Six-cylinder engines are slowly but steadily disappearing from the compact car segment. Mercedes-Benz recently confirmed even the next-generation C63 will move to an electrified four-pot, and it seems that it won’t take long until all six-cylinder engines in that segment are discontinued. Just 10 or 15 years ago, however, there were V6 or I6 units available for nearly every D-segment car on the European market.

Take for example Alfa Romeo. The Giulia may still have a V6 engine optionally available, but its predecessor had a larger displacement naturally aspirated V6. The 159 3.2 V6 was a gorgeous-looking car with an output of 256 bhp (191 kilowatts) and 237 pound-feet (322 Newton-metres) of torque.

In our eyes, these are decent numbers for a non-performance D-segment model even by today’s standards. In terms of off-the-line acceleration, the 159 Ti was capable of hitting 62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in 7.1 seconds, which - again - is a respectable result.

Top speed? On paper, the 3.2 V6 version in front-wheel-drive configuration should be capable of hitting 155 mph (250 kph). A new video by the AutoTopNL channel on YouTube is here to show us whether the speedy estate can reach its factory top speed or not.

Gallery: Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon Released (UK)

We don’t know the exact conditions under which the video was recorded, but it seems that this particular car underperformed significantly. The highest registered speed was about 138 mph (222 kph), which is way below the electronically governed top velocity of the 159 Ti.

In January this year, we saw another Alfa Romeo model from the recent past performing a top-speed run. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio did a better job, though that’s to be expected given its more powerful engine and lower weight.