Revised suspension settings courtesy of Prodrive make the Brera S better suited to the rigours of the UK road network. This sharper handling combines with the good looks and generous specification of the standard car to desirable effect.

An Alfa Romeo "developed for UK roads". That, according to the Italian marque's PR machine is the Brera S. Now this could mean that the car has been equipped with tough 4x4-style suspension to tackle the monster speed humps and cavernous potholes that pockmark our thoroughfares or extra large cup holders to house the liquid sustenance that traffic-bound British motorists need on their marathon morning commutes. It could mean that, but it doesn't. What Alfa is trying to say is that the Brera S has been carefully tuned to deliver an optimum ride and handling package for UK roads and UK drivers, both of which being notoriously hard taskmasters.

The Brera S is a special edition version of Alfa's Brera coupe and only 500 individually-numbered examples will be produced. The car is the result of a partnership between Alfa Romeo and renowned British engineering firm Prodrive which has made its name in motorsport as well as producing high performance versions of various road cars including Subaru's Impreza. The Prodrive engineers have been hard at work on the Brera's suspension with the aim of sharpening its grand-touring dynamics into those of a thoroughbred British sportscar.

The UK's road network is a notoriously demanding environment with its surfaces ravaged by utility companies and littered with potholes. Testing undulations and adverse campers are the norm, presenting challenges to any car but particularly one with sporting intentions. The Alfa Brera arrived on the scene to critical acclaim for the way it looked and a more muted response to the way it drove. To set the handling side of things to rights, the latest Brera is significantly lighter than the slightly lardy original and this Brera S features a thoroughly revised chassis. Alfa's Prodrive consultants tried numerous combinations of ride heights, spring rates and damper settings to produce a more nimble, flat cornering set-up that still retains good levels of ride comfort. The Brera S is available with the 185bhp four-cylinder 2.2-litre or 3.2-litre V6 JTS petrol engines which give respective 0-62mph performance of 8.6s and 7.0s. There is also a choice of manual or QTRONIC gearboxes.

"The components in the Brera S have been substantially upgraded compared to the mainstream Breras"

The components in the Brera S have been substantially upgraded compared to the mainstream Breras. Prodrive commissioned special Bilstein dampers and Eibach coil springs as well as redesigned exhaust silencers fitted with a Holmholtz resonator to give a give more charisma to the car's soundtrack. Lightweight 19" alloy wheels shod with Pirelli PZero tyres are also included to reduce the crucial unsprung weight. There are enough famous names involved in this S model for one of those performance brand 'shopping lists' that boy racers affix behind the front wheelarches of their modified cars - although Alfa sensibly chose not to go down that route.

The Brera S has been designed to look as well as handle a little better than the standard Breras. There's no Union Jack roof sticker to underline its UK focus with the enhancements following a subtle theme. The exhaust is finished in chrome and reshaped to mirror the rear light clusters with the Prodrive logo appearing on the pipe itself. There are also Prodrive front stone deflectors and a red S or SV6 decal on the C-pillar to reveal which engine is installed. Keeping exterior changes simple was a wise move on Alfa's part as the svelte lines of the Brera would surely have been tough to improve on.

Inside, the Brera S model receives black leather sports seats with red stitching and the same material is used to adorn the dashboard in the V6 models. Customers can specify this fetching option on their 2.2-litre JTS model too but at a price. All Brera S models get drilled aluminium pedals and an aluminium plate in the headrest recess that features the British and Italian flags. General build quality in the Brera is good enough and there's a certain retro appeal to the design that should strike the right note with Alfa enthusiasts.

Alfa has been forced to price the Brera fairly high (you're looking at a premium of around £1,500 for the 'S' models over standard prices which begin at around £23,500) to retain space below for its GT coupe. It's a policy that puts the beguiling styling of the Brera up against some serious sportscars but when you look at the equipment list, the balance tips back in the Alfa's favour. Electronic start/stop, cruise control, rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control and an extensive haul of safety kit are all standard in addition to the Brera S niceties.

Look at the residual figures for the Brera and they're extremely good, even compared to the likes of BMW's 3-Series coupe or Audi's TT. When you factor in the options that many Audi and BMW owners will add that are standard fare on the Brera, it looks an even smarter selection and the three-year pence per mile figure is very competitive. Still, the V6 isn't the engine to go for if you're overly concerned with running costs with its 25mpg average and 260g/km emissions.

By removing what many will see as the typical financial penalty for choosing an Alfa over, say, an Audi, the Brera proposition looks a whole lot stronger. The 2.2-litre petrol-engined car is the compromise pick of the range and although the 30mpg fuel economy is reasonable, the 218g/km CO2 figure will see it scratched from the lists of mainly fleet car user choosers. As a private buy it stacks up very well.

It's easy to bemoan the state of the UK road network but maybe the Alfa Romeo Brera S can give us some small consolation. Prodrive engineers were given the task of adapting the standard Brera's handling package to the idiosyncrasies that UK drivers encounter everyday and they've done a thorough job. The car offers greater poise and agility over poor surfaces and has a greater capacity to entertain as a result.

The Alfa Brera was never going to be transformed into the greatest driver's car but the Brera S version is a marked improvement. Of course, it retains the sleek looks and bulging equipment list that are the standard Brera's key strengths and with just 500 being made available, the exclusivity factor will add further appeal.