Alfa Romeo Brera 2.2 JTS
Give me a chance and Ill tell you all about how quick the Alfa Romeo Brera 2.2 JTS is. Ill inform you of its price, how many miles it can do to the gallon. Heck, Ill even clue you in on how much luggage space and rear seat kneeroom the thing has.
All of that comes later though. For the meantime lets just shelve the objectivity. Pull up an easy chair, fix your self your favourite beverage and just drink in what has to be one of the most beautiful shapes on the road.
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2-litre JTS petrol engined version may only pack 182bhp under that sleek bonnet and command a hefty £23,995 asking price, these issues dissolve into the realms of mere carping compared to the endorphin rush youll get every morning when you clap eyes on this Alfa. Its something you wont get in quite the same way if you opt for a Mazda RX-8, a Peugeot 407 Coupe or a BMW 3 Series Coupe. Yes, the Mazdas effervescent engine, the Peugeots mile eating capability and the BMWs handling excellence may well, on their day, prove superior but the Breras beauty delivers every day without fail. It may well force you to ask some rather uncomfortable questions about your motivations for buying such a vehicle but even the most self-absorbed can dress it up as an effort to beautify their neighbourhood.
Let the Brera bring out the altruist in you.
"Dont hate the Brera because its beautiful. It has a lot going for it"
That said, its worth pointing out that this Brera 2.2 JTS isnt just a sexy shape with nothing to back it up. Its a vehicle with a number of merits shared with its 159 saloon sibling, the first of which is noticeably tighter build quality. You may have owned Alfas in the past and vowed never again, but the current level of quality control within the company merits an amnesty.
Everything feels well screwed together and theres a real; sense of occasion about this cabin thats noticeably absent from most of its rivals. The fascia design is simple and elegant and its not hard to find a comfortable driving position, the only caveat being the surprisingly high drivers seat position. Taller drivers should make sure they dont specify a Brera with the glass roof. It robs you of a vital inch or so of headroom.
Rear seat space is most generously described as token and its here that the Alfa may well drop sales to less alluringly-shaped cars. It is, effectively, a two-seater with space to chuck a couple of bags but the upside is that the 300-litre boot is bigger than most direct rivals and usefully proportioned too. This lack of practicality draws the Nissan 350Z into a conceptual rivalry and this car is the 300lb gorilla in the corner when it comes to mid-range coupes. On most objective scorecards, the Alfa cant compete with the Nissan but the Brera shifts the goalposts by doing subjective just so well.
It also drives better than youd expect from a relatively heavy front-wheel drive car with 182bhp on tap. It grips gamely at the front and the quick steering endows it with a genuine feeling of keenness. Specify 18-inch alloys and your B-road ride quality takes a knock but on most surfaces the suspension copes very well. The Joint Thrust Stoichiometric (JTS) engine uses the principle of direct gasoline injection as used by Mitsubishi with their GDI powerplants and Renault with their HPI range of units.
These fire fuel into the cylinder on the inlet stroke and meter their petrol ration minutely for optimum swirl, burn and a happy customer. This lean running results in superb economy, but these engines have traditionally had an Achilles heel. The pistons and inlet ports are designed for low-down economy, and the engine reverts to a normal or stoichiometric mix of air and fuel when you plant the loud pedal. Research has shown that Alfa owners enjoy doing this.
A lot. Therefore, the normal gasoline direct engine just wouldnt wash. The JTS engine, on the other hand, uses relatively normal shaped pistons and inlet ports and relies on the actual fuel jet coupled with a sky-high compression rate to do the job instead. Therefore, the JTS engine runs super-lean only up to around 1,500rpm, and normally thereafter.
To the untrained eye, this would suggest that this Brera is the perfect sporting car for those who spend most of their time stuck in nose to tail traffic but theres more to it than that. Although it doesnt possess that addictive metallic zing of the old Twin Spark unit, the JTS engine is refined and smooth even at higher revs. Continuous dual variable valve timing (ie. on both inlet and exhaust) gives decent torque at lower revs and a better power response at higher engine speeds.
This 2.2-litre petrol engine is likely to be the big seller and its a very slick powerplant, if not hugely rapid in this installation. Alfa Romeo predicts that it will take 60 per cent of UK sales and its not hard to see why. The engine returns a decent 30.
1mpg fuel figure and emissions arent unreasonable at 221g/km. Itll get to 60mph in 8.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 138mph. Its a decent piece of engineering, although one emerges wondering if a car this sensual shouldnt have an engine thats a bit less concerned with the numbers and a little naughtier.
The 2.2-litre JTS model may not be the best Brera you can buy but that will be immaterial to most customers. They will merely want to know how they can get themselves That shape as cost-effectively as possible. Well here it is.
If you live somewhere generously endowed with plate glass windows, I dont think youll regret your purchase for one moment.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Alfa Romeo Brera 2.2 JTS
PRICES: £23,995 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 221g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.6s Max Speed 138 mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 30.1 mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and knee airbags, ABS, traction and stability control, ABS with brake assist
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4413,1830,1372mm
