddled when it arrived in the showrooms three and a half years ago with a lacklustre range of petrol engines that were the legacy of a now-discontinued alliance with US carmaker General Motors. In-house Fiat Group developed replacements were slow to emerge due a commitment made at the time with GM to use up a fixed number of these powerplants. However from this Spring the Alfa 159 will be available for ordering with the highly thought of new 1.8 turbocharged 4-cylinder unit developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies.

Developed from the ‘Family B’ SuperFIRE engine, the long-awaited four-cylinder 1.8 16V thus becomes the third in the new generation of units drawn from this modular family, after the recently-launched 1.6 and 2.0 Multijet diesels, and it pairs the bore from the 2.0 Multijet (83mm) with the stroke of the  1.6 (80.5mm) for a displacement of 1742cc. In its basic turbocharged form, it will feature standard direct injection and continuously variable phasing for both inlet and exhaust cams.

As well as appearing in updated versions of the Alfa 159 (where it will replace the existing 1.9 and 2.2 JTS engines) it will be under the bonnet of Lancia’s Delta. The Delta will share its engine specification with the more highly-tuned 159s, developing 200bhp between 4750 and 5500 rpm, and 320Nm between 1400 and 3750 rpm (the 159s will also be available with a less powerful variant which will offer up 170bhp.) This should enable a class competitive top speed of approximately 230km/h and a 0-100km/h time of around 7.8-8.0 seconds along with combined fuel consumption of between 7.5-8.0l per 100km.

The Alfa 159 1.8 will be offered with a choice of the M32 six-speed manual or the Aisin-supplied six-speed Q-Tronic automatic, although further transmission options centered around the forthcoming C635 family are expected to be made available once its production comes on stream. All of these output levels compare very favourably with current class benchmarks, such as VAG’s ‘EA888’ 2.0 TFSI motor. Currently available in two levels, the award-winning 2.0 TFSI develops 180bhp/320Nm or 210bhp/350Nm, emphasising the competitive outputs of the new Alfa Romeo unit.

Alfa Romeo has this week released a welter of new photos of the Alfa 159 and 159 Sportwagon MY 2009, slightly confusingly they are presented ahead of the release of official technical information, but the images clearly show that exterior differences will be very limited. New body colours are expected to feature as are new sporty interior trim options, while the 1.8 turbo model will be badged as a "TBi".