When Alfa Romeo made the station wagon for the model 156, it didn’t want to make a roomier vehicle; it aimed at those who needed a longer loading area for skis and snowboards.
Introduced in 1997, the Alfa Romeo 156 was already six years old when the carmaker finally decided to give the car a mid-life cycle impulse. The station wagon was only three years old since Alfa Romeo introduced it in 2000. It was a difficult task since the car still looked fresh. But the Italian brand refreshed both versions of the 156; the sedan and the station wagon, which was named Sportwagon.

At the front, there was a new front fascia that sported wider, clear-lens headlights and an enlarged Alfa shield in the middle. The bumper sported a center grille in the middle and two side-scoops for the round fog lights. Despite all the critics that blamed the elliptic door-mirrors, Alfa Romeo kept them because they looked better. At the back, the Sportwagon featured the rear-doors handles masked into the C-pillars. Behind them, a third, sloped-down window created the image of a shooting brake. At the back, the carmaker introduced new taillights.

Inside, there were minimal changes on the dashboard, with black dials instead of white as for the 2000 model year. The carmaker already improved the cabin in 2002, so in 2003 only made slight touches for specific versions.

Under the hood, Alfa Romeo brought a range of four gasoline and three turbo-diesel engines paired as standard to five or six-speed manual transmission, depending on the version. An automated (named Selespeed) gearbox was on the options list. Alfa Romeo kept the same double-wishbone system at the front for the suspension, with McPherson struts in the rear.