ALFA Romeo test drive 166 2003 - 2007 sedan

Scarlet Letter

Any machine reflects the national psychology of the people who created it. Want to know more about Italians? Talk to Alfa Romeo 166.
The process of entering the ALFA Romeo 166 market could turn into a situation known in cinema in cinema, which is conditionally denoted as a continuation afterwards. Say, they shot a great film, scored a bunch of Oscars and, and let's quickly and quickly make a sequel until the audience cooled: maybe it will also ride with a bang. As a rule, it does not roll. Exceptions from this rule are rare. But, fortunately, there are
 
 
Alfa 166, in the minds of the consumer, almost became a continuation of the ALFA 156, a magnificent car, which deservedly received a car of the year in 1998. Apparently, the Italians really wanted to repeat success. Rushed terribly. Urgently arranged in September last year the World Presentation of the 166th (Autopilot No. 10, 1998). There, cars gathered hastily for the date, chased with gray smoke, some plugs fell off, buttons did not press, the navigation systems lied, the image was initially spoiled. But the 166th went to the market and what? It is bought and praised!
 
What do we have for $ 43 158 (this is how much the 166th, which we took for a test)? We have a car performed by Super with a 2.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine and with all pies, as car dealers like to express themselves. Full-time casting wheels, adjustable suspension, sports 6-speed gearbox, cruise and climate control, electric package, ABS, audio system with 8 columns, athermic glass, rain sensor, heated mirrors and front seats, a computer with a multifunctional monitor, satellite navigation system, satellite navigation system, satellite navigation system, satellite navigation system Radio with RDS functions, airbags (frontal and side) for sitting in front of the list can be continued. In principle, for a car of this class, a set of pies is quite standard. But something is missing.
What do we have for the same money ?? We do not have a befitting class of upholstery of the cabin. It would seem that Super is obligated to use the skin or at least velor. But no. The skin is only on the steering wheel and on the lever of the checkpoint. And, for example, the seats are sheathed with some frivolous rag. In appearance and touch completely or partially cotton. Maybe it is so hygienic and transological, but it looks cheap. We do not have airbags for the rear passengers (the lack of heating and adjusting the seats for them a priori, we forgive such pies, rarely, even on a super-sphere). We have no opportunity to use the navigation system. It is clear that the Italians are not to blame here, but we pay for it: its formal availability is probably clogged in the price. Maybe it would be logical to supply cars to Russia without it while we do not have appropriate security? Once it will still be
Recently, it has become a good tone to equip cars with such a high class GSM-telephone. And in the 166th it is theoretically provided. According to advertising avenues, the most cool: loud connection, Short Message Service (a short message system that allows the phone to work in paying mode), an automatic reduction in the volume of the radio at the time of the call. However, a particular car we tested such a luxury as the phone is absent. There are appropriate buttons, but their pressing leads only to the appearance on the display of a polite inscription: they say, excuse me, Imposybl and a pity.
166th alfa car for the driver. Only the driver, and the temperamental driver can fully evaluate it. This stove is not red with pies. Motor, transmission, chassis that's the main thing. Here is the highest level. A turbocharged 2.0-liter six with an intercooler, for example, gives out the maximum torque (279.5 Nm) at 2500 rpm. (For comparison: the usual atmospheric engine of a significantly larger volume of 3.0 liters gives the same moment only at 4000 rpm). Like most turbo engineers, ours is a little thoughtful before the turbine is turned on. But when it turns on (according to our observations, somewhere around 2000 rpm), the car shoots very powerfully and at the same time quite smoothly, without a sharp jerk. So that the body presses into the chair, but you do not knock on the headrest with the back of the head.
And you want a jerk, but such as to leave the point, please. There is an exclusive racing lot on our alpha system Sport Throttle Response (STR), which sharply changes the throttle reaction to pressing the gas pedal. You can turn it on at any speed: I released the pedal, pressed the button next to the checkpoint lever, gave it again on gas and many other lovers to tear from traffic lights rest far from behind. Employees of the company claim that the effect will be even stronger if, when leaving a place at the same time with the StR button, press the TCS button (Traction Control System). But we did not notice the difference. In addition, in the instructions for the car it is written that STR, if desired, can be turned on without a button, you just need to very sharply hit the gas pedal. Beat. But for some reason they did not achieve
When driving in sports modes, fuel consumption is great. We, as the display showed, came out as much as 23.5 liters per 100 km. However, the alpha is alpha, to put pressure on all the money, otherwise why is it needed
A 6-speed manual checkpoint is very contributed to driving. That's just in the city, it is rare to get to the 6th program. Alpha needs spaciousness. In urban crampedness, it resembles a hot horse, which is sick to walk in a circle and wants to be in the prairie
 
Text Sergey Sorokin, photo Dmitry Novokreshnev, Maxim Gudkov
 

Source: "Autopilot"