1994 Alfa-Romeo 146 ti Review and Performance Comparison

Alfa-Romeo 146 Performance Review.

Introduction:

The 1994 Alfa-Romeo 146 ti is a powered by a Petrol Straight 4. This variant of the Alfa-Romeo 146 ti is the 5 speed / Manual version and was first brought out around 1994. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 1995 McLaren F1 LM 6.1 V12 and the 1995 Ford GT 90 6.0L V12.

This particular Alfa-Romeo 146 has a 1970cc Naturally Aspirated Petrol powerplant driven by the Alfa-Romeo Front Wheel Drive system.

Alternative Petrol Straight 4's include the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce

The 146 shares its Petrol Straight 4 engine configuration with the likes of the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce and the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo.If you're looking for other similar performing cars which share the 146's Front Wheel Drive, Saloon combination then how about the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Golf R Performance 2.0 Turbo or the earlier 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD 3.5 V6.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1225 kgs (2700 lbs) places the Alfa-Romeo 146 ti in a similar weight category as the 2024 Toyota Yaris GR RZ High Performance Automatic and the excellent 2024 Toyota Yaris GR RC, give or take 50kg.

The Alfa-Romeo 146 shares the same bhp with the 2022 Mini Cooper Countryman John Cooper Works 1.5 Turbo (134 bhp)

In terms of pure power the 1970cc 16 valve, Straight 4 engine produces around 150 bhp (111 kW) @ 6200 rpm which is comparable to the 2022 Mini Cooper Countryman John Cooper Works 1.5 Turbo (134 bhp) and also the 2020 Audi A1 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S tronic S line (148 bhp).

The Naturally Aspirated Straight 4 throws out 138 lb-ft (187.1 Nm) @ 4000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2022 Mini Cooper Countryman John Cooper Works 1.5 Turbo (162 lb-ft) or the 2016 Ford Fiesta ST 200 1.6 Turbo (159 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If you look at both power or torque of the 1994 Alfa-Romeo 146 in comparison with its weight you get a much more accurate idea of its real world performance.

The 1996 BMW Z3 E36 2.8L Roadster (147.4 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Alfa-Romeo 146.

The Alfa-Romeo 146 has a power to weight ratio of 122.4 bhp per ton. Bhp per ton figures of the 1994 146 ti means you're competing with the 1996 BMW Z3 E36 2.8L Roadster (147.4 bhp per ton) and the equally quick 2005 Alfa-Romeo 159 3.2 V6 Q4 (147.1 bhp per ton).

Torque to Weight:

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance is Torque!. However, torque isn't the whole story, you also need to compare weight as well for more real world comparisons such as torque per ton.

The Alfa-Romeo 146 ti generates around 112.6 lb-ft per ton. So if you're looking at what cars perform similarly either on the drag strip or at the traffic lights using torque to weight as a benchmark, then look no further than the 2015 Mazda MX5 2.0i Roadster Coupe (137.6 lb-ft per ton) or the similarly performing 1996 BMW 5 Series 530i Saloon E39 (137.6 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

The Alfa-Romeo 146 ti can accelerate 0–60mph in 8.00 secs or 0–100km/h (0–62mph) in 8.3 secs. Acceleration rivals to the Alfa-Romeo 146 ti include the 2011 Citroen DS5 1.6 THP 200 (8.00 secs) or the equally as fast to 60mph 2009 Porsche Cayenne 3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel (8.00 secs).

The Straight 4 engine of the Alfa-Romeo 146 ti ensures that, ‘on paper’ at least, accelerates slightly faster than the 2014 Peugeot 308 GT 2.0 Blue HDI 180 (8.10 secs) and the 2008 Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 T-Jet 155 Abarth (8.10 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Alfa-Romeo 146 ti and the Toyota MR2 Mk1

On a longer format for acceleration comparisons the 1994 Alfa-Romeo 146 can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 16.13 secs with a trap speed around 84.4 mph. Similar performances down the quarter mile drag strip can be found with the the Toyota MR2 Mk1 (16.14 seconds @ 84.4 mph) and a close race between the Ford Focus ST 2.0 EcoBlue (16.14 seconds @ 84.4 mph) too.

Top Speed:

Some modern performance cars are often artificially restricted particularly when it comes to max speed. 155 mph top speed restrictions are often used as part of the German 'Gentleman's Agreement' for example, so be cautious when using maximum speed figures. The 1994 version of the Alfa-Romeo 146 ti has a maximum speed of 130mph.

Top Speed of the 1994 146 equals the Lotus Elise Sport 135 (129 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what has a similar top end performance to the 1994 Alfa-Romeo 146 ti then there's the slightly slower the Lotus Elise Sport 135 (129 mph) or how about the impressive Ford Fiesta ST (129 mph).

— AutoSnout

Figures & Specs Summary:

Related Links:

• 1994 146 Rivals List.
• 1994 146: Full Review and Comparisons.
• A Brief History of Alfa-Romeo
• Compare the 1994 Alfa-Romeo 146