The quad polished chrome tailpipes - rounded rectangular - also add to the sporting appeal and the detail and balance of the design. Though the Brera has been around for a while, we had lots of onlookers - interestingly, an owner of a new Black Commodore at a service station was transfixed. (And did I mention how much we loved that huge full-length sunroof?)

Under the bonnet

Under the bonnet of this Alfa is a performance-bred 3.2 litre V6, with four valves per cylinder and Alfa’s continuous double variable valve timing setup. Maximum power is a healthy 191kW at 6300 rpm with the rev-limiter kicking in shortly afterwards at 7000rpm.

The Brera also has the option of a 2.2 litre in-line four producing 136 kW but saving 140 kilograms over the V6-powered car. The four, the JTS 2.2, also comes with slightly smaller brakes.

The V6 has purposeful low-end urge even though peak torque of 322 Nm doesn’t arrive until 4500rpm. All that pulling power is needed because, weighing in at a portly 1630 kilograms, this Brera is one beefy Italian. (It’s deceptively heavy for a car of its size… too many pizzas maybe.)

Lift the bonnet and a beautiful engine greets your eyes. Not being hidden under acres of moulded plastic, this is a sight for the enthusiast and one of the subtle rewards Alfa owners enjoy.

On the road

Entering our favourite proving grounds on the roads of the national park just south of Sydney, we start opening up the throttle more to see what this car is capable of on some empty winding roads. Its pace on the road isn’t - shall we say - ballistic, more like usefully quick.

Standstill to 100kph takes 6.8 seconds, with a top speed tailing off at 240kph. Safe overtaking and acceleration are the keys here; you feel the power from the V6 providing nice urge but never making you feel like you are in a blisteringly quick car.

The Brera has an adaptive all-wheel drive system known as Q4. It cleverly varies the torque split of power output to the wheels from 72 percent front/28 percent rear, rising to the other extreme, 28 percent front, 72 percent rear.

The Q4 system adds weight to the car, but it’s set up to direct traction to the rear in hard press-on driving. It feels very sure-footed over bumps and undulations and, with good quality rubber underfoot, is a quality performance drive.

There is a negative here though. We had the six-speed manual and, although the stubby gear stick is nice and short, the feel is lacking a bit - it could be a touch more connected. I also noticed the rev-limiter was set 1000rpm lower in first gear at 6000rpm, and 7000rpm on other gears. This can be a tad frustrating during fast getaways.

That said, second and third have such useful torque sitting at the toe that you would happily stay in these gears and play with the lovely sounding V6 when pressing on.

Combined fuel economy as stated by Alfa is 11.5 l/100 km. In our hands, when seriously under the pump with spirited driving, we returned a figure of 19.6 l/100 km. This was under exceptional conditions, you’ll do a lot better than this.