Will an impressive engine range make the new Fiat Bravo a winner?
Designed in record time the new Bravo from Fiat was penned when the company was on its knees financially. From the design team getting the go-ahead to the first of the five-door hatchbacks rolling off the production line took just 17 months, or 18 months as Fiat likes to say, because 17 apparently is an unlucky number in Italy!
Computer aided design and engineering (CAD/CAE) were to the fore of the project in all areas of development and the end result is? A pretty average car overall.
I drove both petrol and diesel high-spec versions recently and must say the engines are super but there is a major flaw concerning the speedometer - it is barely legible!
The dial is tiny and while I appreciate 'where' the stylists were coming from by using backlit numbers - the calibration is ridiculous.
The needle on the tiny dial is at 12 O’Clock or near vertical when you’re doing over 120km/h! In this day and age of speed awareness and penalty points we all need speedometers that can be read at a glance, with the new Bravo you have to really stare at it for a second of two to read your speed. I have pointed this flaw out to the cars design chief and he says he is working on rectifying the problem – maybe Fiat should have taken some extra time developing the car!
Bravo is built using nearly all the bits from the old Fiat Stilo. The exterior has a new skin that builds on the Grande Punto look. Bravo as you can see is curvy and quite good looking.
The interior apart from the stupidly designed speedometer is a pleasant place to be but for me the real selling point with this new ‘C’ sector car is the engine range. The fun starts when you turn the key of the €24,745, six-speed, 150bhp, 1.4 litre ‘T-Jet’.
The four-cylinder petrol turbocharged engine is an absolute hoot. T-Jet can really shift while making the most of a lively chassis. The latest manufacturing trend at the moment is for smaller capacity high-output engines. While VW was one of the first in the game with the 1.4 turbo/supercharged unit in the Golf GT, Fiat now has a super little unit on its hands.
The other three engines in the launch range include a 90bhp 1.4 petrol and two Multijet diesels (both 1.9) with either ‘8’ (120bhp / five-speed) or ‘16’ valves (150bhp / six-speed). The 16 valve Multijet or M-Jet is a far more weighty machine compared to the T-Jet and while it is quick and very strong it can’t match the new little turbo for grins.
Fiat is proud of reducing road noise and harshness levels and yes the car is quite a comfortable place to be but Bravo is still far from Lexus quiet.
The family hatchback sector (‘C’) accounts for over 30% of car sales in Ireland per annum. In turn five-door variants (like Bravo) account for over half of those sales.
These days Fiat appears to be in rude health and Bravo’s nippy ‘T-Jet’ 1.4 turbo and impressive ‘Multijet’ diesels should help restore some faith in the brand. Bravo scores well in crash tests and is keenly priced, starting at €19,495.
