It's the cream of Alfa Romeo's crop. Bob Jennings drives the Alfa GT and is mightily impressed.

Pigeonhole: The Parmesan that tops the Alfa Romeo pasta.

Philosophy: Reflects Alfa Romeo's core values; a strongly performing two-door coupe with eye-catching looks and a throbbing heart.

Trivia: Alfa Romeo spreads its designing around; the latest revamp of the Sportwagon was by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The new GT is the work of Bertone.

What the brochure says: "Unlike many of its rivals, the Alfa Romeo GT is not a two-door version of an existing sedan; it is a unique car in its own right."

Who's buying it: Those looking for an alternative to the existing German and Japanese sporting coupes.

Why you'd buy it: Eye-catching, excellent performance, comfortable and well-equipped interior, good boot and not a bad price.

Why you wouldn't: Restricted headroom in the back, woeful 12.1 metre turning circle makes the simplest U-turn a chore. No automatic transmission option.

Standard equipment: Dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, multifunction (and multilingual) information display, xenon headlights, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, remote central locking and remote-control operation of the boot.

Safety: Impressive; front, side and window airbags plus inherently good primary safety (to help you avoid an accident in the first place), which includes electronic stability control.

Cabin: Cosy to the extent of being almost claustrophobic. Nevertheless, the driving environment is good and the finish is impressive. Loading easy thanks to hatchback configuration.

Seating: Deep-dished and comfortable front seats. Rear seat is comfortable, too, but the headroom's limited for tall folk and they'll need to talk to those in the front seats to share the available leg space.

Engine: A honey; the 3.2-litre V6 is the same as that in the 147 GTA, although with 176kW it has 8kW less than the GTA. But the 300Nm of torque is the same so acceleration is still strong.

Transmission: Six-speed manual with a lovely shift. But there's no automatic available.

Steering: Sharp and accurate and let's the driver know what's going on.

Ride: Firm but relaxed. Doesn't have the aversion to potholes and speed humps that some Alfas have.

Handling: Poised, with double wishbones at the front and a MacPherson strut system at the back.

Fuel: Doesn't seem too bad; test car averaged 12.1 litres/100 kilometres, which is in line with the factory average use figure of 12.4. Tank holds 63 litres, which gives a safe range of close to 500 kilometres.

Brakes: Big and meaty discs all round with anti-lock and electronic braking pressure assistance.

Build: Alfa Romeo has been putting in a determined effort to overcome historical quality problems. This model is commendably good.

Warranty: Three years or 100,000 kilometres; average in class.

Security: Central locking with remote control for doors and boot.

Audio: Impressive Bose system with eight speakers and a subwoofer, with steering wheel buttons for major functions. Good sound, but a hard choice between it and the engine.

Price: $79,990, which is competitive within the market. Range it against the BMW 3 Series coupe, the Mercedes-Benz Sports Coupe, Audi TT, Nissan 350Z and the Mazda RX-8, and it's in there.

Verdict: Distinctive styling and with the performance to back it up. Alfa continues to roll out models that reinforce the brand's values, for which enthusiasts will be forever thankful. This one's a beauty.

Prices and details correct at publication date.