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 , and 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 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 .

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The Alfa Romeo 166 was withdrawn from sale in right-hand drive markets in October 2005.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	@2800 rpm	Euro2
2.0 TB	V6	1,996 cc	150 kW (205 PS) @6000 rpm	@2500 rpm	Italian tax model
2.5 V6	V6	2,492 cc	140 kW (190 PS) @6200 rpm	@5000 rpm	Euro2
3.0 V6	V6	2,959 cc	166 kW (226 PS) @6200 rpm	@5000 rpm	Euro2
2.4 JTD	I5	2,387 cc	100 kW (136 PS) @4000 rpm	@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	@3800 rpm	Euro3
2.5 V6	V6	2,492 cc	138 kW (188 PS) @6300 rpm	@5000 rpm	Euro3
3.0 V6	V6	2,959 cc	162 kW (220 PS) @6300 rpm	@5000 rpm	Euro3
2.4 JTD	I5	2,387 cc	103/110 kW (140/150 PS) @4000 rpm	@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	@3800 rpm
2.5 V6	V6	2,492 cc	138 kW (188 PS) @6300 rpm	@5000 rpm
3.0 V6	V6	2,959 cc	162 kW (220 PS) @6300 rpm	@5000 rpm
3.2 V6	V6	3,179 cc	177 kW (240 PS) @6200 rpm	@4800 rpm	Euro 4
2.4 JTD	I5	2,387 cc	103/110 kW (140/150 PS) @4000 rpm	@1800 rpm	(depend on model year)
2.4 JTDm	I5	2,387 cc	129/136 kW (175/185 PS) @4000 rpm	@2000 rpm	(depend on model year)

References