Expect some funny reactions when you explain to anyone with even a passing interest in cars that you not only drive a top of the range Alfa Romeo, but bought it new. As an enthusiast Alfa owner it is impossible to avoid the generally poor perception Alfa has in the UK, or the question of the slating that they receive in most sectors of the UK press. As a result the uninformed assume it'll rust to a pile of dust in the drive overnight, and the supposedly informed think it's an unreliable, poor-handling car with no obvious niche to sit in between cars like a 330i and an Impreza WRX.

For someone who'd spent a few years successfully racing a Caterham in various championships, racking up 6,000 track miles of testing/track days/competition in a few hectic years, a 250bhp front wheel drive car might seem an odd choice. I should surely be sold on the theory that the odd bit of oversteer on a wet roundabout is somehow interesting in pub talk. While I like a car to handle well, performance, engine characteristics, looks, individuality and character influence me more than track-handling in my choice of road car. I'm a firm believer in a dedicated trackday car if you do many days. I reasoned that the driven wheels mattered less than other handling aspects and performance, for the type of driving I mostly do - quick A roads, and motorways.

So why trust my own money to an Alfa? Prior to racing, when I ran a Passat V6 as my tow car/daily driver, I'd had a 156 2.5V6 as a company car and had enjoyed 80,000 trouble-free and highly enjoyable miles in it. Yes, it depreciated horrendously, but that was someone else's problem and it had an utterly beguiling engine note, beautiful looks, a large dose of individuality, and great performance for the class. As a 156 owner, when the first GTA spyshots came out I was hooked by the thought of an even bigger version of the V6 in a more focused sporty car. When the car was released the huge number of changes to the normal 156, including the new 3.2 V6, wider track, different front suspension design, improved steering with only 1.75 turns lock to lock, huge Brembo 4-pot brakes, and a high standard equipment level seemed a very serious effort. The interior, with many GTA-only items including gorgeous high-back leather, electric, heated sports seats also seemed to suggest character not matched by competitors unless you raided the options list. I kept a picture of a silver GTA Sportwagon on my PC which served as a reminder of the car's beautifully resolved looks - sporty, beautiful, and subtly aggressive with no "max power" silliness.

When I inevitably ran out of time and money and stopped racing, I wanted a new road car with which to console myself. I do quite a few business miles and had a long commute, so anything really crazy was out of the question. Initially I was sold on a car like a 350Z or Alfa GT 3.2, but I sometimes carry customers and colleagues on business and that plus my wife's pregnancy meant that I came to see 4 doors as a necessity. For peace of mind with a child on the way I also wanted a decent amount of warranty, ruling out the 3 year old V8 S4 Avant that was an obvious candidate. With a love of normally aspirated 6+ cylinder engines, and a desire for something more subtle than a hot hatch or Japanese turbo 4WD, my £23k budget didn't give me a huge number of options if I wanted a new/nearly new car, especially as I'm not a fan of the saloon bodyshape on practicality grounds - a large hatch or estate fits my lifestyle better. Sadly the large hatchback has become all but extinct, and most estates look pretty ropey - only the Lexis IS and Alfa look truly pleasant to my eyes. The Lexus is auto only - a complete no-no to me, so I turned to the new Legacy Spec B Tourer, but was not helped by Subaru's refusal to let me properly test one nor the fact it was barely faster than my old 2.5 156. In the end the GTA pretty much chose itself when I hard rumours you could pick them up new for a lot less than the £28k list price.

Some hunting showed me how rare the 156GTA Sportwagon is in the UK, and some lurking on www.alfaowner.com showed the owners to be a friendly, passionate and largely satisfied bunch with just the odd electrical glitch, suspension bush wear, and Alfa dealers cropping up as the main problems. As someone who picks a car for the 364 days a year I'm driving it or living with it, not how important I'm made to feel on the one day I take it to the dealer, this was not a serious issue, and the 3 year warranty and AA cover gave me peace of mind. I eventually tracked down a new, undelivered but pre-registered example through Veloces in London, and agreed on a price of £21,500. After a hassle-free purchase process I arrived in North London excited but nervous - I had never driven a GTA (reasoning if it was better than my old 2.5 I'd be happy) or seen this particular colour in the flesh!

In the event, I knew as soon as I saw my car that I'd done the right thing, and the drive home left me more and more impressed. It had a bassy yet cultured exhaust note and that unique Alfa V6 induction roar, revving smoothly but with a sporty edge missing in most V6's today. It is a very easy car to drive smoothly, with a very intuitive clutch/throttle/gearbox action, and I find the super-quick steering keeps me engaged without being in any way "nervous" as some suggest. I can drive it with my fingertips in a way that was impossible in my wife's Civic Type R. The 3.2 had a lot more torque than the 2.5 and the interior was light years ahead. My initial reaction, which has strengthened over the last year and 20k miles, was of a car which is quick to change direction and which responds to braking, steering and throttle inputs keenly. The ride is firm but the damping improves as speeds rise, and the brakes are very strong - as you'd expect of brakes that also grace cars ranging from the Ferrari 360 to the Boxster S. The car was an instant hit and genuinely makes every journey a pleasure - very important if you drive a lot. It's impossible to turn the key and not smile, and you don't have to be going quickly to feel the benefits of the big V6 - in traffic the fact you can smoothly accelerate away from a near standstill in any gear you like with no juddering, just smooth insistent acceleration, makes it as easy to drive around town as on a blast on the local twisties.

One particular drive across the western stretch of the A272 in the wet, late at night, proved the point. I was relaxed yet travelling far quicker than I'd have dared in the Caterham, and with not a trace of power-induced understeer on the many 3rd and 4th gear exits. The Alfa was singing its memorable tune between the corners and was confidence-inspiring yet adjustable on the fast sweepers that make up this great road. On fast smooth A-roads the car is hard to fault, the engine spins smoothly and eagerly, hard cornering and braking see the chassis stay very flat and the quick steering means you never need to reposition your hands on the wheel. The 156's front suspension gives the best traction with the least torque steer of any front wheel drive car I've driven; only bumpy wet roads where you use a lot of throttle in 1st and 2nd gear cause serious traction issues, and the traction control is not excessively intrusive. Initially, coming from a 4WD car with huge traction, the traction control annoyed me and I disabled it, now I see the flashing yellow light as indicative of a failure on my part and just use my right foot as traction control. As a result I hardly ever see it.

Downsides? Not many. The dealers are still rubbish, and I've had a couple of warranty items that needed to be fixed - a rattle in the back, and the failure of the indicators, which were more painful than they might have been to fix. Overall, however I'm surprised at the quality of everything from the interior to the paintwork. Touches like the full Bose system and heated seats are very handy and the balance of refinement, sportiness, and practicality is just right for me. I've even averaged 26mpg, typically on a rapid 90 mile round trip. Other road users either don't notice you or are notably helpful (not the case when driving some marques) and the only real pains are the low front end over speed bumps, and the lack of steering lock when parking. Other people tend to love the looks - and even come up and tell you so in car parks, but express doubt as to whether they could trust an Alfa. As a result the car is rare - very rare - and that for me is part of the appeal. The confused look on the face of the odd BMW 330i or Audi TT driver as you leave them staring at the back of the estate car that just went past them when they were accelerating flat-out is an added bonus!