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| Road Test: Alfa Romeo Brera (2006-) |
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| Affordable Sports |
by: John Simister |
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Alfa Romeo Brera Gallery
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| PERFORMANCE RATING: |
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Again, we'll start with the 2.2. It takes a few miles to coordinate clutch and throttle smoothly, because the throttle is unresponsive to very small inputs but then comes on in a rush when you press a little harder. It's this that makes the engine feel more muscular than it is, although a 170lb-ft torque peak, with much of it available from low revs, isn't a bad figure.
The induction sound deepens as you press the accelerator at low-to-medium revs, but only up to a point - it goes quieter again as you reach the end of the pedal's travel, presumably because the drive-by-wire throttle has adjudged a big throttle opening to be counter-productive for the current speed and engine load and so ignores your right foot's request. Most of the engine's reservoir of thrust can be tapped without flooring the throttle, which means that full-throttle only brings exciting results when the engine is revving hard. Do that, and the Brera 2.2 will reach 62mph in 8.6 seconds and continue to a 138mph top speed - respectable but not outstanding figures. That slight feeling of engine mid-speed engine flatness manifests itself the most on hills, when an upshift across the big gap from second to third gear puts the fire out.
If you want real pace, the V6 is the obvious choice. This engine is wonderfully torquey (a 237lb-ft peak but a very plump torque curve), much more so than Alfa's old V6, and it has a terrific throttle response right up to high revs. This Brera reaches 62mph in 6.8 seconds and maxes out at 149mph. It goes as it looks.
We also tried Alfa's 200bhp 2.4 JTDm diesel, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The diesel Brera's performance, while not particularly ferocious, is hugely flexible and relaxed. Thank the big 295lb-ft of torque on tap from 2,000rpm for that. For the record, the diesel Brera will make 62mph in 8.1sec and top out at 142mph. But the real point here is that Alfa has a tax-friendly offering to take to fleet buyers.
The Brera's six-speed transmissions have easy enough gearshifts, but occasionally the synchromesh catches a little and the driveline can clonk as the power is taken up, especially if you don't get that clutch/accelerator coordination quite right. The brakes are powerful and progressive in their action, and not over-servoed; the V6 has bigger brakes made by Brembo.
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Introduction 'Wow!' cried the world at the 2002 Geneva motor show. 'Alfa Romeo ... |
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