- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
3.2i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
191kW, 322Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 11.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2006 Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 V6 review
The striking Brera coupe rivals the iconic Porsche 911 for individuality, writes BRUCE NEWTON.
Alfa hits the sweet spot
Alfa Romeo's Brera concept car was the star of the 2002 Geneva motor show. Designed by Italian legend Giorgetto Giugiaro, it was always a question of when, not if, it would go into production.
The transition from concept car to production has kept much of its original boldness.
It retains the three-door two-plus-two layout, with a hawkish nose created by the triple-headlight arrays and the Alfa Romeo shield. The long bonnet rushes back to the steep A-pillar; the short, rounded turret ends, as if knee-capped, just behind the rear wheels. It looks striking, perhaps the most individual sports coupe this side of the iconic Porsche 911.
Two Breras are offered in Australia, the $69,950 2.2-litre, four-cylinder front-wheel-drive entry model, and this $94,950 V6, all-wheel-drive version.
Maybe you're wondering where the Brera fits into the range alongside the GT. After all, that's a sports coupe with a hatchback, and is offered with a choice of four-cylinder and V6 engines.
Alfa-importer Ateco says we should think of the GT as an equivalent to the BMW 3-Series coupe, although Brera is more akin to BMW's focused Z4. Fair enough, but the Brera could line up against either.
Fitted on to the 159 sedan architecture, the production Brera is 84 mm higher, 64 mm wider and 25 mm longer than the concept. The wheelbase is 70 mm shorter than the concept and a significant 172 mm shorter than the 159.
Inside there's a traditional Alfa driver-oriented cockpit with a combination of metal-look plastics, leather trim and ample-sized powered and heated front seats. The steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake.
Rear accommodation, though, has been sacrificed to the car's styling purity. It is impossibly tight for all but the smallest child. However, there is reasonably impressive boot space.
The styling dictates that the Brera feels quite enclosed in the cockpit and rear visibility is compromised.
The money buys a hefty pile of standard safety and comfort equipment such as seven airbags, stability control, bi-xenon headlights and a panoramic sunroof.
On the road, the Brera is a generational leap ahead of the fast but flawed GT. The Brera is a convincing, entertaining and involving sports machine.
The engine is crucial to this. It uses an Alfa-fettled 3.2-litre version of Holden's Melbourne-built "global" V6 that powers the Commodore, coupled to a Torsen centre-differential all-wheel-drive system (denoted by the Q4 badge).
Alfa's own cylinder head work - including direct injection (denoted by JTS) and variable valve timing of the inlet and exhaust camshafts - transforms the V6 from something of a lump to a soulful, stirring, animate object. It lacks true pulling power down low, but above 4000 rpm it gives generously all the way to 6800 rpm and sounds like it is really enjoying itself.
Be careful with its quick-shifting, six-speed manual gearbox. The gates are close together and it's possible to miss-shift. Also watch out for the clutch, which has quite a late and narrow engagement. All sound too hard? Then wait for the auto expected early next year.
The Brera V6 is no traffic-light racer. Alfa's official - and optimistic - 6.8-second 0-100 km/h time is hardly stellar these days. Weight is the issue. At 1630 kg this is a heavy sports car, and it seems most hindered when accelerating from a standing start and at the fuel pump. There we posted a frightening 17.7 L/100 km after a week of varied driving. That's on 95 RON premium unleaded . Alfa claims an optimistic 11.5 L/100 km.
Much of the weight can be attributed to the all-wheel-drive system, but a few corners will soon convince you of its worth.
The system is set up to be rear-biased, so it drives something like a rear-wheel-drive car. Combined with precise steering and new front and rear suspension designs borrowed from the 159, the result is a talented, stable and sensitive handler. There is none of the traditional scrabbling wheelspin and torque steer of front-wheel-drive Alfas.
Instead the Brera V6 wants to turn in and track smoothly. There is some understeer, but certainly not enough to ruin the experience. Only really rough roads or determined, hard, driving fluster it. It rides a bit lumpily at town speeds, although the 10.7 m turning circle means it is manoeuvrable.
Thankfully, Alfa has included large Brembo brakes as standard equipment. Pushed hard, they will faithfully respond.
The ability of the Brera to provide interaction like this is what marks it as a special Alfa. It is too heavy, its rear seats are hopelessly tight and it costs a lot, but as far as driving goes, it delivers better than any of its recent relations. And there's no doubt it looks good doing it.
What's it got?
- Alarm
- Bi-xenon headlights
- Foglights
- Alloy wheels
- Power windows
- Dual-zone climate control
- Cruise control
- Front-door puddle lights
- Heated and powered front seats
- Leather trim
- Panorama sunroof
- Trip computer
- Headlight washers
- Bose 10-stack CD audio system
- Remote central locking
- Bluetooth and iPod connectivity
What's missing
- Drilled alloy pedals
- Satellite navigation
- Full-sized spare tyre