Alfa Romeo's 159 is a stylish machine. Now the company has added an extra touch with TI designation to give more style to an already powerful car. Michael Moroney has come back from a test drive of the top of the range 3.2 litre version where power and style are fused to give unforgettable performance.

The Alfa Romeo 159 has style. This Italian designed and built car oozes with design class. Just add real engine power in the form of the V6 3.2 litre petrol engine and you have a performance machine that can match the best at a competitive price.

The new Alfa Romeo TI versions come with stylish extras and competent handling from a powerful V6 engine. Prices start at €51,950 for the top-of-the range version, and they'll be set to increase post 1 July with new VRT rates.

I've had the top of the range Alfa Romeo 159 with TI designation on test in the past week to get a flavour of the maximum possibilities of the Alfa range. And what makes this car special is the unique body kit, lowered sports suspension, 19-inch alloy wheels, red Brembo brake callipers all-round, plus chrome effect door mirrors and exhaust.

On the inside, Alfa Romeo has completed the package with electrically adjustable and heated leather front sports seats top the list of interior changes, along with new sports dials, aluminium sports pedals, kick plates and trim inserts. A leather-clad sports steering wheel and gear knob top off the sporty specification list.

And there's more. The test car came with an engine that breaks all of the rules in terms of the environment and all that sort of stuff, but boy it can perform.

Alfa Romeo fits a 3.2 litre V6 petrol engine to the car. The engine delivers an impressive 260bhp in a smooth and steady way on demand. The engine has an equally high torque figure at 322Nm and that pulling power ensures that it achieves a 0 to 100km/hr acceleration rating of just seven seconds. That level of performance is a match for the likes of the BMW 530i M and the Audi A4 3.2 FSI Quattro, but just a shade slower at 0.5 of a second. So the Alfa performance is rated highly.

The engine achieves this performance by the use of direct petrol injection system and twin phase continuously variable valve timing. Alfa claim that the 3.2 JTS engine in the new Alfa 159 operates with a lean burn system up to about 1500rpm, making significant fuel savings. Above this engine speed, however, with a conventional 14.7:1 ratio to give performance superior to that achievable by a conventional, indirect injection unit.

This has made the 159TI a shade thirsty. The fuel consumption figures for combined driving stand at 11.8 litres/100km (24.6mpg), which is not for the environmentally conscious.

This economy level is poorer than achieved from the BMW 530i M or the Audi A4 3.2 FSI Quattro, both of which are 20 per cent more economical. And the relatively high fuel consumption rate pushes the Alfa Romeo CO2 figure into the danger zone. This engine, while it meets the stringent Euro Stage 4 exhaust emission limits comes with a CO2 rating of 273g/km is in the top VRT Band G after July 1, which will mean a significant lift in prices then.

Road tax rates will also be painful as the car will be in Band G again meaning an annual road tax bill of €2,000 for starters. This car is for those who want their performance pleasure and will get it but they must be prepared to pay for it.

If you forget the painful stuff like the VRT and road tax rates, this car is magic to drive. The suspension is firm but not in a rock solid way so that driving on Irish roads is not painful. The car handles superbly well, cornering with confidence. You get this confidence from Alfa Romeo's F40 six-speed manual transmission, which is linked to the Q4 four-wheel drive system.