Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 JTS V6 Q4 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 V6 Q4
Prices: £32,115 – on the road
Insurance Group: 18
Emissions: 270g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 7s Max Speed 152 mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 24.7 mpg
Safety: Twin front, side and knee airbags, ABS, traction and stability control, ABS with brake assist
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4413,1830,1372mm

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Our Rating: 7.0 / 10

With all-wheel-drive, one of the most charismatic engines in series production and a shape to die for, the Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 JTS V6 surely can’t fail. Andy Enright reports

Although it can’t promise you dilithium crystals or a warp drive, there’s still something redolent of Star Trek about the specification sheet of the Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 V6. ‘Twin Phaser’ variable valve timing sounds intriguing as does the ‘Jet Thrust Stoichiometric’ combustion system. Although it’s top speed of 149mph may be a little shy of the Enterprise’s warp factor eight, it’s still pretty respectable for terrestrial transport. And the fascia is a lot more elegant than the bank of flashing lights Lt Uhura had to put up with.

Like Gene Roddenberry’s finest, there’s something of the Seventies about the Brera, but in the best possible way, the shape harking back to some of the most modern Alfa’s in living memory such as the GTV and the Alfasud Sprint. The long nose, tapered rear and rising belt line are all classic Alfa coupe cues and the Brera shoulders its historical burden easily. Part of the reason why is a V6 engine whose bloodline can be traced right back to the classic GTV but which has been thoroughly modernised to cope with ever more stringent emissions and noise regulations. It’s probably the most charismatic powerplant this side of a BMW M Roadster and one glance under the bonnet will alert you to the fact that not all cars are created equal.

Enthusiasts may well be thinking that 260bhp is an awful lot to direct through the front wheels of the car and they’d be right. Cars like the old GTV 3.2 had a real problem putting their power down to the tarmac, the result being either an overwrought traction control system or, if you switched it off, more blue smoke than an episode of Top of the Pops. Factor in a bit of wet weather and you’d easily find yourself being outstripped by something like a Land Rover Freelander away from the lights, all of which is highly frustrating when you have a thoroughbred engine to play with. This version of the Brera answers that criticism really rather neatly. Rather than rely on just the front wheels, the Brera 3.2 V6 spreads the burden amongst all four. Yes, you did read that right, this car features Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel drive system, giving it some genuine all weather capability.

It’s properly quick too, getting to 60mph in 7 seconds and running on to a top speed of 152mph. Based on a Holden unit from Australia, this is not the 3.2-litre many will have been expecting but it’s not a direct transplant, Alfa Romeo having done a whole raft of tuning and fettling in order to give it that characteristic Alfa sound. You won’t buy this engine for its economy or emissions. You’ll buy it for its ability to put a number on rivals from BMW, Audi and Mercedes in virtually any weather condition and at a price that undercuts these Germanic alternatives when equipment counts are taken into consideration. Thankfully, Alfa have managed to perform a cosmetic job on the powerplant such that when you pop the bonnet there are still gorgeous crackle red finishes and gleaming polished header pipes on display.

The undisputed star of the Geneva Motor Show in 2002, the Brera prototype wowed the crowds with a shape that managed to meld classic Alfa Romeo design cues with a bold, futuristic vision of what a post millennial successor to the classic GTV was all about. Nobody really believed the flip-up doors would make production and, for quite some time, Alfa Romeo stonewalled any questions as to whether the Brera would go into series production at all.

Fast forward three years to the 2005 Geneva Show and the car that customers would be able to buy was on display. It still attracted huge crowds and remained a very good-looking car but some of the tension and drama of the original had leaked away, replaced by a finished article that worked better from some angles than others. From dead ahead, the Brera is still something very special with piercing triple circular headlamps that arc down to a simplified version of the show car grille. The bonnet swage lines and underbumper air intakes all serve to give the car a pinched, aggressive look that works superbly.

Likewise from the rear, the Brera looks a million dollars. Softer and more rounded than the frontal treatment, the