Alfa Romeo 166
The Alfa Romeo 166 has been in production for about 10 years now; from 1998 to 2007. This car was created by the Italian company Alfa Romeo that was seeking to add another sedan to their long lineage. This car was created for the “executive class” and was the successor of the 164 and is the predecessor of the 169. All of these vehicles held up its own unique look that is tantamount with the Alfa Romeo line; the pointed nose, the drooping headlights, and the
elongated design. These unorthodox features, is important to the entire “corporate” reputation that has been built up over the years, due to its specialized arena marketing in the corporate world.
The Alfa Romeo 166 came with four different engine designs to make it appeal to a lot of different types of people; a 2.0-litre Twin Spark engine (155PS), a V6 2.0 Turbo (205PS), a 2.5 V6 (190PS) or a 3.0 V6 (226PS). They also came with an option of a diesel engine; L5 2.4 10v common rail turbodiesel edition with a 136, 140, and 150 PS yields. Both the diesel and the gas engines came with a fuel capacity of 69 litres (18 US gal/15 imp gal)-72 litres (19 US gal/16 imp gal). The Alfa Romeo 166 also had a wide range of choices of gearboxes to match their wide range of engines with the 2.5 and the 3.0 running with a Sportronic automatic, and all of the other engines the L5, 3.0, V6 Turbo and the 2.4 came ready with six speed gearbox, with the exception of the TS which was distributed with a five speed gearbox.
The dimensions of the Alfa Romeo 166 adds to unusual and unique features; a substantial length of 4720mm (185.8in), a wheel-base of 2720mm (107 inches), a width of 1810mm (71.2in), and a height of 1416mm (55.7 in). It also had a curb weight of 1420-1510kg (3130-3328lbs). This 4 door sedan is one of the most bulky and lengthy Sedans available, but still it was hailed for its distinct handling in spite of its size, also for its initial range of engines, and its stylishly designed exterior.
There were some models of the vehicle that were considered to be "Super" which came standard with 17” alloy wheels, cruise & climate controls, MOMO leather interior, rain sensitive wipers, and the Integrated Control System with a full colour screen. These “Super” cars also came with options, which included but not limited to GSM connectivity, xenon headlamps, and satellite navigation.
The Alfa Romeo 166 had many issues with receptivity in the European market where it was meet with mediocre sales, due to the fact that it got stiff competition from the German automakers, resulting in their brands superseding the Romeo’s by very large margins. Also their engines in the later years tend to guzzle a lot of fuel resulting in high maintenance expenses for its customers. The Alfa Romeo 166 had many features and problems that only established it as a true corporate car, and it is still surviving on that specialized market.
The 166 even went through a makeover in 2003, which brought its look and performance up to an entirely new level that is sure to take the name of Alfa Romeo through the years.