Alfa_Romeo_166

Alfa Romeo 166

Alfa Romeo 166

Executive car produced by Alfa Romeo

The Alfa Romeo 166 (Type 936) is an executive car produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo, between 1996[1] and June 2007. The car was designed by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, under the control of Walter de Silva, and was facelifted in September 2003.

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History

Alfa Romeo 166, pre-facelifted model

In order to keep the design fresh, Alfa Romeo made a series of modifications to the Lancia Kappa based underpinnings, radically changing the suspension set up, and also taking a clean paper approach to the interior.[8] The 166 served as the replacement for the 164.

The car was initially available with a 2.0-litre Twin Spark (155 PS), a 2.5-litre V6 (190 PS), a 3.0 V6 (226 PS) or a V6 2.0 Turbo (205 PS) petrol engine. Diesel engines were a L5 2.4-litre 10v common rail turbodiesel version with 136 PS (100 kW; 134 hp), 140 PS (103 kW; 138 hp) and 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) output, praised for its refinement.

The TS model used a five-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.

The suspension system consisted of wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear.

Facelift (2003)

Alfa Romeo 166, facelifted model

By the second half of 2001, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo prepared a facelift for the Alfa 166.[9] Designed by a newly hired Daniele Gaglione under the supervision of Wofgang Egger.[10] In September 2003, the 166 was substantially revised, being unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As well as upgrades to the chassis, interior, and engine range, the styling was substantially altered. The new front end resembled the also recently revised 156.

The 2.0-litre V6 Turbo model was dropped because of marketing problems, the V6 2.5 was re-rated at 188 PS (138 kW; 185 hp) 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 the Sportronic form.

The L5 2.4 was re-engineered with Multi-Jet technology which allows up to five injections per cycle, second stage common rail, with a maximum injection pressure of 1400 bar and four valves per cylinder, to output a class-leading 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp).

End of production

Alfa Romeo 166 (rear view)

In October 2005, the Alfa Romeo 166 was officially withdrawn from sale in markets for RHD. Sales of the 166 never grew as Alfa Romeo had hoped, following the facelift in September 2003, and the additional lack of a diesel engine in the United Kingdom, Australian, and Irish markets limited its reach into company car sectors. The 2.4 JTD diesel engine was only available in left-hand drive markets.

In June 2007, the production of the 166 effectively ended, with no direct successor. In September 2008, the platform was sold to the Chinese state-run manufacturer GAC Group.[11] In total, fewer than 100,000 units were made.

In August 2009, Autocar named the 166 as "Britain's Worst Depreciating Used Car", as it held just 14.4% of its original used value after three years.[12]

Engines

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References

  1. [1]
    "FIAT ePER VIN: ZAR93600000000003". pekidi.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  2. [2]
    "FIAT S P A, Form 20-F, Filing Date Jun 30, 2004". secdatabase.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  3. [3]
    "Automotive Design and Production, Feb 2002, accessed via". Findarticles.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  4. [4]
    "GAC Trumpchi Listing". dautomotives.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  5. [5]
    "New GAC SUV to make market debut next year". Gasgoo. November 29, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  6. [6]
    "Guangzhou Auto Trumpchi GS5 listed & priced in China". China Car News. March 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  7. [7]
    "AWE Products". aweurope.net. Archived from the original on February 23, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  8. [8]
    "Alfa Romeo 166 (1999 - 2005) used car review". www.rac.co.uk. March 6, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  9. [9]
    "STUDIOTORINO - 200108_166". studiotorino.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  10. [10]
    "DANIELE GAGLIONE NEW DIRECTOR OF JAC DESIGN CENTER". autodesignmagazine.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  11. [11]
    "Alfa Romeo sells defunct 166 platform to Guangzhou Auto". motorauthority.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  12. [12]
    "Alfa 166 loses the most value". August 26, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
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