2010 Alfa Romeo Brera Malaysia Reviews & Ratings, Expert Car Reviews on LIVE LIFE DRIVE

As much as the 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera charms with its stunning looks, German rivals are more complete. Even with the good on-road manners and exclusivity, the 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera remains interesting rather than convincing.

2010 Alfa Romeo Brera quick specs

Body Style	Hatchback
Class	Sports/GT
Assembled	-

Engine Range	-
Fuel Options	-
Seating Capacity	2+2

2010 Alfa Romeo Brera ratings (overall rating : 3.5/5.0)

Styling
Handling
Comfort
Quality + Reliability
Performance

Roominess
Running Costs
Value for Money
Equipment
Environment

Styling

The 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera is a result of a collaboration between Giugiaro and Pininfarina, the two great Italian design firms. While it is true that Alfa Romeo is incapable of producing unpleasant-looking cars, the Alfa Romeo Brera is something else. It is simply stunning, striking a fine balance between aggression and elegance. Is this the most beautiful Alfa Romeo in recent times? We reckon so.

Handling

Based on the same set of mechanicals as the Alfa Romeo 159, the 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera unsurprisingly drives with the same competence. The sense of agility and strong grip levels, when matched to the well-weighted, accurate and sharp steering, make Brera a fun car to drive. The steering could use more feedback, however, and body roll is far too pronounced for a supposed sports car.

Comfort

The 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera feels set up for comfort-riding, and so the ride quality is generally good. Larger bumps and potholes expose the ride's lack of composure, however. Refinement is one of Brera's key strengths; Engine, wind and road noise are kept within reasonable levels. The driving position is no longer cramped like in older Alfa Romeos, although the high seating position and the panoramic glass roof limit headroom even for average-height drivers. That said, the glass roof does bring an airy feel, while controls are all pretty intuitive to operate.

Quality + Reliability

The 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera's cabin seems solidly constructed using quality materials all-round. After years of poor feedback from customers in reliability and satisfaction surveys, Alfa Romeo promised improvements in quality and reliability. From the cabin fit-and-finish, it seems the issue of quality has been addressed; Even if the Audi TT's cabin easily outclasses Brera's. Reliability should have received much attention, too, as the Alfa Romeo Brera has not had any major mechanical problems since its launch in 2005.

Performance

Only one drivetrain is available for selection: an in-line four 2.2-litre petrol engine paired to a six-speed Selespeed automatic manual gearbox. The JTS direct-injection engine produces a strong 182 bhp at 6500 rpm and 230 Nm at 4500 rpm, but Brera's not insubstantial weight limits the performance. Still, 0-100 km/h takes a more than decent 8.6 seconds. And thanks to some fiddling with the exhaust system, the 2.2-litre plays a great soundtrack resembling that of a V6's.

Roominess

The 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera has four seats, but the rear two are next to useless since legroom is, well, almost non-existent. The front driver and passenger enjoy good legroom, certainly more than before, but headroom is lacking due to the high seating position and the panoramic glass roof. The 300-litre boot expands to an useful 610 litres using the split-folding rear seats, though the boot lip is high at the hip-level. Then again, rivals in this segment are neither very spacious nor very versatile.

Running Costs

Alfa Romeos are relatively expensive to run for a couple of reasons. First, the fuel consumption is indifferent at 10.6 km/litre. Second, servicing and maintenance would be costly, though the same can be said for rivals. Lastly and more importantly, Alfa Romeos depreciate much more than German rivals, due to their poor perceived reliability and Malaysians' preference for the German brands. Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK are all much more likely to retain a larger portion of their initial values.

Value for Money

The drop-dead gorgeous 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera is comfortable, refined and good to drive. The cabin quality has also been vastly improved over its predecessor's. And an Alfa Romeo Brera promises to be more exclusive than the usual German suspects. But there is a reason the Germans dominate this segment: The class-leading Audi TT outperforms the Alfa Romeo Brera in every area except for looks. Both the BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK are not too far behind the TT, too. So while the 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera undercuts all key rivals, even the Nissan 370Z, it remains an interesting though unconvincing alternative.

Equipment

The 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera comes generously equipped with standard items such as 18" alloy wheels, paddle shifts, keyless ignition, rain sensor, cruise control, bi-xenon headlamps, panoramic glass roof with electric sunshade, 8-way electrically adjustable front seats, electrically adjustable and foldable side mirrors, leather upholstery, and 6-speaker audio system with radio/CD. Safety equipments include 7 airbags (front/side/window/knees), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Anti-Slip Reducer (ASR), and ABS + EBD + EBA.

Environment

Carbon dioxide emissions of 218 grams/km and fuel consumption of 10.6 km/litre rank Brera as the least “green” among rivals, without the corresponding power advantage. Alfa Romeo still has plenty of room for improvement in this area.

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2010 Alfa Romeo Brera Review

2010 Alfa Romeo Brera at a glance