LAST year there was no end to the money that was spent on luxury executive saloons and we can expect more of the same again this year.

You name it and you can get it - four-zone climate control, floating-on-air suspension, voicecommand phones, DVDs, videos, 17-speaker surround sound and even TVs. All great stuff and no doubt we need comfort to relieve the stress of urban crawl.

But what about car performance, the very thing that tuned us all into motoring in the first place? Comfortable but boring is no substitute for comfortable with exhilarating performance thrown in. A good opportunity to get both in a distinctive design that will turn heads and set you apart from the pack is the Alfa Romeo 3.2 litre V6 2+2 Brera Coupe with fourwheel-drive.

This is exciting motoring at its best and it will not break the bank at Euro57,000 for the model that comes with a six-speed manual transmission (Euro2,000 extra for the automatic version).

The engine is designed for top performance, giving 260bhp (20bhp more than the previous 3.2 litre engine) and has peak torque of 322Nm at 4,500 rpm, up 11%. Torque comes early at 1,500 rpm and there is a smooth flow, cutting down on gear changes even at low speeds. The top speed is 240 km/h and the 0- 100km sprint takes under seven seconds.

There is also a 2.2 litre option and both engines use a direct injection combustion system called Jet Thrust Stoichiometric.

This will really impress your friends if you can pronounce it even over a sparkling Ballygowan. Best to take the easy route and take them for a drive to demonstrate the impressive performance of the JTS system which really is a complicated system mixing directly-injected fuel in the combustion chamber.

The JTS returns Euro 4 exhaust emission levels and keeps petrol consumption surprisingly low at 11.5L/100km in mixed driving of a very refined nature with one person aboard. But floor the accelerator and you will be rocked back in your seat, not alone from the engine thrust but also at the sight of the on-board computer read-out telling you that you are burning 50L/100km.

But enough of that. The fourwheel-drive makes for faultless performance on tricky road surfaces and corners. It is called Q4, another gem to impress your friends with, and is designed to give torque mainly to the rear wheels (57% rear, 43% front) to give a more sporty driving experience.

To cope with all this power the Brera, called after an area outside Milan where the car is built, gets ASR, EBD, and brakeassist in addition to the anti-lock brakes. There is also a Hill Holder system, 10 airbags including window airbags and knee airbags for driver and front seat passenger.

Creature comforts include Bose quality entertainment, automatic climate control, seats with good support and a good driving position. The controls and instruments are clear and easy to use.

During the test the passenger seat would not fold to allow rear entry on the footpath side which was disappointing, but this is unfortunately the type of niggle one sometimes gets in Italian cars. Otherwise build quality seemed fine. There is room for two passengers in the rear and the boot is deep.

This model Alfa Romeo comes from the Italian design studio of Giorgetto Guigiaro and has won many awards since it appeared as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show. And with good reason: the design is very distinctive, and in the eyes of the Irish PR man, very sexy, as he gets carried away drawing attention to the "sinuous and sensual lines and the taut muscular body." Yes, it has a sports body that will endure in looks as the years roll by.

Unfortunately Alfa Romeos tend not to hold their value as well as German and Japanese prestige brands and this adds to the expense of buying this model, especially with the 3.2 litre engine. The 2.2 litre JTS at Euro48,000 may be an option and it will hold resale value better in the long run.

VITAL STATISTICS Model Alfa Romeo Brera Coupe Engine 3.2L V6 260bhp Length 4413mm Width 1830mm Height 1372mm Wheelbase 2525mm Acceleration 0-100km/h in 6.8 secs Top speed 240km/h Transmission Six-speed manual Economy 11.5L/100km combined Price Euro57,000