Fiat Bravo (07 on) - Review

Fiat claims the Bravo is the widest car in its class for rear seat passengers, boasting more shoulder room than anything else. However, the wheelbase is identical in size to the Stilo it replaces and knee-room seems surprisingly tight compared to other similar sized cars. The seats are for more comfortable than in its predecessor though plus air conditioning is standard (on all but the entry-level Bravo 1.4) and electric front windows are fitted across the range.

The Bravo offers a minimum of 365 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place and up to 1165 litres when they're folded flat. That's among the best in the sector, however the boot lip is high and the opening quite narrow. Cabin storage is decent but nothing special, with an average sized glove compartment and decent bins in the doors.

The Bravo has a neat interior design with a simple dash layout and easy to use controls. The instrument dials are easy to read and the steering wheel adjusts for reach and height but while visibility is decent, the sloping windscreen pillar does obscure the view at junctions. It feels quite a solid vehicle, but the cabin is let down by a few cheap feeling materials. Fiat’s Blue & Me option, available on most models, is a Windows Mobile-based system run in partnership with Microsoft. It’s a fully integrated hands-free system with voice recognition that allows customers with Bluetooth mobile phones to make and receive calls. It can store up to five mobile phones and the system also includes a USB port for playback of MP3 and other digital music files.