STRESS FREE DRIVING & ON BOARD WELLBEING

The New Alfa 147 assures a welcoming, well-lit environment that offers superior comfort in terms of space available to the driver and passengers.

The new model now also offers all the extra systems and devices made available by contemporary technological advances: a handsfree Bluetooth phone, dual zone automatic climate control system, Cruise Control and a sophisticated hi-fi produced by Bose®, the US company that leads this sector.

Not to mention the fact that the New Alfa 147 offers two levels of CONNECT and all the bCONNECT services.

Bluetooth

To coincide with the launch of the New 147, Alfa Romeo is offering a handsfree set with Bluetooth technology that assures maximum driving safety under all conditions. The system, available by the end of the year as an option, allows customers with Bluetooth mobile phones to use their phones even when they are in their jacket pockets or handbags. This system automatically lowers the radio volume (if turned on) and allows you to hear the person you are speaking to through the stereo speakers.

In detail, the Bluetooth handsfree set designed for the new model uses an analogue echo-cancellation effect that allows sound quality to be maintained without any deterioration in timbre, thus preventing unpleasant metallic tones. The device control unit and control keys are also fully integral and can be fitted into a panel on the console. This is an excellent position because it is within easy reach.

The system also allows you to manage and store up to three mobile phones at the same time so that more than one passenger in the car can make direct use of the handsfree set. The programming may be modified whenever you want.

Automatic dual zone climate control system

Interior climate is one of the main comfort factors during a trip and is also very important for interior safety because temperature, humidity and ventilation affect the driver's well-being and thus his or her level of alertness. And of course the heating and ventilation system is also responsible for demisting the windscreen and side windows. For this reason, the New Alfa 147 comes with a sophisticated climate control system that automatically controls temperature, air flow, air distribution, compressor activation and recirculation by means of an electronic control unit. It also acts as a dual zone climate control system, i.e. able to ensure two different temperatures simultaneously: one in the right part of the passenger compartment and the other in the left.

The New Alfa 147 also implements an equivalent temperature climate control strategy. It records internal and external temperature by means of certain sensors and assesses the sensation of thermal well-being experienced by passengers, i.e. the energy exchange between human body and passenger compartment that is affected by humidity, temperature and treated air flow.

Another sensor located in a central position at the windscreen base records solar radiation on the car and the angle at which the rays strike the passenger compartment. This allows the system to prevent an excessive increase in temperature inside the car caused by the sun and thus to inform the climate control system in time.

All these parameters are monitored continuously and used to update the distribution, ventilation and mixing automatically. Air temperature at the outlets and fan speed are therefore adjusted to ensure passengers experience the desired sensation of thermal well-being (achieved by setting the required temperature). The result is a constant climate, even with significant changes in external conditions.

The system may be adjusted to one of seven set combinations to allow air taken into the car to reach all areas of the passenger compartment. The system also offers three possible temperature settings: 'LO' (maximum cooling), 'HI' (maximum heating) and 'MAX DEF' (fast defrost). The possibility of altering interior temperature gradually, half a degree at a time, makes for outstanding climatic comfort. The knob can be used to bring about a temperature change of 16°C, with a maximum temperature difference of 7 degrees between the left and right areas.

Manual adjustment is used for: setting the interior temperature (right and left), voluntary air flow distribution changes, fan speed (if air flow is to be altered) and fan deactivation, compressor deactivation (in practice, the system works in the same ways as an automatic heater), recirculation control and the 'MAX DEF' function for fast defrosting.

Manual choices always over-ride automatic settings. They are also indicated by deactivation of the Full Auto led and stored until the user cancels the command. Each time the system is turned on, it returns to the conditions saved upon deactivation, except for the 'MAX DEF' function, which is zeroed. The entire system can also be turned off manually to fully deactivate the air conditioning system.

Versions with a JTD engine are fitted as standard with a supplementary heater built into the climate control system that allows outstanding passenger compartment comfort even when the weather is very harsh. Because the JTD engines are so thermodynamically efficient, the radiator coolant may heat very slowly if the outdoor temperature is very low.

Cruise Control

Cruise Control is a system that helps motorists to manage vehicle speed and improve travelling comfort. The device allows a cruising speed set by the driver to be maintained automatically by governing the engine throttle directly. The device is controlled by means of a lever on the column switch with two wheels. The first is turned to ON to activate the system while the second (actually a manual accelerator) must be moved to the plus (or minus) sign to achieve the required speed. When the control is released, the car continues to travel at the saved speed without the driver pressing the accelerator pedal.

The Cruise Control system can work within the entire range of rpm levels allowed by the engine, but only at speeds over 30 km/h. It is therefore advisable to turn it on only if road conditions allow the set value to be maintained in safety.

