Brera on sale Down Under

Alfa Romeo's most anticipated launch this decade, the Brera coupe, officially goes on sale in Australia on Friday (June 16).

Dubbed the sexiest Alfa ever by some auto pundits, the 159-based two-door was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in collaboration with Alfa Romeo Centro Stile. It is built by renowned Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina and was first shown to the public in concept form at the 2002 Geneva motor show. (To read about the new 159 click here.)

Two Brera models will be offered Down Under, the 136kW four-cylinder Brera 2.2 JTS and the range-topping 191kW 3.2 JTS V6.

Both versions feature Alfa's JTS (Jet Thrust Stoichiometric) direct injection petrol engines and six-speed manual transmissions. The 3.2 V6 also gets Alfa’s Q4 permanent four-wheel drive system.

Q4 employs three differentials, with a self-locking Torsen C unit at the centre of the system. In normal driving conditions it directs 57 per cent of torque to the rear wheels and 43 per cent to the front. Torque can be split up to 72 per cent front or 78 per cent rear as required.

Equipment levels are high with the 2.2 JTS featuring all the mod-cons including dual-zone air, seven airbags, 10-disc CD stacker, glass sunroof, rear park sensors, ABS, stability and traction control as well as leather trim and 18-inch wheels. It is priced from $69,950.

The V6 model adds bigger brakes, all-wheel drive (as noted above), an upgraded interior with Bose sound and electric memory seats, Xenon headlamps and bluetooth connectivity and will kick off at a hefty $94,450.

This is a $20,000 premium over the similarly packaged and just-released 159 3.2 V6 sedan and makes the Brera the most expensive Alfa Romeo sold locally. Metallic paint is an equally hefty $1750 option on both Brera models.

Alfa claims spritely performance for the 2.2 with a 0-100km/h time of 8.6sec. The V6 delivers the same sprint in just 6.8sec according to the car maker.

Deliveries of the Brera 2.2 JTS are set to commence next week with stocks hitting Alfa dealers now. Buyers of the V6-engined coupe (and its 159 counterpart) will have to wait until later in July to drive away.

Look out for CarPoint's launch review of the Brera when the cars arrive locally in late July.