For as long as we can remember, the BMW 3-Series has sat smugly on its high pedestal, grinning almost mockingly at its peers as most of the world's car boffins consistently crowned it as the benchmark in its class.

The three has always had a good pack of rivals to fend off and from the land of espresso and leaning towers, there's always been a mid-sized Alfa Romeo lurking in the shadows, threatening to pounce out and poach any buyers it can charm with its fiery Mediterranean allure.

Do date, Alfa's 156 has been the closest challenger. Something of a 'renaissance Alfa', it proved that the marque was making serious quality and refinement strides. Even so, it failed to match its German rivals for overall sophistication. First time I drove one, I felt as if I was stepping back a decade or two. But did I enjoy the car? You bet!

With this in mind, you must understand that our first fling with the new Alfa Romeo 159 was something of a shocker - it's just so well engineered!

Yet the first thing you'll admire about the 159 is its immense physical beauty. It's a work of art on four wheels. As a point of reference, here comes the part where I have to incite the rage of almost all Beemer fans out there. Nice, elegant shape that 3-Series has, but what's with that frown on its face? It's as if some giant fist just came out of nowhere and dealt it a huge punch in the nose, so fussy and awkward are those lines.

Penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro in collaboration with the Alfa Romeo Styling Centre, the 159 looks like it just packed that punch. If that sharp-edged face could speak it'd be saying, "Don't mess with me," in an air-piercing groan, but despite looking so aggressive it also exudes beauty, finesse and simplicity. The rest of the car is certainly elegant, although if designers really wanted the side and rear views to match the front, they could have sharpened a few more edges. The Audi's design flows fluidly like an Audi always has, while that bold new front end gives it some much-needed road presence without being at odds with the rest of the car.

So if you'd taken one look at the Alfa and expected it to be a bully on the road, hold your horses! Though there are three petrol engines offered in the initial range, the pre-launch vehicle we handled had the weakest one. While the mechanical matter of our test unit is almost identical to the one you'll be buying, much of its specification differs and the unit we drove was not in testing condition.

Still, the 1.9-litre JTS petrol engine felt a little weak at the knees. With 118kW on tap, it's certainly at the high end of the power park, although its 190Nm torque output is the lowest here. The Alfa's biggest problem is its weight - straining the scales at 1480kg, it's 90kg heavier than the Audi and 160 more than the BMW. Granted, the Alfa is the biggest car here. The new JTS direct injection unit is as high-tech as they come, but we miss that characteristic burble of the old twin spark motor. While die-hards will most likely agree with this sentiment, most buyers are likely to appreciate the refinement of this engine, at least what is felt of it through that well-insulated cabin. The engine boasts continuous dual variable valve timing and direct petrol injection for a highly user-friendly torque spread - in fact this engine makes 88% of its torque output available at 2000rpm.

The BMW can also boast of engine sophistication from the top drawer, with its Valvetronic and dual-Vanos variable camshaft adjustment and highly optimised intake and exhaust ducts. As with the Alfa, it hardly sets the road alight when pulling a body of this size, but after all calculations were done it did have a slight advantage over the Alfa.

In output to weight terms, the Audi 1.8 T is the leader of this pack, while force-fed breathing gives it an extra advantage at high altitudes. It might suffer from a little lag; and with about a 10-year life span behind it, it falls below the refinement standard set here, but if you learn to use it effectively it is by far the punchiest option in this trio.

Engine finesse aside, you must be wondering how it is to live with these cars on a daily basis. It's here the Alfa 159 surprised the most. Sink into its cabin and it feels like you're spun in a cocoon. Not only does the build quality feel far more solid than any previous Alfa Romeo product, but the materials are almost top-grade and ergonomic controls fall easily to hand. That said, large instrument dials and a small circular oil temperature gauge still remind you that you're in an Alfa.

As with the BMW, you start the engine via a starter button after inserting the key fob into the dashboard - why this has become the modern trend is anyone's guess. The more you drive the 159, the less it feels like an Alfa. The gearchange is ultra smooth, the pedals seem telepathically connected to the driver's wants and ride quality is silky and cosseting. Despite being longer than its rivals here, the Italian is not much more spacious inside - it in fact, has a shorter wheelbase than the BMW, although the lack of a prop tunnel does free up space in the back.

The BMW and Audi also score highly when it comes to interior quality, ergonomics, driving refinement and ride quality - but we already know that, so there's no point in going into detail here.

One area where few Alfa Romeos have ever accepted defeat was where the roads got interestingly twisty - and we're pleased to announce the 159 confirms that legacy with aplomb.

All three cars have sophisticated chassis with fully independent multi-link rear suspension systems, and equally good set ups at the front, after all, they were designed to handle twice as much power as these versions have. The only major difference is that the BMW sends its power to the back wheels, while the others send it to the front.

A few laps around Kyalami racetrack were enough to confirm the 159's credentials. It's impressively solid, composed and stable, and certainly occupies the high ground of the large FWD kingdom. But push it right to the envelope, and its abundant understeer will still have you missing the additional overall balance offered by the rear-driven BMW.

The Audi scored lowest in the handling department - it's certainly competent, but that uninvolving steering feel sent it down a notch.

The value for money equation is startlingly similar across this board, especially with all three cars priced within R1000 of each other and having five-year/100 000km maintenance plans as standard. All cars have automatic climate control and ergonomic controls on the steering wheels as standard while only the Alfa and BMW have cruise control, and you'll only get full leather seating as standard in the Alfa and Audi. The safety specification in each car includes front, side and head-level airbags, as well as the expected ABS brakes and some form of electronic stability programme.

What we have here is a very close match, despite each car gaining and losing slightly in certain areas. And ain't that a surprise - an Alfa Romeo that's every bit as sophisticated as its best German rivals. By golly, what has this world come to? More traditional aficionados might find it lacking in character in some ways, but the upside is that this Alfa can now appeal to a far wider audience.