Alfa Romeo Brera S (2008-) Review

On the road

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We had a limited time with the car but we were able to get a fair impression of what the Alfa Brera S has to offer.

We'll start with the 2.2-litre, which really doesn't offer enough grunt and you'd expect a lot more from a car with such an aggressive stance.

The acceleration figures aren't that impressive: the 2.2-litre engine takes 8.6 seconds to propel the Brera S from 0-60mph and that's not particularly fast when compared with a 2.0-litre Audi TT, which will do the 0-60mph sprint in under 7 seconds. Top speed for the 2.2 Brera S is 139mph. You have to push the 2.2 quite hard, especially when going uphill, when an upshift across the big gap from second to third gear is required. The engine sounds nice enough though.

In a bid to make the car more nimble, Prodrive has managed to shave 35kg off the kerbweight than the standard JTS. That weight loss has helped. It feels a pretty agile on cornering, but don't get too excited, as it doesn't offer truly confidence-inspiring grip. You have to be very precise with your steering inputs and if you're not the car will become easily unbalanced.

Prodrive has developed a unique suspension set-up: engineers have experimented with spring rates and ride heights to match the 2008 model year Breras. Spring rates have been increase by more than 50% and the ride height lowered by 10mm. Bespoke Eibach coil springs and Bilstein dampers have been fitted in a bid to reduce body roll and improve cornering and braking performance.

Now that's fine, in theory, but the Brera S still doesn't feel very stiff and composed entering, or in the middle, of tight bends - the body still feels like its flexing.

The steering is reasonably positive and quick, but there is a little too much play.

Alfa tells us Prodrive has worked hard on the Brera's ride, but we think it should have worked a little harder, because the S was jittery and uncompromising. You wouldn't want to spend too long driving on the UK's less-than-smooth roads.

The 3.2-litre has also had the Prodrive suspension/damper/ride height treatment and also went through a similar weight-loss exercise programme. This version is 100kgs lighter than the existing Q4 version and the result is a slightly less jittery ride.

Performance-wise it's also quite ordinary: it'll accelerate from 0-60mph in 7 seconds and it has a top speed of 155mph. Handling-wise, it's very similar to the 2.2-litre.

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-sensitive, but they did start to fade after heavy and repeated use during our tests.