Alfa Brera 2 4jtdm (from The Northern Echo)

HAS there been a betterlooking Alfa Romeo in modern times than the Brera? The sheer gorgeousness of it turns heads in a way not seen since the outrageous SZ coupe more than 20 years ago.

Originally designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro as a concept car for the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the Brera was put into production due to overwhelming public approval.

Rather bizarrely, Alfa Romeo gave the job of production-ising the Brera to Giugiaro's great rival, Pininfarina, whose name adorns the finished model's flanks.

Although the Brera has remained faithful to the original 02 concept some of the more O.T.T features had to be removed, most noticeably the gull-wing doors and the carbon fibre bodywork.

The chassis is a re-worked version of the 159 saloon car but considerably shortened. The Brera is, after all, a coupe.

Mind you, legroom in the back is limited to children-only. The only way you could cram a couple of adults in there is with a chainsaw.

It's a better story in the front, although tall drivers may find the electrically- adjustable sport seats run out of up/down adjustment before they are completely comfortable.

You don't have to be a giant to find your hair brushing the roof lining, although a near-full length electricallyoperated glass sunroof fitted to the test car gave up a couple more centimetres.

Of course, the first thing that strikes you about the Brera is the way it looks.

Featuring the classic long nose, short rear deck style that characterises all good-looking coupes, the front grille is a beautiful design full of character and menace. The front wheel arches are flared for added onthe- road presence and the high waistline and quad rear exit exhausts suggest strength and power.

There are three engines to choose from: a 2.2 petrol, a 3.2 V6 petrol and, unusual this, a 2.4 litre five-cylinder diesel. It's the latter I had for test.

The 20-valve turbodiesel has been seen before - it's a reworked version of the TDi first seen in the Alfa 156 saloon. Power is upped from 175bhp to a more meaningful 200bhp and the torque figure is an impressive 400lb/ft. Initially I was by Alfa's decision to stick a heavy diesel into a coupe that already has a reputation for needing to lose a few pounds.

Pressing the starter button I hoped for a soulful deep, burble from the exhausts but all I got was the usual diesel tractor-a-like soundtrack.

Worse, pulling away from a standstill it didn't feel very exciting. The engine redline is at 6,000rpm, high for a diesel, but you can reach it all too quickly in the lower gears and the power drops off like a stone once you're approaching it.

Slip the six-speed gearbox into third or fourth, though, and a big diesel starts to make more sense - using its prodigious torque to fling the Brera down the road in a manner more befitting its dramatic looks.

Sadly, the aural accompaniment doesn't grow more exciting but the diesel clatter subsides as the engine warms up.

There are plenty of logical reasons for going diesel these days. The JTDM sits in a lower insurance band than the 3.2, stretches a gallon of fuel almost twice as far and emits a lot less carbon dioxide so it won't get clobbered with a £455 road tax bill.

Chucking a big, heavy lump beneath the bonnet of such a svelte coupe could have upset the handling balance badly.

It's a tribute to the chassis' excellence that the Brera JTDM handles so well. Even on smartly- taken sharp bends the front-end just grips and grips. I suspect under-steer would only be a problem on very greasy Tarmac or at highly illegal speeds.

There's no hint of sag or wallow and the chassis deals competently with the kind of unexpected bumps and dips in the average Brit B road that tended to upset the old GTV.

New Breras should be even better in this respect because the car has just undergone a pretty major revision so drastic that the production line in southern Italy was stopped while it took place.

Externally there's nothing to see but beneath the skin Alfa engineers have shaved 100kg off the car's weight by replacing unsprung components with lighter and stronger items.

It's a nice place to travel long distances, the Brera, aided and abetted by the stylish interior trimmed in leather and cloth. The centre console, which has three small clocks for turbo boost, temperature and fuel, is milled from aluminium and looks great. The leatherbound steering wheel also feels good with a nice chunky rim that is easy to grip.

They are littered with switches and I found it too easy to operate the rear washer when all I wanted was to speed up the front wipers. There are some nasty ridge lines where these stalks have been popped from a mould, too.

That's about the only blot, though. Otherwise I found the Brera's interior to be every bit as cool as the exterior.

The driving position (bane of many an otherwise excellent sporty Italian car) was spot-on for me and I suffered no discomfort.

The seats have plenty of adjustment and there is no need to adopt an arms outstretchedknees bent driving position any more.

So it drives well, doesn't cost a fortune to run, is well built and looks like it cost a million dollars.

But it doesn't. The 2.4 JTDM costs £26,999, which is a lot less than an equivalent 3-Series Coupe, plus the Alfa comes loaded with lots more kit as standard and lots a lot, lot better.

So what if it isn't as practical, that the back seats are for the underthrees only and the boot isn't so easy to fill?

If you have even the faintest appreciation of what makes motoring so great, you should take a drive in a Brera before making up your mind.

Not just the best looking Alfa of modern times; the best Alfa of modern times full stop.

What are these links for?

If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.

At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.

Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.

Newsquest
Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy © Copyright 2001-2008 Newsquest Media Group A Gannett Company
This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network

Jobs of the week