Alfa Romeo 166

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2003 Alfa Romeo 166
Alfa Romeo 166
Manufacturer: Alfa Romeo
Production: Left-hand drive: 1998-present

Right-hand drive: 1998-October 2005

Body Styles: FF full-size sedan
Engines: 2.0 Twin Spark
2.5 V6
3.0 V6
2.4 JTD diesel (LHD only)
Predecessor: Alfa Romeo 164
Successor: Still in production
Competitors: Audi A6
BMW 5-Series
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Peugeot 607
Renault Vel Satis
Volvo S80
1998 Alfa Romeo 166


The Alfa Romeo 166 is an executive car that was produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 1998 and 2007.

The car was designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo under the control of Walter de'Silva, and was facelifted in 2003.

The 166 was the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 164, and although the 164 had styling which was far from orthodox, the 166 with its drooping headlamps and pointed nose still raised many eyebrows. The styling was very much in keeping with Alfa's corporate style of the time, which had begun with the smaller 156 model.

The car was initially available with a 2.0-litre Twin Spark (155 PS), a 2.5 V6 (190 PS), a 3.0 V6 (226 PS) or a V6 2.0 Turbo (205 PS) petrol engine. Diesel engines were an L5 2.4 10v common rail turbodiesel version with 136 PS, 140 PS and 150 PS output, praised for its refinement. The TS model used a 5-speed manual gearbox, whilst the 2.5 and 3.0 had the option of a Sportronic automatic gearbox. The 3.0 V6, L5 2.4 and V6 Turbo were otherwise supplied with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The top models were named "Super" and included MOMO leather interior, 17" alloy wheels, rain sensitive wipers, cruise control, climate control and ICS (Integrated Control System) with colour screen. Options included xenon headlamps, GSM connectivity and satellite navigation. Suspension systems comprised double wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup for the rear.

The 166 underwent a substantial revamp in 2003. As well as upgrades to the chassis, interior, and the engine range, the styling was substantially altered. The new front end resembled the also recently revamped 156, and lost its famous drooping headlights. The 2.0 V6 Turbo model was dropped because of marketing problems, the V6 2.5 was re-rated at 188 PS and a 3.2 litre V6 (240 PS) was introduced. Both the new 3.2 litre and the 2.0 Twin Spark models now featured the six-speed manual gearbox, whilst the 3.0 model was retained but made available only in Sportronic form. In the diesel sector, the L5 2.4 was re-engineered with Multi-Jet technology which allows up to 5 injections per cycle, second stage common rail with maximum injection pressure of 1400 bar and 4 valves per cylinder to output a class leading 175 PS.

Though the car's handling characteristics, engine range and elegant exterior design received praise from many, including Jeremy Clarkson, it did not become a strong seller to rival the dominant German brands in the European executive car sector.

The Alfa Romeo 166 was withdrawn from sale in right-hand drive markets in October 2005. Sales of the 166 never grew as Alfa had hoped following the 2003 facelift, and the additional lack of a diesel engine in the UK, Australian, and Irish markets limited its reach into company car sectors.


Engines

Pre-facelift, 1st generation of engines

Model Engine Displacement Power Torque Note
2.0 TS I4 1,970 cc 114 kW (155 PS) @6400 rpm 187 Nm @2800 rpm Euro2
2.0 TB V6 1,996 cc 150 kW (205 PS) @6000 rpm 285 Nm @2500 rpm Italian tax model
2.5 V6 V6 2,492 cc 140 kW (190 PS) @6200 rpm 222 Nm @5000 rpm Euro2
3.0 V6 V6 2,959 cc 166 kW (226 PS) @6200 rpm 275 Nm @5000 rpm Euro2
2.4 JTD I5 2,387 cc 100 kW (136 PS) @4000 rpm 304 Nm @2000 rpm

Pre-facelift, 2nd generation of engines

Model Engine Displacement Power Torque Note
2.0 TS I4 1,970 cc 110 kW (150 PS) @6300 rpm 181 Nm @3800 rpm Euro3
2.5 V6 V6 2,492 cc 138 kW (188 PS) @6300 rpm 221 Nm @5000 rpm Euro3
3.0 V6 V6 2,959 cc 162 kW (220 PS) @6300 rpm 265 Nm @5000 rpm Euro3
2.4 JTD I5 2,387 cc 103/110 kW (140/150 PS) @4000 rpm 305 Nm @1800 rpm

3rd generation of engines, post-facelift

Model Engine Displacement Power Torque Note
2.0 TS I4 1,970 cc 110 kW (150 PS) @6400 rpm 181 Nm @3800 rpm
2.5 V6 V6 2,492 cc 138 kW (188 PS) @6300 rpm 221 Nm @5000 rpm
3.0 V6 V6 2,959 cc 162 kW (220 PS) @6300 rpm 265 Nm @5000 rpm
3.2 V6 V6 3,179 cc 177 kW (240 PS) @6200 rpm 289 Nm @4800 rpm Euro 4
2.4 JTD I5 2,387 cc 103/110 kW (140/150 PS) @4000 rpm 305 Nm @1800 rpm (depend on model year)
2.4 JTDm I5 2,387 cc 129/136 kW (175/185 PS) @4000 rpm 385 Nm @2000 rpm (depend on model year)


Alfa Romeo S.P.A.
1910-1920 24hp | 40-60hp | Castagna | Torpedo | RL | RM | P1 | P2 | 6c 1500 | 6c 1750darkorange
1920-1940 1750 Drophead | 8c 2300 | 6c | 6c 1900 | 6c 2300 | 8c 2900 | 12 cylinder | P3 | 1935 Twin-engine
1940-1950 158 | 6c 2500
1950-1960 1900 | AR 51 The Matta | Disco Volante | Giulietta | 1.3 | 2000
1960-1970 Giulia | Super 1600 | TI | Sprint Speciale | Alfa Romeo TZ | Alfa Romeo GTA | Alfa Romeo 2600 | Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 | Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale | Spider Veloce | 1750
1970-1980 Montreal (1970–1977) | Alfasud (1972–1983) | Alfetta (1972–1977) | Arna | Berlina | GTV | Guilia Nuova Super 1300
1980-1990 GTV | GTV6 | Sprint | 33 (1983–1994) | Alfa 6 (1979-1984)| 90 (1984–1986) | Alfa Romeo Milano (Euro 75) (1985–1992) | 164 (1987–1998)
1990-2000 SZ | GTV (1995–present) | Spider (1998–present) | 145 (1995–2001) | 146 (1995–2001) | 155 (1992–1998) | 156 - GTA (1997–present) | 166 (1998–present)
2000 onwards GT (2004–present) | 147 - GTA (2001–present) | 159 | 167 (2007?) | Brera (Preview-2005) | Spyder (2007?) | Kamal (Expected-2007)
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Type 1980s 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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