Rant: Is the Brera a joke?
Discussion
Have you actually stood by and looked at the Brera in the flesh? From a architectural design standpoint it is unresolved front to back, two halves. The front will look super on the 159, and particularly Sportwagon - it is shaved and angular. The rear, unfortunately, is overall a rounded egg style. It may appeal to some, but seriously, if you love a total design to be complimentary of all its part, it's two halves. Look at the TT, like it or not (I happen to love the shape if not its popularity) it's all of a piece by comparison. The interior, well the dash, does not look rich enough....slabby and poor looking aluminuim finish plastic. Alfa are always doing this, however, look at the sad face of the early 166, and compare it with the slick sharp rear. Look at the modern lines of almost all aspects of the 147, and then the anonymous rear, particularly light clusters. Just a thought.....lets hope and wait for an edgier, cheaper Fiat clone with a bit more avantgarde style and wilder ride and permanent 4 - chance would be etc.......these days are gone. Love live the 20v Turbo, best car I have ever owned in a long list of and select bunch.
rmaxibiza said:
Have you actually stood by and looked at the Brera in the flesh? From a architectural design standpoint it is unresolved front to back, two halves. The front will look super on the 159, and particularly Sportwagon - it is shaved and angular. The rear, unfortunately, is overall a rounded egg style.
Oddly, until I had spent some time looking at the Brera in the metal, I would perhaps have agreed with you. For me it works well, although I agree with your points re the 166 and the pre-facelift 147. The rear lights post-facelift are much better, although they then spoiled it with the awful chrome strip on the tailgate.
The front of the 159, although similar at first glance, is actually quite different in detail - the Brera having two vertical strakes in the air-dam, the Alfa shield not quite reaching the bottom of the airdam on the Brera as it does on the 159, and the front three-quarter (between the bumper and the front wheel) is a flat panel on the 159, but kicks inwards on the Brera.
_Batty_ said:
havoc said:
Yes the GTV looks dated.
was your mouth out with soap
Phase 3's look amazing
Was going to say that the one in the pic has 16inch wheels and no aerokit, the cars with 17's and aerokit look far better. I find a GTV looks nude with no aerokit.
For years Alfa have promised a bigger engine, either a twin turbo effort or the lump from the 4200. Nothing has been delivered.
Back to the performance, my point was that when the GTV was released, the 3.0 wiped the floor with everything out there bar Porsche, M3's etc. Now even repmobiles will out gun the Brera, thats not part of the game(all show and no go).
The GTV pictured is a phase-1 and thus has the old-fashioned wheels and black sills etc.
The phase-2 is by far the prettiest and has stood the test of time very well (imo).
Also imo, the phase-3 was a step too far; grafting the new Alfa 'face' onto a body that wasn't designed to take it.
The phase-2 is by far the prettiest and has stood the test of time very well (imo).
Also imo, the phase-3 was a step too far; grafting the new Alfa 'face' onto a body that wasn't designed to take it.
pdV6 said:
The GTV pictured is a phase-1 and thus has the old-fashioned wheels and black sills etc.
The phase-2 is by far the prettiest and has stood the test of time very well (imo).
Also imo, the phase-3 was a step too far; grafting the new Alfa 'face' onto a body that wasn't designed to take it.
Agreed, agreed and agreed. p.s. GTV's don't "need" aero-kits because the design was just right from the outset, although I have nothing against them if they do. Leaving aside design issues because as has been said the GTV is 12 years old, I took the pictures because the one thing that struck me was how much larger all round the Brera is than the GTV wider, higher and of course heavier! The phase-2 is by far the prettiest and has stood the test of time very well (imo).
Also imo, the phase-3 was a step too far; grafting the new Alfa 'face' onto a body that wasn't designed to take it.
R...richb said:
Agreed, agreed and agreed. p.s. GTV's don't "need" aero-kits because the design was just right from the outset, although I have nothing against them if they do. Leaving aside design issues because as has been said the GTV is 12 years old, I took the pictures because the one thing that struck me was how much larger all round the Brera is than the GTV wider, higher and of course heavier! R...
I also agree that the GTV has aged well, but I think the age is now showing and I totally agree that the P3 facelift was a mistake, as it unbalances the car completely. R...In terms of size, the Brera isn't all that much bigger - 12cm longer, 5cm wider, 2.3 cm higher - but I think looks heavier because the wheelbase is actually 1.2cm shorter than the GTV. But there's no getting away from the fact that it's 215 kilos (15%
) heavier which is why the performance figures for the 3.2 Brera and the 3.0 GTV are almost identical. It's worth remembering, though, that there's a GTA version due sometime.
jamieboy said:
I agree with your points re the 166 and the pre-facelift 147.
Now, the 166 - there's a model where the grafting-on of the new 'face' worked really well. Shame it was too late to encourage sales volumes.
jamieboy said:
The front of the 159, although similar at first glance, is actually quite different in detail - the Brera having two vertical strakes in the air-dam, the Alfa shield not quite reaching the bottom of the airdam on the Brera as it does on the 159, and the front three-quarter (between the bumper and the front wheel) is a flat panel on the 159, but kicks inwards on the Brera.
S'funny - I could have sworn that I read somewhere that most of the panels on the front end of the Brera are a straight swap with the 159. Could be mistaken, though.
Rich...jamieboy said:
Similar enough for a family resemblance, but different in detail.
I see what you mean, but (from those pics) it could be just the chin that's different (deeper would account for the shield not hitting the bottom). IIRC the bonnet, wings, light clusters etc are supposed to be interchangeable - if so it should please the insurance companies...
pdV6 said:
I see what you mean, but (from those pics) it could be just the chin that's different (deeper would account for the shield not hitting the bottom). IIRC the bonnet, wings, light clusters etc are supposed to be interchangeable - if so it should please the insurance companies...
I think you're right about the lights, the bonnet and the upper wings being interchangeable - all the differences I mentioned (the shield, the airdam, the flared lower wings) are all part of a single panel. It's a lot clearer on this larger image: brera nose
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