TURIN car giant Fiat heralded the return of its Bravo as an all new five-door model.
The range takes the place of the outgoing Stilo, which had failed to become the Volkswagen Golf rival hoped for by Fiat.
The new Bravo comes with six engine options, 1.4-litre petrol in 90bhp, 120bhp and 150bhp form with diesels in 1.6-litre Multijet models of 105bhp and 120bhp mode, plus a 1.9-litre Multijet 150bhp oil burner.
In addition, there are five progressively more generous trim levels for potential buyers to explore in the shape of Brave, Active, Active Sport, Dynamic and Sport models.
There are stylish and elegant overall looks to take in on the new Fiat Bravo with plenty of Italian flair illustrating that this is not just a model from the replacement bin but truly a strong contender in its own right in the small family car league.
The front end delivers a pretty aggressive look, teardrop headlights flanking an eye-catching sporty-look grille, while the short bonnet and front wings flow seamlessly into a steeply raked windscreen.
When viewed in silhouette the Bravo shows off its athletic-looking wedge shape with rising waistline to good effect, even carrying over a rear end appearance boasting more than a hint of the original Bravo model.
Driven here is the range-topping Sport-trimmed model, which comes with many of the bells and whistles most drivers would require.
The spec includes the likes of electric windows all round, dual zone climate control, sound system with CD player, Blue and Me phone and MP3 player connectivity with steering wheel controls, cruise control, plus red brake callipers and chrome tailpipe for that sporty look.
In addition, driver safety aids include permanently engaged Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) which includes Anti Slip Regulation (ASR) system, Hill Holder to help drivers pull smoothly away from a hill start and ABS braking comes as standard over the whole Bravo range.
Life on board the Fiat Bravo is spent amidst a stylish interior where visual and tactile sophistication have been brought together to deliver an attractive and stylish interior.
Gone is the black plastic effect which is the bane of many drivers, new Bravo's distinctive design benefiting from soft-touch materials boasting an innovative range of colour combinations for the two-tone dashboard, while good quality upholstery fabric as well as optional leather is available for seats and door panels.
The Bravo also features some practical touches providing a useful storage drawer beneath the front passenger seat, refrigerated compartment, bottle space in the centre console, plus a large glovebox.
Although seating in the rear may prove a little cramped for some occupants, despite some wheel arch intrusion, the boot provides a pretty generous 365 litres of luggage space with all seats taken which rises to more than 1,000-litres with rear seats folded.
There is some useful legroom to be enjoyed within the driving environment where driver's seat height adjust plus reach and rake adjustable steering wheel combine well to provide a driving position to suit most folk, while a neatly laid out dashboard with chrome-rimmed, deep-set instrument dials and centre console housing the sound and climate control systems is easily navigable.
Powered by the 1.4-litre 150bhp turbo petrol engine paired with a smooth-slotting six-speed manual gear change, the Bravo test car proved pretty impressive for its 1,368cc capacity figure. Capable of propelling you from 0-62mph in well under nine seconds, it is quick enough to be quite a fun car.
This turbo petrol engine smoothly delivers a meaty torque peak of 152lb/ft at 2,250rpm and, there's more. Press the Sport button and the shape of the torque curve alters to 170lb/ft at 3,000rpm - delivering even more low-end clout.
Fiat has involved a great deal of time and money on getting the damping nicely in tune and it seems to have worked, for, although the ride is a little on the firm side, it certainly isn't too inhibiting with the car delivering a quality ride over most surfaces.
The Bravo is athletic and agile round bends, providing decent body control and plenty of grip.
Like the Punto before it, this Fiat newcomer enjoys a 'City' mode which lightens the electric power steering appreciably to aid low-speed progress during the urban crawl and while engine and road noise is well suppressed, pock-marked surfaces are nicely smoothed out.
Overall, this is a fine effort from Fiat.
FAST FACTS
Fiat Bravo 1.4 T-Jet 150 Sport 5dr
Price: £15,005
Mechanical: 150bhp, 1,368cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 131mph
0-62mph: 8.2 secs
Combined mpg: 39.8
Insurance group: 10
CO2 emissions: 167g/km
BiK rating: 20%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 8yrs anti-rust