When the accelerator pedal is pressed (during overtaking, for example), the Cruise Control system is temporarily disabled even though the system stays on. The car therefore accelerates as required, but the system automatically restores the car to the stored speed as soon as the pedal is released. For obvious safety reasons, the device is released automatically when the driver presses the brake or clutch pedal.

In this case, you can go back to the preset speed by pressing the RECALL button at the end of the Cruise Control switch. Turn the wheel OFF and turn off the engine to deactivate the Cruise Control finally and cancel all previous settings. A warning light on the multifunctional display indicates system operation or deactivation status.

Bose® sound system

The car radio with CD player or CONNECT is also complemented by an audio system able to assure all passengers exceptional listening quality under all driving conditions. This is the Bose® Sound System, created for Alfa Romeo by the US company Bose, the leading company in the Hi-Fi sector.

The Bose® Sound System arouses the same emotions as you feel when you listen to a live concert. The system offers realistic reproduction with crystal clear high notes and full, rich bass tones. It does not fall into the trap of creating unnatural sounds that are initially appealing but are tiresome for the listener in the long run. The sound also wraps around all the occupants and gives them the sensation that they are sitting in a much larger environment, because the sound system and the passenger compartment have been designed together (from the drawing board) to ensure perfect harmony between the technical specifications of both.

To achieve this result, the Bose® engineers carefully chose all the parts of the stereo system and established the best possible speaker position in relation to the listeners with the aid of advanced design software.

An integrated signal processor automatically adjusts bass tones so that they are always perfect at any volume. The device is more sophisticated than ordinary volume controls on conventional devices and ensures a high-quality sound that is always natural.

An active equalisation circuit also ensures an excellent automatic electronic balance of all output frequencies, great stability and clarity of tone throughout the audio range. All this means that you can enjoy impeccable musical playing under all driving conditions without having to fiddle with the controls.

Sound clarity is also aided by active compressor circuits that ensure the system does not display any distortion, even when the volume is turned up high. The interaction between all these sophisticated components gives rise to the extraordinary sound that has made the Bose® brand famous throughout the world.

CONNECT and bCONNECT services

Fiat Auto, a leader in the field of information technology for automotive applications, is now pursuing a policy of bringing GSM phones, navigation systems and devices such as handsfree sets and voice memos on board its cars. All these devices are concentrated in CONNECT, the most advanced integrated tool of this type and the one that currently offers the highest number of functions and services.

The CONNECT system, located in the centre of the facia, acts as an on-board assistant that can be asked to make a phone call, consult a road map or put on some music. All this is done by means of the keys that surround the unit or voice commands that may be issued while the screen relays a detailed report on requirements. The resulting device is full of functions, comes at an advantageous price and is, above all, as easy to use as one would expect of latest generation technology.

New Alfa 147 customers can choose between the two most advanced levels of CONNECT: CONNECT Nav and CONNECT Nav+, which include an RDS radio with CD-ROM reader; trip computer; dual band GSM phone with handsfree operation; GPS module, active matrix 5" colour display. The navigation systems are different: the first level depicts information using pictograms, the second using maps. Both devices can also be fitted with an external CD changer.

Apart from all this, CONNECT offers something more than its competitors. 'bCONNECT' services. The bCONNECT infomobility service was created in April 2001 with the launch of the 5 door and JTD versions of the 147 and are retained on the new version. Since that date, 24,000 customers in Europe, approximately 50% outside Italy, have taken advantage of this service: they are able to reach their destination without pointless time wasting, in the greatest safety and with all the information they need on points of interest along the route or their destination at any time throughout Europe.

This telematic system was designed to put technology at the service of drivers and make life on board even more comfortable and easy. Everything is immediate and comes courtesy of the GPS/GSM network and the benefits of satellite communication: one press of the green key allows customers to communicate in handsfree mode with a bCONNECT operator, a veritable personal assistant who can meet all their information and service requirements in their own language: from flights to film showing times, from points of interest to restaurants.

With the Infotraffic service, it is also possible to obtain information on traffic conditions on the Italian motorway network in real time, customised for a particular route or area of interest.

Drivers need not concern themselves about having to ask for constant updates on road conditions because the Follow Me function means that the Service Centre operator updates them on any route changes via text or handsfree voice messages.

The Drive Me service is designed to simplify the use of the navigation system: the customer simply presses a key to request destinations at will and the system sets them in the greatest safety.

More than 169,000 calls have been made to the bCONNECT Service Centre: 80,000 for traffic information, 46,000 for the Drive Me service, 32,000 for information on restaurants, hotels, chemists, cashpoints etc.

Driving a New Alfa 147 with bCONNECT also means driving in total safety: the roadside assistance and medical consultancy service guarantees assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In any part of Europe, whatever happens, drivers can call on a dense network of professionals who are ready to respond in their own language and come to the rescue with all the necessary equipment. Drivers can also benefit from medical care or, if necessary, an emergency rescue vehicle will be sent out to the car.