It's easy to think of Alfa Romeo as being a maker of cars with screaming engines which work at their best only when they're making a noise like the last three minutes of a Rossini overture. Alfa has never been a major seller in the UK, and in the normal way of things the cars which have sold best have been the cheaper ones, which in turn tend to be the ones with the smaller, higher-revving engines.Those of you with a more comprehensive knowledge of the Italian manufacturer and its history will be aware that there's another Alfa tradition - that of building cars with engines which hardly need revving at all, but which produce storming power (and a deeper-throated but no less evocative sound) from low engine speeds. In the case of the Brera, the forthcoming 3.2-litre V6 model will follow exactly this route, but for the moment the 2.4-litre JTM turbo diesel covers the ground nicely.I hinted at the JTM's abilities in an earlier road test of the 2.2-litre petrol-engined Brera. There's a lot to be said for that car, not least the fact that in the same SV trim level it's £3000 cheaper than the JTM, but it's beaten by the diesel in nearly every respect. With 200bhp - a 15bhp advantage - the diesel is fractionally quicker in the standard tests for top speed and 0-62mph acceleration, yet this is only part of the story; the JTM produces its power so far down the rev range that it's much easier to drive, and responds more eagerly to movement of the accelerator pedal.The JTM is also outstandingly more economical, with a combined figure on the high side of 40mpg, and has a much better CO2 rating; it's the only Brera which dips under the 200g/km barrier. Perhaps most surprisingly, this is also the best-handling Brera I've driven, though I imagine that will change when the four-wheel drive V6 appears.As with the Alfa Romeo 159 (see launch report) the Brera range as a whole suffers from underdamping at the front, but the compromises involved in fitting the heavier diesel engine seem to have worked in the JTM's favour. As well as performing better than the 2.2, the JTM also corners more sharply, though not to the extent that it feels as sporty as it looks.The way the Brera looks is probably its most important feature. It's based on a prototype which, among other achievements, won a prize for being The Most Beautiful Car In The World back in 2004. I'd say it represented purpose rather than beauty myself, but I don't deny that it has visual presence. As I've said before, the Brera gives the impression - more so even than the 159 which which it shares a front-end lighting system - of constantly aiming 50 yards ahead of wherever it happens to be.I was about to say that practicality takes a back seat to visual effect, but that would be slightly unfortunate in this case because although the Brera has a back seat - it really does, honest, I've seen it - there is no human being of my acquaintance who could possibly sit in it. Rear legroom, when the driver's seat is set to a position that's comfortable for me, is literally zero.Luggage space is better (300 litres normally, 610 if you fold the rear seat into a position which makes it neither more nor less useful as something for carrying passengers), but difficult to reach thanks to the narrow rear window and very high load sill. Rear visibility . . . well, it's more like rear invisibility. Reversing into parking spaces is largely a matter of guesswork.But another thing I've also said about the Brera is that if you want something practical you might as well buy a 159 instead. The Brera is more of a toy - a car you'll enjoy seeing outside your house and, particular in turbo diesel form, one you'll also have fun driving.You don't have to spend the test car's £27,500 to experience the JTD. That price applies to the high-spec SV version, but there's also a £26,400 alternative. On top of the standard equipment, the SV gets folding door mirrors, 17" alloy wheels (in place of 16" ones), stainless steel kick plates, a panoramic glass sunroof, leather upholstery and some interior aluminium. The vast range of options includes still larger wheels, a passenger knee airbag, metallic or Alfa Red paint, electrically adjustable front seats, uprated leather, headlight washers, bi-xenon headlights, several sound systems, satellite navigation and much else.In fact, it's possible to rack up the options to such an extent that you're presented with a bill for over £35,000, but it's difficult to justify a two-wheel drive Brera at anything like this sort of money, no matter how good-looking it is. Engine 2387 cc, 5 cylinders Power 200 bhp @4000 rpm Torque 295 ib/ft @2000 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 41.5 mpg / 179 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.1sec Top speed 142 mph Price From £26353.00 approx Release date 08/04/2006
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