LAUNCH REPORT:

Alfa Romeo 166 review

by Mike Grundon (21 April 2004)

Thank the Lord it’s finally happened. Alfa Romeo has, at last, turned its sporting executive flagship saloon 166 into a good-looking motorcar. I know it’s all a question of taste, but for me, despite the vast majority of motoring pundits telling me it was "stylish" and even "one of the most beautiful cars on sale", until now it simply wasn’t, and the low sales figures and high depreciation seem to have backed me up.

Alfa is hoping for big things with the new 166 which has just gone on sale. It’s not so much a new car as a revision of the old 1999 model, and as such retains some of the saintly sporting qualities of the marque but also inherits some of its weaknesses when it comes to practicality. It’s a bit more than a facelift, although it’s not a new product.

But those changes around the front are absolutely wonderful. Gone are the weary-looking expression and the outdated interpretation of the corporate air intake. Replacing them is a more overtly aggressive and sporting attitude, following the styling themes set by the 147 and 156: deep air intake, aggressive headlight clusters, offset number-plate, that sort of thing.

Alfa says €60 million has been invested to bring about these changes, and sums them us as "new styling by Alfa Romeo Centro Stile, carefully considered cabin trim revisions, extensive standard equipment specification upgrades, painstaking suspension modifications and comprehensive safety equipment, including the fitting of a sophisticated vehicle dynamic control system as standard across the range".

Prices for the range stay around the same, starting at £21,750 and rising to £29,900. There are four well-equipped models and three petrol engines to choose from; still no diesel in the 166 yet. Alfa has deleted two engines - the old 2.5-litre V6 and the base three-litre - and added a range-topping 24-valve 3.2-litre V6 which the 166 shares with the GTV and Spider, and the new sports coupé, the GT (see separate launch report).

The entry model comes with a four-cylinder, two-litre Twin Spark engine that turns out 150bhp and 133lb/ft. of torque which, when fed through a six-speed manual gearbox, will give you a top speed of 131mph and take 9.8 seconds to reach 62mph from a standing start, with an average fuel consumption of 29.1mpg.

It’s available with two trim levels. Despite being the base level, Turisimo trim gives you automatic climate control as well as side and head airbags, along with that Vehicle Dynamic Control which uses computers and sensors to counter skids by working on the suspension and brakes to keep the car under control. The Lusso adds a six CD autochanger in the boot, leather upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats, cruise control and about two and a half grand to the price tag.

The other two engines are only available with the Lusso pack. The three-litre 24-valve V6 unit comes with a four-speed Sportronic automatic transmission with a tidy 220bhp and 195lb/ft of torque. It’s good for a top speed of 145mph and will clip through the 62mph mark 8.6 seconds after take-off. It will only give you an average fuel consumption figure of 21.7mpg.

The new top car has that fiery 3.2 V6 engine which adds 20bhp and 18lb/ft of torque to its middle sister’s performance. On the road and using the six-speed gearbox, that ups the top speed by 7mph to 152, and shaves 1.2 seconds off its 0-62mph sprint. Fuel consumption is still disappointing but slightly improved, partly due no doubt to the manual gearbox. It’ll give you an average of 22.6mpg.

This new range-topper is a stunning car to drive. Lined up on a straight and empty road, and taking a bead on the horizon, you unleash the beast to get pushed back into the seat.

A few seconds down the road, you’re grinning and the engine growls in the background like a big cat. It just keeps pulling hard up to the red line. The car crouches slightly under acceleration but there’s no sign of torque-steer squirm, and it stays perfectly poised as you dash off in search of a corner.

Swooping through long sweeping curves or dipping through tighter bends, the set-up is excellent, with the minimum of roll from side to side. The gear change is smooth through all six gates and the steering is perfectly weighted. From the driver’s seat and from the passenger’s point of view this really is an exciting car, and listening to Handel as it eats up the open miles is an experience close to bliss.

This top model is also equipped with a Sport Throttle Response option which, when you stab it, is designed to . . . er . . . give you sporting response to the throttle. Now, maybe someone more attuned to these things could feel or hear some difference but I’ll be damned if I could. I tried three or four sprints with the thing engaged and disengaged and I was unable to feel any difference at all. Alfa has no figures to suggest what kind of advantage it gives you, but I can’t see any point in it. The V6 is quick enough without it.

So the driving is great, but it’s a different story when you explore the detail. Space and practicality are where the 166 falls down. Open the boot and you’ll find that while it’s deep, it’s not very wide. The back seats don’t fold down either, to extend that space, and apart from a ski-hatch there’s no extra flexibility. I also noticed exposed screws coming down into the boot from the parcel shelf.

In the rear seats an average-sized chap like me will find there just isn’t enough head and toe room. More unforgivable, though, is the presence of a centre seat equipped with only a relatively dangerous lap-strap seatbelt. How that omission in this day and age can be justified, particularly after talking about "comprehensive safety equipment", I just don’t understand.

The bottom line is clear. The 166 is now a good-looking car with a lot of go in it, but despite having four doors it’s only got the space and practicality of a large coupé. If you can live with the fuel consumption it will be a fine car for two adults with only two children, who don’t take a lot of luggage when they go on holiday. To be honest, though, in comparison with the German competitors it is, by far and away, an also-ran.

One other thing to remember is that residual values for the 166 have traditionally been poor, and although the facelift may improve its initial attraction, it takes more than that to turn a car’s fortunes around.