Alfa Romeo's Biggest Mistake? How the 166 Became Britain's Most Unwanted Car

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The biggest mistake was Alfa ever dropping rear wheel drive (or rather Fiat's mistake it was to force them to do so).

I owned a 1999 166. It was, by a long way, my favourite car ever. I did 112 thousand trouble-free miles. It was great fun to drive. Since then, I've owned Jags and E Class Mercs, and none have been as enjoyable to own and drive as the Alfa.

Still we all want one😂

I had a 166 Facelift V6 with Automatic in the absolutely stunning colour Nuvola Azurro (pearl blue metallic that shifts colours depending on the light) - I drove it for a year and no issues with it, other that a rear no longer responding to the central locking, the most reliable car I ever had. And 0 depreciation too, bought it for 5000 and sold it a year later for 5000 as well. I sold it because I found the suspension too hard for my taste on longer journey. This was 1 of only 2 cars that I owned where I sometimes just looked out of the window to enjoy it's beauty (the other one was an E34).

I had a 166 super for 16 years and did 220k miles in it before it blew its head and tore its back end suspension apart. Never experienced that steering weirdness you seemed to have here. Such a shame but I personally think if you can get a t66 that is lower mileage today for around 5k, it'll be the best 5k you've spent in your whole life.

166 was a very good car. I don’t agree that it was poor quality. Was solid and reliable overall.

I'm driving 166 for 15 years now and this is fantastic 4-person grand tourer :) No steering issues if you look after the suspension and use 17/18-inch wheels. Great car, especially with Busso engine!

Shame this review just regurgitated all of the usual journalist comments about Alfa 166’s. Having owned several along with owning an E39, the 166 is superior in just about every way.

Sorry James, but you’re getting it wrong with the diesel part of the story. 2.4 is very powerful and efficient unit. Bulletproof reliability, 5 cylinders and rather pleasant sound, unlike the one provided from 1.9. I’m telling you all this, cause I actually have a ‘06 147 1.9 JTDm for the past, well, 17 years actually, and I’ve driven couple of 2.4 166’s, and they do 6-7 l/100km’s. I’d take that economy every day. My 2020 Giulia Veloce’s doing 14l/100km’s😂

I have a pre-facelift which I prefer for it's slightly odd looks. Great cruiser and nicely different from the crowd

I used to have a 2.0 TS one. Loved it despite the cam belt failing which caused a long winded warranty claim. The interior was amazing, handled well for a big car and the headlights were epic. I had mine converted to lpg due to high daily mileage and eventually the engine blew. I was gutted to see it go.

I'll have to be financially stable in every sense before purchasing my first vintage car. The best thing to do with your money is to invest rightly till then

I actaully disagree. I find the pre-facelift version prettier.

Hi James; I've had both the 156 and 166 Alfa Romeos; both with V6 motors, the 156 was manual and the 166 automatic. I really enjoyed my 156, but my 166 was a car I truly loved. Very fast, very, very comfortable, and surprisingly reliable. I kept both cars for a year, but then was offered an exchange - for a Lancia Thema 8/32. Of course I accepted and that Lancia was the only car I've ever owned that nearly cost me my nice clean licence! As you may be aware, I'm settled into Lexus now, but I'd still buy a 166 if a good one came up.

I had a 166, one of the best cars i have owned, i cant remember steering being bad, maybe the one you were driving had some issue, otherwise the 166 is an amazing car.

Honestly though the original design pre-facelift looks a lot better than the facelifted model.

German Wolfgang Egger designed the Alfa 166 facelifted version was so beautiful better than the opposition! Lancia Kappa was a great large executive in that era too known in Holland as the "Italian Mercedes" due to its high mileage capabilities!

Last year I acquired my first Alfa, one of a whole list that will probably become rather long. A 1999 166, with the modest 2.0 TwinSpark. Modest (compared to the E-segment in general) but certainly not lacking of soul, and still pretty smooth to drive every day. A great sound, reminiscent of the early Bialbero, yet entirely OEM. A remark I'd already read about the GTV 916, but I wasn't expecting the same treatment in a large executive saloon. A very neat design to my eyes, very satisfyingly coherent, and above all, perhaps one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful interior ever featured in a car. Especially with the beige Momo leather seats and the mahogany steering wheel. Surprisingly comfortable, despite the 18" wheelbase (only 40 of sidewall), and totally remarkable handling, which at first glance was really unexpected for a 4m73 car. This slightly odd feeling reported in the video may be due to the higher, more flexible sidewalls and a less sporty range of tires (I have similar tires to the Goodyear Eagle F1). I remember that even in Gran Turismo, the notes/reviews you could read before buying a car, attested to its behavior as far better than any of its rivals, even the German ones. Note that, living in France and with LHD, sales here were " much " better, without being remarkable though. So it's easier to find them in good shape than on your side of the Channel. And here at least, they hold their value quite well and have begun to increase (especially in v6 variants), following the trend of all the other Alfa of the early 2000s. I'll always remember its Clarkson test drive, surely one of the main reasons I bought one. I can't wait to finally get my hands on a Giulia 2.0 Lusso... Ever since it came out in 2016. I was able to test drive the Giulia, in 2.2 JTD, and what a car. Great video as always.

Pre-face lift is waaaaaay better, but I know you are used to people disagreeing with you about this sort of thing! As always, another excellent vid. Keep em coming