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Rating

Verdict Fun with foibles

You climb into a Fiat and even though the headlining has fallen off and is draped round your head like a nun’s hat, and the engine sounds as if it’s being fuelled with gravel and there’s a smell of melting glue, you always think: “This is fun.”

It’s much the same story with the new Bravo. It’s available with a wide range of engines, but inevitably I asked for the most powerful. It’s a turbocharged 1.4 that chucks out 150bhp and that’s a lot from a small amount of space. But maybe because it’s quite a porker, it really isn’t a fast car.

I don’t care, though, because it is a fun car to drive. There’s a looseness to the controls that you may interpret as poor build quality or a slackness in the system, and I’d be the first to agree that the steering’s not that great and the handling isn’t especially noteworthy. However, somehow, it puts a smile on your face.

There are many issues in a Bravo that you won’t find in a Volkswagen. So to buy this car you must decide that what you really want is something that’s not quite as good as a Golf.

Except for a couple of things. The way it feels and the way it looks. If these are important to you, try one. You might like it. I did.

Current price £14,795

Price when tested (Oct 2007) £14,795

Engine 1368cc, four cylinders

Power 150bhp @ 5500rpm

Torque 170 lb ft @ 3000rpm

Transmission Six-speed manual

Fuel/ 39.8mpg (combined) / 167g/km

0-62mph 8.5sec

Top speed 131mph