31 Mar 06
After a decent showing in our road test of a left-hand drive version, we've revisited the Brera in its UK on-sale right-hand-drive form.
As revealed in our news story the Brera is priced from £22,800 for the 185bhp 2.2-litre version and up to £29,850 for the full-house 250bhp V6 four-wheel drive model. That puts it squarely in the sights of the likes of the Mazda RX-8, Nissan 350Z and Audi TTs present and future.
Visually - and on-the-road - the Brera offers a much more striking presence than its competitors. Viewed front-on, the Brera is faithful to the multi-lensed concept car that inspired it. Likewise, from the rear, the car's prettily sculpted rear wings look well planted to the road, especially in motion. From the side, though, the Brera is less well-resolved, with a wheelbase that, at 172mm less than that of the 159 saloon it's based on, looks too short. Combine this with a significant front overhang and the effect is rather anteater-like.
Inside the Brera, there's an initial sense that Alfa Romeo has tried hard for a quality look and feel. The real aluminium finish on the centre console looks great and even the faux-alloy trim bits are convincing. As we discovered in our first test, the tactile experience is good, too, with no nasty textures to break the spell.
