Alfa 166 | Car Review | Top Gear
The Top Gear team play with the Alfa 166. Well, you would do if you had the chance! Watch this video in high quality on the BBC Top Gear YouTube channel, and don’t forget to visit http://www.topgear.com for all the latest news and car reviews!
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Oliver Guennewig
I really loved my 166, until the engine exploded.
Tony Tonay
Don't buy an Alfa 166. Buy a Toyota Camry and dream about having the Alfa. Your beneficiaries will be glad you did …… Or ??? Hmmm maybe it's time to start living ..
Sidhesh Patil
What does the real estate of the makers of Alfa Romeo look like?
Ravindu Herath
1000th comment from me
yco67
overhyped..
luca e
What a reminder! My granddad had the first 166 3.0 in dark blue with light brown interior. 20 years, 290‘000 km with no problem. Then another car crashed in his side which caused a heavy crash…
Mark cbay
Might well of depreciated a lot quick when it was new , but look at the price they are fetching now .Can you say the same about a same year Audi BMW Merc ?
ClaudeMagicbox
I don’t get all the reasoning on depreciation at the beginning….if you jerks in england have a stupid car market who’s fault is it?
Mzz Zzz
Yet Jeremy drives a Merc and has always been a Merc fan……
David Dangen
That's an Alfa, why is he driving it on the wrong lane?
Emppu T.
I'm looking at this one 166 for 850€ , should i buy it?
Justin OConnor
I had a 164 shitbox buy a bloody jag or a volvo s80 v8
Andrew Dick
Taste?? Press car..hearing aid beige ! I'd chose an S60 from this period !
Willy Cumstream
No one buying these cars, they are unreliable and ugly
Robert Robertson
I see Alpha made a Lincoln
Joe Margetts
Alfa offered me a top of the range 3.0 v6 on a lease for four years with 15,000 miles per year for £375 a month with full maintenance in 2002. I opted for a SAAB 9-5 Aero instead for £100 more a month and whilst the SAAB was amazing I have always wondered if the Alfa would have been more fun.
Don Laight
They're great when they're going, I've had a 147 TS 2.0 (2001) rarely driven the last two out four years. It started with a camshaft position sensor, then a dropped inlet valve. I've had it all repaired at great expense only to find the Spanish garage that repaired the engine only replaced the broken valve gear and prior to refitting the head( which should be skimmed) rubbed it down with wet n dry paper!!!
I've since had stripped rebuilt and it was great for about 6k kms, then he cam sensor light came on again followed by the great Spanish lockdown and now a flat battery. Ho hum
Cheeki Breeki
I drive an Renault Megane, but God I love Alfa this segment this single video sends shivers down my spine every single time i watch it…
Top Fuel Bike
It's just a car. 4 doors, 4 wheels, and a steering wheel. They chromed, so what ??
Jabber 1974
I had a pre facelift 166 with the busso v6, glorious car. The interior was a work of art. 10 years after I sold it I still miss it. Very reliable car, but you had to look after it, no missing services or using cheap oil. Lol it seems I’ve commented on this video before. Shows how much I loved my 166.
Ryoga2K
there's a 166 just around the corner from my house.. aparently stopped working years ago and owners had enough.. so it is there.. rusting with flat tires.
Karl T
Ugly car that hahaha
Bojan Bojovic
This video explains many things only Alfa enthusiasts understand.
Adinata Pramadya
in the end of video the team remove the tires from car… that so evil to do
JoeDaeHimself
2.4 JTD, 20 years old going super strong!
JXPD
In all honesty I think the front is nice but the back is horrible it follows the lines of the car but it's just a block of red
Bigga Boast Stunts
It’s as if it has come down a pipeline from the gods!
Stefano Battistino
Sembra un cassone.
Shauni Anne melody
I mean in hemsworth I can say in all the years I have lived here my wheels have never been pinched but someone did burn a car once
adan hernandez
Looks like a Acura tl
Michał Kwiecień
What’s the song at the beginning?
Nik
God old Top Gear is total rubbish
Maguslloret Munoz
If you didn't drive an Alfa yet, buy one, it's simply a great car do drive
Tommy Basara
its ugly
Martin
An amazing advert I just found for a 166 – talk about being honest 🙂
———
If you own a diesel Astra or the like and are only interested in the function of a car to get you from point A to point B you are reading the wrong car ad, this ad is for an Alfa Romeo.
I could list every slight scratch on the car but that would mean the ad was for those that think a 20 year old car will be in pristine, brand new condition.
I could list it as “Modern Classic” or “Future Classic” indicating that in 50 years time it will be worth a fortune (which it probably would be if you never drove it and vacuum packed it for those 50 years) I could add bullet “proof engine”, “grab a bargin” “pulls like a train” and all the other shite people put in ad’s than ain’t true, so I won’t.
This ad is for the person that actually wants to own and drive an Alfa, so let me tell you all about Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 ltr manual’s.
