Loch Lomond/Alfa Romeo Brera 2.4JTD Review

[mattcambs]

The wife and I have just returned from a 4 day break on the shores of Loch Lomond. We had a lovely time so here is a couple of reviews and some pictures. Also, our Mondeo hire car miraculously turned into an Alfa Brera 2.4JTD for no extra charge - what a lovely start to the holiday

Loch Lomond (West coast/Trossachs/etc): 10/10
The weather was pants, but this did not spoil things as I intended to basically tour around a fair bit in the car. The scenery we saw was simply stunning - the best in the UK, in my opinion. And the welcome from the scots was warm. I've been to the Loch Fyne area before (1996), but I've forgotten what a wonderful place West Scotland is. I think it's my favourite UK destination.

We took a great drive to Oban and back:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&saddr ... e=UTF8&z=9

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&saddr ... 757813&z=9

The A85 is probably the best stretch of road I've driven.

The other great drive was this one:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&saddr ... 39453&z=11

We detoured a little a few times from the route shown in the link, but this was also a superb drive. The Dyke's Pass through the Queen Elizabeth Forrest Park is an amazing, twisty, dipping road with stunning pine forrest scenery. A tour coach cutting a blind corner coming the other way nearly ruined it, though!
























Alfa Romeo Brera 2.4JTD: 5/10

Good points:
- Looks great (especially in the dark grey) from nearly all angles
- Felt good turning up at our hotel in it
- Decent boot
- Very smart interior
- Very quiet and practically no wind noise
- Good levels of grip in the wet (don't think I got to drive it on a dry road!)
- er, looks great

Bad Points:
- The engine. Oh dear god. First of all, how are modern cars getting away with drive-by-wire throttles??? There is no connection between man and machine and the electronic lag is frustrating and at times a bit dangerous. Secondly, the turbo lag on this thing is hillarious! Also, it feels no more pokey than a 130PS Golf mk4 Tdi and it simply gives you no satisfaction to use with its "on-off" slug of torque. I had no desire to rag it round to 4500rpm as there was no character to it's power band. Another thing: it's bloody thirsty for a diesel too. I struggled to get better than 36mpg.

- Asside from its initial good looks, the interior is actually seriously un-sporting. The seats look fantastic, but offer no lateral support what-so-ever! The head-rest doesn't even adjust so it's useless. With the seat at its lowest, I still seemed to tower above other drivers - NOT sporty! And another major failing is that you simply do not feel cacooned and cosseted. There is nowhere - and I mean NOWHERE - to rest either of your elbows whilst driving.

- The doors are so heavy and poorly hinged that I was constantly being smacked in the ar$e or shoulder as I got out when the bloody thing bounced back into me. I parked on a slight hill at one photo stop and the door wouldn't even stay still, even when fully open!

- The gear shift is notchy.

- There is no steering feel. Even though it's quite responsive on turn-in, it is so in a slightly non-linear way. Initial few degrees of input are mudane, but then a few more degrees results in a sharp direction change.

Summary: at best this is a great looking tourer that is happiest at about 5/10ths. It's too heavy to hustle and the diesel is an absolute shocker. Getting back into my MR2 Turbo was a revelation. It felt light and responsive with a supportive interior - a proper sports car.

Thanks for reading
Matt

[Lauren]

Matt, this is an ideal topic for driving experiences. What do you think?

Diesels.

I know exactly what you mean about turbo lag, it is horrendous. Still sounds like you had a good trip, I love driving up in the highlands, tongue to ullapool is simply stunning. Its such a shame you couldn't get a petrol engined alfa think it would have made all the difference.

[GeoffC320]

Matt, this is an ideal topic for driving experiences. What do you think?

Diesels.

I know exactly what you mean about turbo lag, it is horrendous. Still sounds like you had a good trip, I love driving up in the highlands, tongue to ullapool is simply stunning. Its such a shame you couldn't get a petrol engined alfa think it would have made all the difference.

Yes, my mate recently took delivery of a Skoda Octavia vRS as his company car (he's a field engineer)...lovely inside, handles and goes well - but he had exactly the same comments about the throttle response and lag. I thought the whole point of having powerful engine management and drive-by-wire throttles was so you could tune those things out?

[Lauren]

The whole lag thing was what made me get rid of my panda diesel. That had a drive by wire throttle as all new cars seem to have now.

Interestingly on the new car it has a 'sport' button, with it off the throttle is generally unresponsive and you don't feel particularly connected, but with the sport button on its verging on razor sharp and is brilliant because its so more involving.

However after having the panda diesels i fear it has put me off 'dismals' permanently. Just hate that turbo lag.

[mattcambs]

Matt, this is an ideal topic for driving experiences. What do you think?

Diesels.

I know exactly what you mean about turbo lag, it is horrendous. Still sounds like you had a good trip, I love driving up in the highlands, tongue to ullapool is simply stunning. Its such a shame you couldn't get a petrol engined alfa think it would have made all the difference.

Feel free to move this to Driving Experiences, Lauren I was thinking of posting it there anyway.

Apparently the Alfa diesel unit is a particularly bad one, but then I've never really enjoyed any diesel really. My favourite was a 2.4 non turbo in a Toyota Hi-Lux which was responsive and revved to 5000rpm.

