Test drive Fiat Bravo: first test drive
Test Drive

Test drive Fiat Bravo: first test drive

Test drive Fiat Bravo: first test drive

With soft and elegant lines combined with sophisticated technology, Fiat Bravo aims to make the public forget about the not-so-successful Stilo sales model. First impressions.

After a long period of poor financial results, Fiat has started to get back on its feet with the launch of the extremely successful Grande Punto in quantitative terms, which means a 21 percent increase in global sales, an increase in the company's market share in Europe by 1,1 percent - completely logically, the Italians will only strengthen their position with new attractive models. This process is apparently being carried out in record time, because the new Bravo became a production car in just 18 months, thanks to the availability of a ready-made Stilo platform, which was radically redesigned but not replaced by a new one, as well as virtual construction methods, thanks to which much of the work on the project was carried out on a virtual basis rather than on real prototypes.

Compact model with dynamic temperament

The result is a Golf car, yet exuding a huge amount of Italian spirit with the refracted prism of Fiat's design philosophy. Thus, at first glance, the new Bravo can be recognized as the older brother of the Grande Punto, although it carries the genes of the first Bravo (note, for example, the taillights) and Stilo (almost all technology is identical to the previous model). ...

The side line, the wide shoulders and the extremely elegant rear are completely new. Unfortunately, the latter has a slightly negative impact on the feeling of space for rear seat passengers - there is enough space in terms of height and width, but not much. The front seating position is optimal, and the atmosphere shows a slight dynamic bias. The Bravo's dashboard is elegantly curved, and the instruments behind the steering wheel are located in the "caves" known from Alfa models. For those accustomed to Fiat, the control of all functions is completely normal - the levers behind the steering wheel, the air conditioning commands and the large Connect Nav + infotainment system are very close to the solutions used in its predecessor. The same is true for the folding mechanism of the rear seats, which allows you to increase the standard loading volume from 400 liters to 1175 liters.

Top-end engine offers power and distinctive sound

It seems that even light, but rather indirect driving is well known from the Stilo. However, in the Sport version, the steering is fitted as standard with a button of the same name, which reduces the power steering action and provides a more direct engine response.

At launch, Fiat will rely on the already installed engines: a 1,4-liter with 90 horsepower and a 1,9-liter turbodiesel with eight valves at 120 and sixteen valves at 150 horsepower. A new 1,4-liter petrol turbo engine with 120 or 150 horsepower will go on sale in the fall. The latter demonstrates a smooth unfolding of the torque curve, without sharp dips and eruptions and without a turbo hole. Its sound is aggressive, but at high revs it becomes overly loud and even then the power supply is noticeably weakened, so it is recommended to use the engine mainly at medium revs.

Overall, the chassis, with its multi-link rear suspension, is almost identical to that of the Stilo, but has undergone a number of minor changes, the most important of which is a firmer tuning. Passage over undulating bumps is surprisingly smooth, but not so much over sharper ones. ESP is standard on all models, as are seven airbags.

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