There is a certain depressing consistency to the theme of reviews I have written of Alfa Romeos that have passed through my hands over the years and it goes something like this. Frankel sees Alfa; Frankel falls in love with Alfa; Frankel drives Alfa; Frankel, crestfallen, goes home.

I know we’re all meant to be terribly objective about the cars we test but I cannot look at any Alfa and treat it as I would any other tin box. Each time it really matters to me that it fulfils the promise of its looks and, each time, I leave disappointed. As a child who grew up in the back of a series of comically rusty but never less than brilliant Alfas, I truly care about these cars.

And this one, the 156 replacement, looked more than usually promising. In fact it looked so seductive that rival manufacturers should think about offering optional brown paper bags with their equivalent family saloons. And there’s more. The 159 is an all-new car on an all-new platform, with the prospect of a revolution in performance.

So far, so good. Why, then, would Alfa decide to launch it in Munich, home of the BMW 3-series? Someone at Alfa had obviously decided to take the fight to the enemy. A brave move but, as we all know, hubris is followed by nemesis. And the BMW 3-series is the 159’s nemesis.

I spent most of a day with a 159 1.9JTDm and a BMW 320d, the bestselling car in its range, and I must report that the BMW is better to drive in almost every aspect of performance and handling. It also uses less fuel and produces lower emissions.

That said, there’s not a car in the class that would not crumble and fall in front of the 3-series. When I first drove it I described the 320d as the best small saloon in the world and nothing that’s happened since — and certainly not the 159 — makes me want to modify that view.

So if you leave the 3-series out of the equation and judge the 159 on its merits, and against other German rivals, you have to admit this car is Alfa’s most convincing step forward since it launched the gorgeous, characterful 164 saloon in 1988.

The 148bhp 1.9 litre diesel motor is conspicuously refined and offers a convincing blend of solid performance (0-62mph in 9.4sec, top speed 131mph) and impressive economy (47.1mpg). Moreover, if you get it on a winding road it handles really rather well, something that used to be a given with all Alfas but none that I’ve driven recently.

To true Alfa fans, brought up with memories of Alfa’s great family cars, from the 1960s Giulia to the 1970s Alfasud, this is a welcome and encouraging return to form. It doesn’t yet offer the level of reward and involvement you’ll find in a 3-series but I’d say it was at least as fun as any comparable Audi or Mercedes.

On the static front it offers interior space that’s probably a fraction above average for the class and a smart, stylish cabin. The boot’s not big but is still adequate for the needs of most customers in this class most of the time.

But the big issue, the one thing you really need to know about this car, is whether Alfa can build it properly. Alfa has a largely deserved reputation, many years in the acquisition, of constructing cars to a standard far below those of its best rivals, which is why its name can usually be found languishing towards the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys. It’s also why Alfas depreciate so quickly.

()And Alfa’s second big mistake (after choosing Munich for its launch) was to bring cars that were clearly not up to snuff. The 159 is not on sale here until December and they don’t even start building production cars until September, so the press were given pre-production prototypes for which Alfa’s staff were having to make excuses even before we climbed aboard.

You’d think with cars so critical to its future, the company would make sure the cars sampled by the world’s hacks were built with the engineering precision of bank vaults. Instead, my one had three loose trim panels — one of which came off altogether — and a noisy ventilation fan. We’ll have to wait for representative examples before we can really see if Alfa has come as far with assembling the 159 as it has in engineering it.

In the meantime we Alfa fans can rejoice that the 159 is so pleasing in appearance and so capable to drive. Like I said, it’s a big step. But, then again, so is writing a cheque for more than £20,000 for a car that may or may not be properly built.

So hold on for a few more months until they start to arrive in the UK. Take it from me that it will drive all right, but you will have to see for yourself if it’s been properly put together. If it has, the rest of the car is good enough to be a new dawn for Alfa Romeo. If not, make your excuses and leave.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Alfa Romeo 159 JTDm
Engine type Four cylinders in line, 1910cc
Power/Torque 148bhp at 4000rpm / 236 lb ft at 2000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 47.1mpg (combined), 157g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 9.4sec / Top speed: 131mph
Price £21,000 (approx)
Verdict At last, an Alfa that’s nearly as good as it looks
Rating 3/5

THE OPPOSITION

Model BMW 320d, £22,890
For Ride, handling, performance, economy, emissions . . . you name it
Against Just a little dull to look at inside and out

Model Audi A4 2.0 TDI, £21,690
For Great looking, beautifully built, terrific image
Against Diesel engine is too noisy, improved chassis still no match for 320d