Originally Posted by HowardA
You get what you pay for Tony - where is the soul in the BMW
Yes, the Alpina is a hell of a lot more expensive, that's true, and I agree about the lack of soul in BMWs. But there's no real excuse about this. The 166 was trying to compete with the 5 series and it didn't. It was slower and less fuel efficient across the board. The 525i has about the same performance as the Super. Everything else is faster but still more economical. The diesels blow it away. That's a problem, no matter whether it has 'soul' or image. Looks are a moot point, anyway; there are plenty of people who think the 166 is ugly! (
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-...g-to-aol.html).
The 169 must be a big improvement and I really hope it is. It certainly needs to be quicker, rear wheel drive and have some powerful diesel options. I am surrounded by BMWs and Mercedes and Audis and I don't like them any more than anyone else on this forum but Alfa are simply not competitive enough - and they need to be.
Just look at the sales figures; BMW sold more 5 series cars in the UK in one month than Alfa sold 166s in 8 years. In Germany, it's even worse...
