Originally Posted by Wejboy
And....why is that the Alfa 3.0 has probably the lowest mpg, and in % terms by quite some way, of any of the competition (BMW, Audi, Merc, Lexus etc etc). Don't get me wrong, I love it to bits but wouldn't it be great to get near 30mpg on a combined run instead of low 20s.
I was stunned with the 24V 3.0 V6in the 166 as far as 'economy' goes - I got an average of 27mpg over a long trip. The same long trip in my mighty old 164 - which has a 12V 3.0 V6 - gave 40mpg. Yes, 40... 7.1L/100km! It helps that my 164 is a manual, but it definitely leaves a sour taste that for all the years of progress (and an extra 12V), the torque peak has moved up and thus the economy suffers. I suppose if you want the 240+km/h top speed, that's the price you pay.
So I have to say that I can't love my 166 while I still have my 164... and the 164 has a towbar, so the other week I towed a FIAT Uno on a car trailer - 280km round trip and less than half a tank of fuel. I don't think my 166 could have managed that!
-Alex