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. The 166 served as the replacement for the 164. Production began in the end of 1996, and model was available from the end of 1998. The car was initially available with a 2.0-litre Twin Spark, a 2.5-litre V6, a 3.0 V6 or a V6 2.0 Turbo petrol engine. Diesel engines were a L5 2.4-litre 10v common railturbodiesel version with, and 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 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)
In September 2003, the 166 was substantially revised, being unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. 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 revised 156. The 2.0-litre V6 Turbo model was dropped because of marketing problems, the V6 2.5 was re rated at and a 3.2 litre V6 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. The L5 2.4 was re engineered with Multi-Jet technology which allows up to five injections per cycle, second stage common rail, with maximum injection pressure of 1400 bar and four valves per cylinder, to output a class-leading.
End of production
In October 2005, the Alfa Romeo 166 was officially withdrawn from sale in markets for RHD.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, 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. In total, less 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.
