More tactile than a freshly carved stone otter

I've never owned an Alfa Romeo, but he's right. They are pretty.

The greatest sensation of speed afforded to ordinary man is not on a go-kart or a rollercoaster. It comes when you've got the cruise control set at 70mph, the traffic in front is stopping and momentarily you can't find the button to turn it off. In that hiccup of time it doesn't feel like you're doing 70mph. It feels like you're doing three times the speed of light.

That's why, in most cars, the cruise control off button is clearly visible and easy to use in a hurry. Not in the Alfa it isn't. It looks like one of the pieces from a game of Risk and it's mounted on a stalk just below and slightly behind the indicator.
So when the traffic ground to a halt on the M40 I bet the chap behind me was keen to know why I didn't slow at all and then, for no obvious reason, suddenly indicated left....

[But] ... it is exactly one million times better looking than a BMW 3-series. And with those triple headlamps, and perfect proportions, at least half a million times better looking than any rivals from Audi, Mercedes or Jaguar.
...
You can pootle around slowly but somehow you tend to drive the 159 very hard and very fast. But the engine, torquey, powerful and smooth though it may be, is not the best part of this car. That accolade goes to the steering. It's fast, sharp, more informative than the internet and more tactile than a freshly carved stone otter."