Let me start by saying that if you do decide to buy an Alfa you will find they can burn through your cash quicker than a 22 year old mistress. To find the approximate price of any Alfa spare, cost the Ford one and multiply by ten (you will still be short of the cost but you get the idea)
The word on the internet is that Alfa’s are unreliable, this is my fourth 166 and I have had two 164’s, not one of them has ever broken down, (actually stopped by the side of the road) That doesn’t mean they haven’t had the odd fault (nearly all Alfa faults are odd) With an Alfa you form a relationship, and in any relationship there is always give and take, an Alfa is a driving pleasure, an experience, and for that the car likes to take your money and your calm, not unlike a wife actually. With 226 BHP they are pretty quick and you can see from the pictures of the interior they are pretty comfortable, airy and roomy with pretty good road holding to match. This doesn’t mean you can just jump in one and expect to drive it like your Astra or Focus, you have to adapt your driving style to the car. As an example you probably change gear like everyone else with your hand over the top of the gear stick, this will change gear for you in a 166 but for 1st and 3rd gear it will also turn off (or on) the stereo, because that is where Alfa put the stereo button, another example would be in a normal car to turn left you just use the indicator, which is fine on right turns for a 166 but the left turn indicator rarely cancels, leaving you driving up the road with your indicator going like a novice. Mine is unusual that 99 times out of a 100 it will cancel. Another source of amusement is the rain sensing wipers, they do sense the rain, and they do wipe, but it will select the speed for what it considers is appropriate, which usually results in going like ‘biily-ho’ for a slight drizzle and 5 mins between wipes for a downpour (the good bit is you can override with a manual selection)
Let me do an equipment list for you :
WiFi
Bluetooth
Sat Nav
DVD player
Reversing sensors
Reversing camera
Self park
Phone
The good news is the 166 has none of these so they won’t break or act up (Sat Nav was an option on CD, you would have to be very brave to rely on an Alfa CD Sat Nav)
Think of the warning lights on the dash as more of an entertainment centre. They come on, they go off, indicating that the bulb behind them is still working and that is usually all they mean. On occasion mine likes to tell me I have a complete brake failure, for about 3 minutes, it can be a good heart exercise.
A common 166 problem is the door locks, the fob usually fails about 2 minutes after the guarantee on the car has run out, mine is very unusual in that it still functions properly.
Another common issue, that 166 owners will tell you is a feature, is the exhaust note, it is quite ‘meaty’, it wasn’t originally but when the original back box went on the factory supplied exhaust nearly everyone fits an after market stainless steel one, this isn’t because the super throaty sound is sought (can get on your tits on a 4 hour drive, fine for top gear in a 100 yard tunnel) it is because an OEM part will sting you about £500 (or more) and the aftermarket is only £250 (The back box goes all the way to the middle of the car)
Only really major issues with mine are that the lacquer is coming off, Alfa Lacquer seems to have a 20 year life, and the aircon don’t work, I could say the old lie “probably needs a re-gas” but it doesn’t, it blew a ferule on the last re-gas attempt and I haven’t fixed it, nor will i.
Now the reason for sale is that I am due to retire and I have 5 cars (an S500, an ST170 and a 9-5 HOT as well, so watch ebay for future sales) and will have no where to go, so the cars have to go, there is nothing worse for a car that sitting doing nothing. I don’t want to part with the car so I am not selling cheap, and if the wife pops her clogs first I may keep it and see if I can find that 22 year old mistress.
Assinine Comment
That chromed inlet manifold was the only pretty element of GM's 'Alloytec' motor, pumped out of Australia's Holden engine plant in Melbourne, Victoria.
Collin Johnson
I find it funny how top gear say that the 166 is beautiful. And yet the car look really basic and kinda bland looking. In my opinion at least
D. STAHL
Best car I never had. Very reliable as Alfa's always have been. Best in seating and acceleration for the engine class by still excellent gas mileage. Love it.
ninja gamer
awesome review!!!!
futea marius salam
Alfa Romeo , don't run with the pack
MR.KILLER
i have the 2.4 disel and it is the best car iv ever driven. It has style, comfort and is just different than skodas or bmw or audis
La Meccanica delle Emozioni
After a lift, it's not the same thing 🙁
Orion3741
That chrome finishing in the Alfa 166's engine is beautiful. As for Jeremy Clarkson, he presents this segment with his heart on his sleeve. Small wonder then, that during a TG poll to find out who the greatest presenter was of this motoring programme, he received 74 % of the votes.
Tony Horner
Only Clarkson could find comedy in the desolation of a once proud community.
mickymac
The redhead at the end was hot.
Marta&Loris_ videos:D
I love alfa😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🐍🥰🔥
Loris Giraldi
Io ho un alfa 166disel 136cavalli 20 anni perfettamente funzionante
Archon March
Someone please tell the name of the song starting @2:46
Brad Brad
Good video