Any experiences with a Brera and IS250?

[GTdrive]

I own an IS250 and quite like it. It’s reliable, comfortable, luxurious enough, all the nice gadgets but not too much to interfere with the drive, plenty of power for my daily needs and fun to drive, as I have one of the not so common manual transmission cars. I have truly enjoyed owning it.

But lately I’m starting to fancy a change. Something with a little more style and a bit more of an event. Not slower than the Lexus but also not a whole lot less comfortable. It would be nice if it was also nicer to drive. But not expecting an Elise.

I have always liked the Brera. Stunning to look at and the interior seems very nice and a bit of an occasion to sit in. But I have never driven one. So I don’t know if I would be disappointed coming from the IS250. I guess it won’t be slower. But will it handle like a boat anchor in comparison, because of the heavy transversal engine on the nose? I actually prefer my IS250 handling than my brother’s 330i. Combined with the manual and rear wheel drive it’s plenty fun to drive for a daily.

I’m also less than comfortable in going from a Lexus to an Alfa Romeo, for obvious reasons. The Lexus has been nothing but super reliable. How reliable is a Brera at this point in its life?

I guess the Brera won’t be as practical. But how impractical is it? Booth seems ok. But are the seats at the back any useful?

I know the best to do is to drive a Brera and see for myself. But I want the V6 Q4 and those are quite thin on the ground. I couldn’t find any within reasonable driving distance. So before I drive a while just to check one, I would like to gather experiences first. Maybe I find that despite the gorgeous looks and the nice looking interior it is totally not for me.

If anybody has experience with both I would love to hear.

[ZX10R NIN]

If you want it to handle out of the box then you'll need to find one of the very rare Prodrive cars, saying that though a set of springs & some poly bushes (this will have a two fold affect because these do like wearing through their bushes) will sharpen up the handling nicely.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202022...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112150...

[GTdrive]

Thank you. But didn't Prodrive turn the V6 into FWD? I really would like AWD if I can't have RWD. Specially that I hear the Brera V6 Q4 is RWD biased.

[GTdrive]

I know the 2 cars are not that common. But nobody has experiences to share?

Or is the case that unless talking about Germans cars, there is no interest?

[LightningBlue]

I guess many haven’t owned a Brera - I’d have loved one, still think they look fresh inside and out but they’re all getting on a bit now and wonder how expensive they are to run. There’s a buyer’s guide on here that I think suggested the 1.75tbi engine was the one to go for but they’re going to be rare

[fflump]

GTdrive said:

Thank you. But didn't Prodrive turn the V6 into FWD? I really would like AWD if I can't have RWD. Specially that I hear the Brera V6 Q4 is RWD biased.

Yes that's correct. Prodrive sacrificed AWD for reduced weight, which was a shame IMO.

I often browse Breras and would go for the V6 Q4 since Prodrives command silly money and AWD suits the heavy Brera and heavy engine iMO. I had a 159 V6 Q4 which is same engine, same platform which was a great car as a family wagon-all stock except poly-bushes added. A Brera is unlikely to be drastically different so don't expect a sports car but it's a timeless design.

The 1750 TBI- I have heard great things about that engine-but very rare and also command strong money.

[GTdrive]

LightningBlue said:

I guess many haven’t owned a Brera - I’d have loved one, still think they look fresh inside and out but they’re all getting on a bit now and wonder how expensive they are to run. There’s a buyer’s guide on here that I think suggested the 1.75tbi engine was the one to go for but they’re going to be rare

Yeah, they are indeed getting on a bit by now. But I find myself attracted to cars of that era, because they are still not that computer driven. And as you say the design is still fresh. The design honestly could come out today and it would still be fresh with a few adjustments to the lighting. For many the design is all there is to go for. But I honestly like the rest of the car as well. The weight thing never really bothered me as this was never to be a 4C. I think it weighs about the same as some of it's competitors. If I have a problem would be the sideways engine across the nose.

[GTdrive]

fflump said:

Yes that's correct. Prodrive sacrificed AWD for reduced weight, which was a shame IMO.

I often browse Breras and would go for the V6 Q4 since Prodrives command silly money and AWD suits the heavy Brera and heavy engine iMO. I had a 159 V6 Q4 which is same engine, same platform which was a great car as a family wagon-all stock except poly-bushes added. A Brera is unlikely to be drastically different so don't expect a sports car but it's a timeless design.

The 1750 TBI- I have heard great things about that engine-but very rare and also command strong money.

But the 1750 TBi is FWD only right? I think FWD is the wrong set up for such a car.

Nice that you had a 159 V6 Q4. How long ago was that? From a running costs and reliability point of the view your experience should be valid for the Brera as well I would think? How reliable was it? Running costs?

They are RWD biased right? I heard if you turn TC or ESP off it becomes even more rear biased?

[Trevor555]

I was sent to buy a Q4 Brera pre Covid.

It didn't feel very quick, I expected it to be quicker. Slight noise/whine from the transmission, and the front subframe was worryingly crusty.

And it wasn't a high miler.

Buy with caution.

[seiben]

My other half had a Brera V6 Prodrive.

It was st. Unreliable, uncomfortable, slow, heavy, and sounded dull. Really very few redeeming features, other than looking quite nice. Couldn't get rid of it quickly enough.

[Elroy Blue]

If your six feet plus then you won't fit in it. I really wanted one once, absolutely no headroom in it

[Mr Tidy]

GTdrive said:

I know the 2 cars are not that common. But nobody has experiences to share?

Or is the case that unless talking about Germans cars, there is no interest?

