• Price£21,895
• We like...Looks, low price, classy cabin
• We don't...Loses value quickly second-hand

We never had the Italians figured as a nation of gadget geeks. But this Alfa shows them for what they are. The 159’s dash is a wonderful sheet of brushed metal, cool, uncluttered and classic. But the reason it looks so clean is that Alfa’s product guys have crammed every possible button, knob and function on to no fewer than three control stalks that sprout from beneath the steering wheel. To master them, you'll need a half-hour coaching session.

Past Alfa saloons have invariably looked hip, but tripped when it came to lasting a decent span of years without giving their owners grief. And when you think that this car’s asking price would also put you at the wheel of Audi’s new A4, as rock-solid and thoroughly engineered a car as you’d ever wish, you can see how the challenge stacks against Alfa.

But this 159 is a beautifully made piece of kit. It not only looks great, with that brooding, frowny brow hooding its lamps; it also drives with a rare sureness and poise. The steering is really direct at little more than two turns between one extreme and the other. But the engineers have worked the trick of making it so without it also feeling nervous in the least.

And while the 159 rides with the sporty firmness you’d expect, there’s still sufficient give so as not to rattle your teeth when traversing a poorly-made road. The gears are closely spaced and require a distinct effort to pick cleanly but they slot in easily on the way up the ‘box, though less so on the way down.

The 1.9 diesel is the smallest available in a 159 but it’s quick enough and flexible, too, if a little noisy.

Our Lusso model has all the touches you’d want, from pretty alloy wheels to auto-on headlamps, leather seats (heated for the driver and front passenger) and climate-controlled air con. That makes it low-priced when you compare it to a similar Audi or BMW. But for you, or your company, it probably won’t be the cheapest. We say this because, if you decide to part-exchange the 159 for another car after 3yrs or 36,000 miles, a dealer will bid only around £8000 for it. Buy a BMW 3-series for similar money and you’d see £11,000 back.

As a stylish, driver-focused alternative to an Audi, Mercedes or BMW, it ticks most of the boxes. But, as we’ve shown here, buying one will hit your, or your boss’s, bank balance.

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