The UK only Brera S would have been nice I would have taken the MR2 up there if wasn't going to cost an absolute fortune in fuel. The flight only cost £44 and the car hire £80!

[Polypedates]

Guildford Fiat and Alfa delaer have a Brera S in that same grey in the showroom - sex on wheels

In fact the wheels alone are sexy as hell. I want....

[mattcambs]

Guildford Fiat and Alfa delaer have a Brera S in that same grey in the showroom - sex on wheels

In fact the wheels alone are sexy as hell. I want....

Honestly, mate, you don't

Any other modern hot hatch would be more satisfying.

[Andy-Runner]

Great pictures Matt, i know the area quite well. Good job



Regarding the Alfa: its a shame its not a better car, over the last 6 months or so these had really caught my attention

[mattcambs]

Great pictures Matt, i know the area quite well. Good job



Regarding the Alfa: its a shame its not a better car, over the last 6 months or so these had really caught my attention

Thanks, Andy

Yeah the Brera is basically a prestige hot hatch with poor seats I would rather get a new Scirroco. £6k cheaper and even better looking. In fact, from what I've seen the Scirroco looks fantastic.

[Lauren]

Honestly, mate, you don't

Any other modern hot hatch would be more satisfying.

I too sat in one at my dealer when i was buying my new car. Lovely inside. There really is something so appealing about an alfa. Obviously this only applies to petrol ones.

[mattcambs]

Did you not think that the seats were really crap, though? They look fantastic (matching the interior in general), but have clearly been designed for Fat Cats - i.e. no lateral support at all.

[Lauren]

Did you not think that the seats were really crap, though? They look fantastic (matching the interior in general), but have clearly been designed for Fat Cats - i.e. no lateral support at all.

Pretty much all seats with the notable exception of recaros feel that way to me.

[Polypedates]

Pretty much all seats with the notable exception of recaros feel that way to me.

I concur, although I thought the Brera ones were better than average. The example I was referring to was the V6 and according to Evo, a magazine whose opinions I trust, the prodrive tweaked S is vastly superior to the standard car.

Brera vs, Scirocco? No contest, I'll take the Alfa every time - VWs leave me cold and the Scirocco is no exception.

Just my personal opinion of course.

[mattcambs]

It's funny, even though I'm a petrol head, I've never really liked Alfas (probably biased my opinion of the Brera).

To me they just seem a bit cheap and tacky [*takes cover!*]

I just really like Jap sports cars. Not sure why, probably something to do with the engineering integrity.

Definitely like to drive the Brera S - it probably is a stonking car.

Re seats: the seats in my 1.4 Civic are more supportive than the Brera's and stock MR2 [mk2] seats are in a different league.

[Lauren]

If you are a petrolhead you have to have a soft spot for Alfa's.

I remember going in an alfasud when I was about 15, I just couldn't believe how wonderful the engine sounded, it just seemed to rev forever and that was a 1972 car!

Seriously Matt, the Japanese take their inspiration from Europe, an Alfa has that undefinable something, maybe its soul or character but there is definately something there.

Funnily enough when i sat in the alfa at my fiat/alfa dealer, I actually went and got Mark and told him in no uncertain terms 'you have to sit in this car' (it was a brera 270bhp(?) version so fairly high spec). The interior was just gorgeous in a way that only an italian car can be.

He was quite impressed but then started mumbling about it being a nail because it was an alfa.

[mattcambs]

If you are a petrolhead you have to have a soft spot for Alfa's.

Oh, Lauren That is so cliche.

To be honest I have a soft spot for Porsches, even though I've never driven one!

One day.......

[Lauren]

Oh, Lauren That is so cliche.

To be honest I have a soft spot for Porsches, even though I've never driven one!

One day.......

LOL! I know, but those alfa engines.. music to the ears. I like Porsche's too especially so after bagging a ride in a GT3RS around the Ring. It helped me understand what all teh fuss is all about.

[johnp]

Two points;
VAG turbo diesels are responsive enough with little lag if in the power band (unique high pressure system?),my 2.0 140 is ok between 1500 and 4500 revs,but although they move ordinary cars along more than adequately they don't work in sports cars.
Strangely enough the seats in the car in question are real 'buckets' with loads of side support...the car? SEAT Altea 2.0 TDI Sport...I think the 'sport' refers only to the seats ,but the vehicle is a decent all round family A to B to be fair.
So good supportive seats do exist outside the 'Recaro' brand and I could name a few cars with rather poor seats with this brand name on them...however (and happily) Integra DC2 Recaros DO get my approval

[mr2lad]

If you are a petrolhead you have to have a soft spot for Alfa's.

Oh, Lauren That is so cliche.

To be honest I have a soft spot for Porsches, even though I've never driven one!

One day.......

Its a HUGE cliche! Just because the Top/5th Gear lot say it - doesn't make it so. The only cars that have 'character' or that special 'something' all have one thing in common - bits drop off them. Yes, Alfa's have flare, and sitting inside of one will confirm as such. But remove the rose tinted specs, and what you have got is a dubiously-built machine that you can't rely on (all the reliability surveys confirm this). Fine as a 2nd or 3rd car, not very good as a 1st...

[un1eash]

I hate the drive by wire throttle in our C2. The car is in serious need of a remap to try and reduce it. God knows how the car does 0-60 in 8.1 when you have to wait a day before the throttle responds and you dont end up over reving it with the clutch in.