I think it is more likely because IS250s and Breras sold in pretty small numbers, unlike the German alternatives!

And as I have owned BMWs continuously since 2008 I don't really help, although it is interesting to read about peoples' experiences with the few RWD alternatives around.

I know the Brera is a real looker but from what I have read they are pretty lardy and not especially quick.

But I thought the GT looked also looked good - might one of those with a V6 be an option?

[taz128]

I owned a face lift white 2.4 JTD Brera for 12 months.

positives
- stunning to look at,
- interior not a bad place to sit (providing you are in the front)

negatives
- 2.4 JTD had a decent amount of torque, but always sounded agricultural + mpg was poor 35ish over 12 months with lots of motorway driving
- Dynamically the car was a dull heavy front wheel drive bus / stability systems very eager to cut in (not subtle either sometimes you'd think the engine had cut out).
- Quality average, irritating issues never managed to stop rear lights steaming up, seat recline issues, window regulator fails, hands free system was useless, crank pulley disintegrated leaving me stuck in a car park (wasn't a expensive fix just annoying)

To be fair if you do any research all the above are well known problems, some easy fixes some expensive

For me ultimately the engine was the let down, had it been a 1.7tbi i may have kept it, but then 1.7tbi are much more money

[eleveneleven]

I was seriously considering a Brera too along with a 159 last year. They're gorgeous to look inside and out but hearing all the horror stories from Alfa owners over the years I just couldn't bring myself to do it in the end. Sensible hat went on and I ended up with an IS250.

I think you should keep the 250, especially if you're enjoying it. The manuals in good condition are quite rare these days. The Alfa will cost more to run and obviously wont be as reliable but if you can accept that then it's worth a punt.

Have you considered any alternatives? An Insignia VXR for example

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112070...

Edited by eleveneleven on Tuesday 15th February 13:27

[ooid]

Well, if you definitely need a reliable car in the house, keep the IS and buy a second one for fun. (If budget allows). early boxsters 2.5 or 2.7 or if you are more risk-averse a z4 would nicely compliment Lexus for fun days, but when $hit hit the fans, you will always have the reliable Japanese to go back to.

[fflump]

GTdrive said:

fflump said:

Yes that's correct. Prodrive sacrificed AWD for reduced weight, which was a shame IMO.

I often browse Breras and would go for the V6 Q4 since Prodrives command silly money and AWD suits the heavy Brera and heavy engine iMO. I had a 159 V6 Q4 which is same engine, same platform which was a great car as a family wagon-all stock except poly-bushes added. A Brera is unlikely to be drastically different so don't expect a sports car but it's a timeless design.

The 1750 TBI- I have heard great things about that engine-but very rare and also command strong money.

But the 1750 TBi is FWD only right? I think FWD is the wrong set up for such a car.

Nice that you had a 159 V6 Q4. How long ago was that? From a running costs and reliability point of the view your experience should be valid for the Brera as well I would think? How reliable was it? Running costs?

They are RWD biased right? I heard if you turn TC or ESP off it becomes even more rear biased?

Yes the 1750 TBi is FWD, rare as hen's teeth and not worth the money IMO.

I owned a 2006 159 3.2 Q4 estate from 2014 to 2019. I bought it privately after a PPI showed it to be a decent example and it was reliable-in that nothing ever went wrong. Main running costs are hefty VED and poor fuel economy but a a supremely well planted car for all seasons. I doubt the Brera 3.2 Q4 drives any differently-not super fast but torquey and very nice sounding engine.

[GTdrive]

Mr Tidy said:

I think it is more likely because IS250s and Breras sold in pretty small numbers, unlike the German alternatives!

And as I have owned BMWs continuously since 2008 I don't really help, although it is interesting to read about peoples' experiences with the few RWD alternatives around.

I know the Brera is a real looker but from what I have read they are pretty lardy and not especially quick.

But I thought the GT looked also looked good - might one of those with a V6 be an option?

The GT is FWD, so no.

I don't need a sports car. I just wouldn't want to downgrade in performance and handling. So all the talks of the Brera not being quick is only half relevant really. It will replace my daily driver. Who drives fast all the time? I'm sure it must be plenty fast to keep up and even beat most traffic considering the power to weight. The question is, will it be a downgrade from what I have now? This is what I need to find out.

[GTdrive]

eleveneleven said:

I was seriously considering a Brera too along with a 159 last year. They're gorgeous to look inside and out but hearing all the horror stories from Alfa owners over the years I just couldn't bring myself to do it in the end. Sensible hat went on and I ended up with an IS250.

I think you should keep the 250, especially if you're enjoying it. The manuals in good condition are quite rare these days. The Alfa will cost more to run and obviously wont be as reliable but if you can accept that then it's worth a punt.

Have you considered any alternatives? An Insignia VXR for example

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112070...

Edited by eleveneleven on Tuesday 15th February 13:27

The Insignia is not really an alternative for me. The Lexus is better in every single way there. At least the Brera looks nicer and more stylish than the Lexus.

Keeping the Lexus is absolutely an alternative and this is what I'm doing if the Brera turns out to be the wrong car. Because I can't really see anything else to replace the Lexus. It will be a hard time when I need to let it go. Because everything else is either too expensive, or FWD, or automatic or ugly.

[fflump]

Don't discount a Q4 159. Not many better looking saloons and virtually no better looking estates.

[GTdrive]

fflump said:

Don't discount a Q4 159. Not many better looking saloons and virtually no better looking estates.

The 159 is indeed very good looking. But saloon for saloon I would keep what I have now.