Alfa Romeo Brera (2006 - 2010) 2.2 JTS SV 3d Owner Review

Buying an Alfa you kind of know what you get. It won’t be as refined as it’s German or Japanese rivals but they’ve got so much style and character that it’s worth making some compromises here and there. Despite that newer Alfa Romeos seem to be fine mechanically gone are the days where driving an Alfa condemned you to a life of constant breakdowns. Practicality/comfort The Brera is really comfortable, cruise control, AC and it rides really smooth at motorway speed so long distance is no problem. The boot is really good for the style of car it is. I am 6ft2 and head room isn’t an isssue if I lower the seat but if your 6ft4 or over I’d be worried. The only downside is the rear seats, you can fit 2 adults in the back for short journeys but they won’t be comfortable. There is quite a bit of wind noise in certain conditions because of the long windows. Also the glass roof is really loud in heavy rain. Running costs I haven’t had any mechanical issues yet but at 40k miles I wouldn’t expect to. As for fuel economy it sucks around 23-25 city and 30-35 motorway (mpg). Price This was an expensive car new £30,000 and you may be disappointed if you were expecting a sports car. I paid £5500 for mine and I love it can’t think of anything better looking for less (personal taste) and you really don’t see many on the roads. Performance 185bhp is kind of in the middle, it’ll feel powerful if you came from a small hatchback like I did but it might seem a bit underpowered if you were expecting a sports car. It can pull in 2nd but it’s quite heavy so don’t expect it to be lightning quick. For a 4 cylinder it sounds pretty good but sounds a bit stretched at the top end like all 4c’s do. Handling It won’t be as refined as a 370Z, Z4 or a TT. It’s certainly front heavy but you won’t notice it to the same extent as the really heavy V6 that’s mounted pretty far forward. The steering has a really nice weight to it if Center and there’s very little body roll so the front end gives you a lot of confidence. The pedals are also really well positioned, makes heel-toe downshifts a breeze if your so inclined. To summarise as of 2018 Brera’s are about £2500-£7500 just depending on which version you want. For that price your getting a really really nice car both the interior and exterior are beautiful. If you don’t need to hold more than 2 people for long journeys then it’s the perfect daily (other than fuel) but if you want a weekend car I’d go with the V6. Alfa’s are nowhere near as unreliable as they used to be so don’t shy away from cars around 100k so long as they’ve been well maintained and looked after. I love my car and would recommend a Brera to anyone it’s just a really interesting stylish alternative to every other grey Merc, Audi or BMW.