Alfa Romeo didn’t want to use the station-wagon name for its cars, which were considered too sporty to bear a sort of utility-vehicle name.
So, the Sportwagon name was selected.

The Alfa Romeo 156 was a major breakthrough for the Italian car-maker. It featured a new design language than its predecessor in 1997 when it was introduced to the public. It even won the 1998 “European Car of the Year” award. It was a sport-sedan with true Alfa Romeo DNA in it.

From the front to the B-pillar, the Alfa 156 Sportwagon looked similar to the sedan version. After the B-pillar, the extended roof changed the shape of the car. Since the company didn’t want to be judged like a regular family estate, the sloped and short side made the car look closer to an extended hatchback rather than a station-wagon.

Inside, there was more headroom for the rear passengers, but strangely, less luggage room. Since the rear overhang was not bigger, and the rear retractable shelf was placed lower, the standard trunk space was smaller with the rear seats up.

For the drivetrain, the Alfa Romeo 156 featured the same four gasoline units and two diesel units, offered in various power outputs. It was offered with a manual or robotized transmission (Selespeed). A special version, named GTA, was launched in 2001 and it was powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine, which offered 250 hp.