Wads on Sportscars: Alfa Romeo Brera V6

07.02.2008

I had a lovely red Brera on test for a few days recently and put it through its paces on some of my favourite roads.

I’ll start with how the car looks.. in a word pretty! It may not be the best looking car ever made but even Ferrari would struggle to make a better looking coupe. From almost every angle the car looks fantastic I would almost go as far as saying it’s a work of art! On the road the car gets a lot of admiring glances and even parked up I noticed people stopping to have a closer look. So full marks to Alfa (and Pininfarina?) for the exterior design!

Inside the cabin things are almost as nice as long as you are small enough to fit….. I’m 6ft tall and usually find a good seating position in most cars but the Brera was nearly impossible to get comfortable in….. even with the seat at its lowest position and the back pushed quite a way back my head was still touching the roof! After 20 miles of uncomfortable driving I started to get a back ache!!!! So be warned don’t consider buying this car unless you are under 6ft! Apart from the cramped nature of the cabin (P.S. the rear seats are too small for adults) the fit and finish is very good, the dials are well positioned and there are some nice aluminium parts giving everything a quality feel.

Starting up the V6 you are greeted by a very nice burbling exhaust note, a quick stab of the throttle results in quite a loud bark. Its nice to test a car that actually sounds like a sports car these days as many/most are actually really quiet even when pushing hard. To me how good a car sounds is almost as important as how quick it is!

On the move the four wheel drive system seems to work well, so much so that I soon forgot that it wasn’t actually a rear wheel drive car. The four driven wheels do a great job of limiting understeer so you can take corners and roundabouts at an impressive speed before the car starts to get out of shape, when understeer does start to appear you know you are pushing a little too hard and backing off the throttle quickly brings the car back on line. I wasn’t able to provoke any oversteer driving normally but quickly lifting off the throttle mid corner allowed the tail to start sliding but the stability control system cuts in very quickly to help you out…… I didn’t turn the electronic systems off as it wasn’t my car!

Performance wise Alfa quote a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds so I was pleased to measure the sprint at 6.6sec (0-60mph came up in 6.2sec). 30-70mph through the gears took a respectable 7.2sec. Power delivery was fairly linear with a gradual build up of acceleration. The brakes were a little difficult to get used to as they had quite a lot of initial bite so to start with I often found I was braking too hard, once I’d got used to this they worked fine!

One thing that caught me by surprise was the fuel economy (or lack of it!) as even driving normally I only managed 15-16mpg which is poor considering we aren’t talking about a heavy car with 400+BHP!!!

Overall the Brera is a nicely put together coupe but for me it had too many downsides to consider buying one…. Sure it looks and sounds great but the tragic fuel economy and cramped driving position will surely limit its appeal. Better option (although still rubbish fuel economy) would be the Mazda RX-8 which is cheaper, faster and handles better!

Comments (8)

PhantomPorsche	07.02.2008
	There is only one word to explain your review "brilliant". You are so detailed with the review, you are like a pro, let me refraze that "you are a pro" thanks for the review. Having a test drive is not neccesary after reading this review. Keep up the good work. I want one. :)

Georg	09.02.2008
	yes brilliant fair review...I guess the Bera´s main problem is the same that every modern car has... much to much weight, hurts performance, dynamic and of course the consuption

PhantomPorsche	09.02.2008
	In modern cars all those luxurious features bring performance down. Power windows, power door locks, power mirrors and so on. Big seats are also a problem but they do not really make a big difference to me.

Wads	11.02.2008
	Thanks for the comments.... one thing I forgot to mention was the number plate..... did you notice it. Also weight is a problem for me as cars seem to be getting heavier and heavier..... I usually perfer a light car but now that we have a baby I'm having to consider cars that previously wouldn't have been an option..... I want a fast 4 seat convertible that is safe..... that leaves me looking at the Audi RS4 Cabrio or BMW M3 Cabrio both of which are close to two tons!

PhantomPorsche	12.02.2008
	I think Volvo's are pretty safe. I've read that the RS4 cabrio is not that great compared to the coupe version, they say it has quite soft handling then what they expected. The Carrera Cabrio is lighter than both by a lot but safety and price is a whole different story.

Wads	13.02.2008
	I tried the Carrera S recently but it just wasn't practical with a baby in the back seat..... the car they lent me was also the Tiptronic automatic so it wasn't even that quick! I will be testing a manual 997S on track in May which should be fun. I quite liked the RS4 Cabrio as it handled better than I expected and was still bloody fast! :-)

PhantomPorsche	14.02.2008
	Cruising in the Carrera might not be to good, i have heard its loud which not might be too good for a baby but if the baby likes engines and exhaust sounds, then good.

FastestLaps	15.02.2008
	Thank you for another review! As good as always! I wish I had a better English so I could write more freely! *** Alfa Brera is not so much a sports car. It is something more special. "I would almost go as far as saying it’s a work of art!" - I wouldn't be afraid to call it "a work of art". When it came out I had no doubt it will be the car design of the year and it is one of the most beautiful designs of all time. What's more, Alfa Romeo 8C looks every bit as good as Brera and in the same time it is very different (not like Aston Martin DB9 and DBS). "To me how good a car sounds is almost as important as how quick it is!" - and you're not alone on this. I pay a ridiculous amount of attention on how car or motorcycle sounds. But I prefer straight 6 sound of an old BMW 325 over any V6.

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