Alfa has just given the range a bit of a shake-up in a bid to revive interest in its E-segment saloon. Gone is the understated nose, replaced by the new corporate snout premiered on the 156. That's it for the outside, though.

The rest of the changes are under the skin, primarily to the suspension. Alfa tried over a hundred different combinations on the car before settling for slightly increased spring and damper rates, but with subtly different rates in compression and rebound thanks to electronically controlled dampers. Rear suspension pick-up points change, too, in an effort to add a little rear toe-in during cornering.

It's good to report that all this tweaking really works. It was easy to spot the deficiencies of the old 166, especially on lumpen British B-roads, but on the roads around Berlin the new car feels remarkably more composed, with the suspension going about its work largely unnoticed, just as it should in a well-sorted car.

Trouble is, other things are now grabbing my attention instead. I'm struggling most with the dated interior; it doesn't feel a very special place to be and is leagues behind the Germans.

Another pleasure missing from this 166 is the delightfully rich growl of the famous 3.2-litre V6. It's grown a little coarser recently and doesn't command attention as it once did. Power still builds impressively, with a completely linear power curve through to the 7000rpm redline, but what little torque there is doesn't peak until a heady 4800rpm. A new generation turbodiesel with a third more torque than the V6 sorts that out, but it's not coming to the UK. Seems daft given that the only part of the E-segment that's growing is that for turbodiesels.

So if you do see a 166 savour the moment - it could be a long time before you see another one.