Alfa Brera

The Spider gets so many things right. It looks even more dramatic than its hard-top brother, plus has decent kit and solid build quality. On the surface, it is a good cabrio. But it’s not very sporty or comfortable to drive, the 2.2-litre petrol engine lacks pace and practicality leaves a lot to be desired. For many, though, the Spider’s styling alone will be more than enough to justify a purchase – and its £2,000 premium over the Coupé.

How do you make Alfa Romeo’s stunning Brera even more of a head-turner? Simple – remove its roof! The sensational new Spider is the latest addition to the Italian manufacturer’s line-up, and proof that the Brera can be made to look even more desirable.

With a chic folding soft-top, it promises to evoke memories of famous Alfas such as the original Duetto, which starred in the film The Graduate. But while a dramatic appearance has always been a part of the firm’s heritage, so have fragile construction and reliability woes.

In fairness, Alfa Romeo has made leaps in both areas recently, and we’ve certainly been impressed with the Brera Coupe. So is the Spider another Italian car that can be bought with the head as well as the heart? Well, chopping the roof off a coupé is always risky, but Alfa’s designers, working with styling house Pininfarina, have done a superb job. With the top down, the Brera’s sharp lines are even more striking, and details such as the silver hoops – mounted behind the occupants’ heads – and the flat rear deck with its subtle boot spoiler and extra brake light are neat touches.

The newcomer is much more stylish than its BMW 3-Series and Volvo C70 rivals, and as good-looking with the roof up as with it folded. The electric top’s steeply raked rear screen blends in well with the rest of the Brera’s shape and, what’s more, the fabric hood itself is superbly made.

There’s a real feeling of solidity, too, thanks to a chunky rollover brace that emerges from the boot to support the roof. However, the thick rear pillars do mean that over-the-shoulder visibility is compromised when parking and joining motorways.

The addition of the complex roof mechanism means that, unlike the four-seater Coupe, the Spider doesn’t have any rear chairs. While there is ample room for driver and passenger up front – and plenty of handy cubbies in the centre console and doors – the roof encroaches on boot space, resulting in a pitiful 235 litres against the Coupe's already meagre 300 litres. Going away for the weekend? Pack light.

Also, additional strengthening of the chassis to cope with the loss of the roof means that the Spider weighs around 60kg more than its Coupe brother. Although that might not seem like much, the soft-top certainly feels heavy on the move. Our test machine had a 185bhp 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine – the firm’s charismatic 260bhp 3.2-litre V6 is also available – which provides only reasonable acceleration. The sprint from 0-62mph takes 8.8 seconds – 0.2 seconds down on the Coupe – but the car seems lacklustre and sounds strained at high revs.

It’s a similarly disappointing story with the rest of the Spider’s dynamics. Despite the extra chassis strengthening, the Alfa doesn’t feel very stiff – there’s too much vibration through the interior mirror and windscreen, for instance. All this flexing means that the newcomer doesn’t corner as confidently or steer as precisely as the Coupe. It also results in an unsettled ride, which has the Spider fidgeting over ruts and bumps in the road.

It is almost as if Alfa couldn’t decide whether to build a sports car or a comfortable cruiser – so it has ended up with something in between. However, with the roof up, there’s very little noise, which means the car should be capable on motorways. Equipment levels on our SV-spec model were excellent, with leather trim, dual-zone climate control and gorgeous 17-inch alloy wheels as standard.

As with the Brera Coupe, the Spider feels very well made, too – much better than Alfas of the past, and a huge improvement on its predecessor, the GTV. It has high-quality dash materials and sumptuous upholstery.

If you’re in the market for a convertible, and all that matters is that it turns as many heads as a Ferrari, then the Spider is for you. But if you need something with more substance to the driving experience and a whole lot more practicality, we would advise you to look to the Alfa’s rivals.