RE: Alfa Romeo Brera: Spotted
Discussion
Gazgsxr600 said:
I recently bought a gorgeous red Brera and on a recent trip To Chester I had a group of Chinese tourist taking pictures of it, so those of you who think they are ugly take a look in the mirror and think again
yes because the chinese are well known for their taste in automobileskambites said:
I never understood the love for these. The 159 looks lovely but the Brera is just such an ungainly blob of a car.
I'd partially agree - although the front of the Brera looks great (actually slightly different to the 159 - lower grille) and it is both colour (black) and wheel (multi cross spoke 18"s) sensitive. Add to that it doesn't photograph very well and looks better in the metal! I remember reading somewhere that the design wasn't supposed to look 'pretty' (whatever is defined by that) and it was to be 'striking and bold' so it is going to divide opinion by that.
Anyway, the 2.2 is to be avoided, it's not just the chains - it's actually the back sprockets and and inherent design flaw. I couldn't own one expecting the engine management light to pop up and ask for ££££s that frequently.
jumare said:
I'd have one, more practical than the GT...
I'm not sure they are. The GT has an impressive boot, even more so than with the seats down, and I'm sure passenger space is not as compromised either. I'm looking at a GT to complement my 159. From any angle other than the front the Brera looks wrong.
DrSteveBrule said:
jumare said:
I'd have one, more practical than the GT...
I'm not sure they are. The GT has an impressive boot, even more so than with the seats down, and I'm sure passenger space is not as compromised either. I'm looking at a GT to complement my 159. From any angle other than the front the Brera looks wrong.
seiben said:
We just got rid of a Prodrive 3.2 Brera after 18 months. It was f
king st.
ETA: I feel I should justify this a tad more. It was... overwhelmingly disappointing. The engine was bland and too quiet, even with the Prodrive pipes. The ride was unbearable, coupled with the (admittedly lovely looking) 19" wheels which appeared to be made of cheese meant they were welded up and straightened on at least 3 occasions. It also had an insatiable appetite for suspension components, the exhaust had a rattle we could not locate, the wing mirrors delaminated, the heating system had a complete mind of its own, and you couldn't use the handbrake in winter as it would have frozen on by the next morning. Oh, and the drivers window dropped giving horrendous wind noise (and it leaked), the timing chain tensioner started to rattle on startup, the leather dash peeled itself apart and it suffered horrendous torque steer on anything but a glass smooth road.
All this on a relatively low mileage car with full service history which should, in theory, have been a good one. It should have been so much better than it was. I was thrilled to see the back of it and I would recommend them to nobody.
This is precisely my experience with a 916 Spider my family owned from new. That also had a convertible roof which both leaked and failed whereas at least your Brera is a Coupe! Dreadful cars. I could probably forgive the faults in a really special Alfa like the SZ but on mass-produced cars like the 916 and Brera it just ruins everything.king st.ETA: I feel I should justify this a tad more. It was... overwhelmingly disappointing. The engine was bland and too quiet, even with the Prodrive pipes. The ride was unbearable, coupled with the (admittedly lovely looking) 19" wheels which appeared to be made of cheese meant they were welded up and straightened on at least 3 occasions. It also had an insatiable appetite for suspension components, the exhaust had a rattle we could not locate, the wing mirrors delaminated, the heating system had a complete mind of its own, and you couldn't use the handbrake in winter as it would have frozen on by the next morning. Oh, and the drivers window dropped giving horrendous wind noise (and it leaked), the timing chain tensioner started to rattle on startup, the leather dash peeled itself apart and it suffered horrendous torque steer on anything but a glass smooth road.
All this on a relatively low mileage car with full service history which should, in theory, have been a good one. It should have been so much better than it was. I was thrilled to see the back of it and I would recommend them to nobody.
Edited by seiben on Saturday 22 December 16:03
DrSteveBrule said:
I'm not sure they are. The GT has an impressive boot, even more so than with the seats down, and I'm sure passenger space is not as compromised either.
I'm looking at a GT to complement my 159. From any angle other than the front the Brera looks wrong.
+1. My GT was much more practical than my mate's Brera.I'm looking at a GT to complement my 159. From any angle other than the front the Brera looks wrong.
PHarticlesaid said:
On the road, you'll find the Brera is an agile, fluid and rewarding drive
What? On the road you'll find the Brera is a front heavy, poorly damped, crashy riding, understeering hipo of a car (IME)Compared to any of the equivalent hot hatches (or even a cooking Ford focus in fact) it's a very blunt instrument.
The fact that the GT preceded AND superceded the Brera should tell you all you need to know.
The Brera is definitely more refined and solid-feeling, but the petrol engines are mostly devoid of character but full of potential issues.
The 1.9 Jtd is the one to have for general driving and the 2.4 5-pot diesel if you want a bit of aural character (but not economy). The 2.4 will happily remap to 250bhp, which is more than enough to give the V6 petrol a fright.
The very best engine in the Brera/ 159 range was the rather special 1750 turbo- strong and fairly characterful for a four-pot
If I could find one, I’d have a 2.4 disel Q4 sportwagon, but as they’re rare as hen’s teeth, I’ll stick with my ultra-leggy 1.9 GT and enjoy the neat handling and better economy
The Brera is definitely more refined and solid-feeling, but the petrol engines are mostly devoid of character but full of potential issues.
The 1.9 Jtd is the one to have for general driving and the 2.4 5-pot diesel if you want a bit of aural character (but not economy). The 2.4 will happily remap to 250bhp, which is more than enough to give the V6 petrol a fright.
The very best engine in the Brera/ 159 range was the rather special 1750 turbo- strong and fairly characterful for a four-pot
If I could find one, I’d have a 2.4 disel Q4 sportwagon, but as they’re rare as hen’s teeth, I’ll stick with my ultra-leggy 1.9 GT and enjoy the neat handling and better economy
purchased two years ago a 2.4 20v JTD Spider No Rattles or squeaks, screwed together as good as any Germanic stuff out there, Seems to drive ok to me, only let down once when it dumped it's coolant due to a plastic bleed off screw failing which i replaced with metal upgraded part....but above all it gets the attention like no other car i've owned.
Did very much fancy a Brera, but was put off by the engine options - didn't want diesel, and the only petrol version that appealed was the 1750, which were all well over budget.
Instead I ended up buying a Giulietta, with the lovely little 170bhp 1.4 Multiair turbo engine. If only Alfa had fitted that same engine in the Brera as the entry level option; it would have been far, far better than that dismal GM 2.2.
Instead I ended up buying a Giulietta, with the lovely little 170bhp 1.4 Multiair turbo engine. If only Alfa had fitted that same engine in the Brera as the entry level option; it would have been far, far better than that dismal GM 2.2.
I had a couple of V6 Q4 Breras. Initially the newer model with the revised seats which I couldn’t get on with, then a Mk1 fully loaded minter.
Both were better than the V6 GT we ran alongside them. The Busso in the GT was nicer though but not by much.
Both drove better than the V6 TT of the day (which ironically, my wife now owns alongside her Hybrid).
Both were better than the V6 GT we ran alongside them. The Busso in the GT was nicer though but not by much.
Both drove better than the V6 TT of the day (which ironically, my wife now owns alongside her Hybrid).
Plug Life said:
Gazgsxr600 said:
I recently bought a gorgeous red Brera and on a recent trip To Chester I had a group of Chinese tourist taking pictures of it, so those of you who think they are ugly take a look in the mirror and think again
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