It's like a sports car, sort of, and yet like a coupé. Michael McAleer, Motoring editor had a job figuring out the thrust of Alfa's new Brera
What exactly is the Brera? Is it an outright sports car, a successor to the GT Juniors of old, or a coupé version of the 159? I've yet to decide, and that's after a week in the car. It's got the looks of a sports car, but there are plenty of reminders that it has much in common with its saloon sibling.
The front has the same distinctive styling as the 159, a mix of beauty and menace. The shorter wheelbase does make it more of a sports car, while the smart rear end is almost unique for a coupé: big and bulky, rather than the usual tapered lines of competitors. It could even be regarded as something of a hatchback 159.
Styling from Giugario is always going to have a wow factor, and the attention to detail from the Italian design house is impressive. When we first encountered the Brera - in concept format at the Giugario stand in Geneva several years ago - we couldn't take our eyes off it. It was stunning: fantastic lines and perfect proportions.
Alfa has taken this styling and altered it only slightly for production, the end result retaining all its appeal, but adapting it to a shortened 159 platform.
There are several tidy styling touches. From sleek door handles to ultra-modern light clusters, they combine to give the car exactly the sort of presence Alfa owners desire.
Inside the cabin is exactly as you would expect from an Alfa sports car: the central cockpit and dials directed towards the driver.
Smart leather seats support the idea that this is more than a 159 coupé, while the fit and finish is better than we have experienced in the 159s we have tested so far.
The seating position is true Alfa also, low down with the steering wheel coming out at you.
The usual array of dials add to the occasion, and for once we have a car firm that seems to understand the principles behind using aluminium décor inside a car. German rivals have tried to do this on their sports versions and, frankly, have failed miserably. This is smart, sporting, tasteful and yet discreet.
Rear seat room is minimal, and in that regard it's just like a sports car rather than a coupé.
If you were to have children in the back, regardless of the poor legroom they'd have, the small windows and low set seats would make it feel confined and claustrophobic back there.
There remain a few problems in the cabin. Stowage is relatively poor, and the lack of cupholders suggests Alfa has no plans to return to the US market in the near future. Though we often scoff at the abundance of these American coffee jug holders, we've become accustomed to using them as extra stowage, and their omission leaves you fiddling around with change and keys.
The good news is that there is a decent boot on the Brera. Unlike previous Alfa sports cars that offered the equivalent of a shopping bag in the back, this car can stow a decent quantity of luggage.
Power for our test car came from the 2.4-litre 200bhp common-rail diesel engine. It's a strange beast in a sports coupé and though it offers all the torque and take-off we expect from quality diesels these days, it had some serious downsides.
We still have some niggling qualms about diesel-engined sports cars, though we realise it's an outdated illogical viewpoint. And if anyone can create a diesel sports car, then it should be the engineers at Alfa's parent company Fiat, which has been at the vanguard of diesel technology for decades now.
The small diesel engines in several Fiats are peppy and frugal, arguably the best buys in their categories. Yet this diesel engine - for all its output - failed to convince us. In the main, that was because of the racket it emitted. It was incredibly noisy. We hoped it was only during cold starts that the diesel din would detract from the overall effect, but even after a 350km run, when we crawled into city traffic again it was still rattling away.
It may seem rather pedantic, but it seriously tarnished the racing looks of the car and for many potential owners - who are privately as keen on image as performance - the diesel will detract from their joy of ownership. A bit more attention to sound-proofing could have done this car some real favours.
Thankfully other engines are on offer. The 2.2-litre petrol unit is probably the best buy, and is likely to make up most of the Brera sales. But there's a dilemma with this engine too. Pit it against rivals, and on paper at least it comes out significantly slower than sports car rivals like the Mazda RX-8 - which is also significantly cheaper - or coupé competitors like the BMW 3-Series.
THERE'S ALSO THE ISSUE of front-wheel-drive. Most cars in this segment opt to put power on the road through the rear wheels, partly to avoid torque steer. The Brera, though, pits its power through the front wheels and the result is a good deal of wheel spin and torque steer when pulling off in a hurry.
For all that, the handling of the Brera is impressive enough to win you back from the brink of dismissing it altogether. Stiffer springs than the 159 may give it a firmer ride than you would like on some Irish roads, but they also allow the car to settle into a more sporting drive when called upon.
The shorter wheelbase also helps, and the end result is a car that's at its best when you let it stretch its legs. Only then does the diesel cackle settle down to a more modest rattle, and all the elements come together to allow Brera show some of the true characteristics of the Alfa brand that keeps its loyal fans returning for more, despite the practical concerns of depreciation and age-old issues with build quality.
Alfa executives claim they're seriously addressing these issues, and the evidence is there in the form of the Brera. Once these are rectified, it's up to cars like this to rebuild the brand's presence. The Brera is a serious step in the right direction and is an honest reminder of why there are still so many loyal devoted owners of the brand out there.
In truth, it's not going to steal many conquest sales from the likes of Audi or BMW, but it will hopefully rekindle interest in a brand that - for all the frustrations and disappointments experienced by some 156 owners - still deserves a second chance.
The problem for Alfa is that only the most loyal fans seem to be considering the brand as a contender these days.
Factfile
ENGINE:2387cc five-cylinder common-rail diesel engine offering 200bhp @ 4,000rpm and 400Nm of torque @ 2,000rpm
SPECIFICATION:Standard features include: seven airbags; ABS; AST; EBD; brake assist; stability control; halogen headlights; foglights; parking sensors; radio/CD with six speakers; leather upholstery; panoramic glass roof; 17" alloys; dual zone air conditioning
Options: cruise control; 18" alloys; sat-nav; Blue & Me bluetooth connection
L/100KM (MPG):
Urban: 9.2 (30.7)
Extra-urban: 5.4 (52.3)
Combined: 6.8 (41.5)
CO2 EMISSIONS:179g/km
ANNUAL ROAD TAX:€786
PRICE:€51,000 (€48,000 to €59,000)