New Fiat Bravo - Any takers???

techie

My local Fiat dealer is getting two of these in tomorrow and I will be test driving one in the next 48 hrs

Has anyone else an interest in their new car? Curious?????

(For all the Fix it again brigade , don't bother posting as we have heard them all before!!!!!)

ninty9er

If it looked like that yes, but it won't in Irish base spec!!

techie

ninty9er wrote:

If it looked like that yes, but it won't in Irish base spec!!

I beg to differ, the sales guy told me that Fiat will be coming out fighting with Spec AND pricing to get people buying!!

colm_mcm

yes, it could be the Stilo all over again!

But the Stilo had far more standard safety spec and other goodies than anything else at the time (until they pulled the spec back)


I nearly bought a 3 door one on the launch night all those years ago, although I don't think the new Bravo is as appealing.

techie

colm_mcm wrote:

yes, it could be the Stilo all over again!

I nearly bought a 3 door one on the launch night all those years ago, although I don't think the new Bravo is as appealing.

I did buy one, '05 1.4 Stilo Active Sound for the wife, she still has it and wants to keep it!!

colm_mcm

I test drove it and the novelty wore off. the 1.2 engine and 6 speed box were fine in my Punto, but they couldn't handle the Stilo's heavy body, even the 1.6 didn't feel quick.

The new Bravo just looks like a big Grande Punto.

techie

The 1.4 she has drives well and is fine for the body, the 1.4 gives out 95bhp, the Fiat 1.6 is an old engine now only developing 100bhp.

The grande punto is not a bad car either but I much prefer the look of the Bravo so far!!

ninty9er

LIGHTNING wrote:

I`m keeping an eye on the new Lancer, it looks the business hopefully it drives decent. Its out in the US and has a decent interior too.

will it still arrive on the forecourts witgh a sh1tty retrofitted out of place cd/radio

colm_mcm

and the combination of small steel wheels and a huge spoiler that seems peculiar to Hyundai and Mitsubishi

techie

Ah well the thread about the Bravo was good while it lasted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

colm_mcm

Sorry, it's a pretty dull car. How much does it cost?

techie

colm_mcm wrote:

Sorry, it's a pretty dull car. How much does it cost?

No idea yet, should find out tomorrow.

colm_mcm

It will fail unless it's a good bit under 20k

techie

colm_mcm wrote:

It will fail unless it's a good bit under 20k

Agreed , but the Grande Punto is €17645 for an equil. engine size and 5 dr so ??????

colm_mcm

it's gonna bomb, it won't sell on quality or image. Price is the only reason people would buy one. Korean manufacturers are offering more reliable stuff. THe Hyundai I30 is gonna slaughter it.

Guy:Incognito

colm_mcm wrote:

it's gonna bomb, it won't sell on quality or image. Price is the only reason people would buy one. Korean manufacturers are offering more reliable stuff. THe Hyundai I30 is gonna slaughter it.

Theres an awful lot of Puntos going round though. A good few of those people may well chose the easy upgrade route of going straight to a fiat garage.

techie

colm_mcm wrote:

it's gonna bomb, it won't sell on quality or image. Price is the only reason people would buy one. Korean manufacturers are offering more reliable stuff. THe Hyundai I30 is gonna slaughter it.

The Bravo is streets ahead on looks compared to the dull I30!!

colm_mcm

It's certainly better looking than the Hyundai, but it's not exactly sensational looking. Remember when the original Bravo/Brava was launched. They were unlike anything else. The new model is nothing special.

techie

Agreed but if I was not going to Longford tomorrow for work I would be in Old Chapel testing one out!!!

BTW: I used to have a Brava and the wife had a Bravo (Sad I know !!)

colm_mcm

I had one too! bought it purely on looks.

su_dios

techie wrote:

The 1.4 she has drives well and is fine for the body, the 1.4 gives out 95bhp, the Fiat 1.6 is an old engine now only developing 100bhp.

The grande punto is not a bad car either but I much prefer the look of the Bravo so far!!

I drive a 1.4 stilo and it is a fast car! Compare it with pretty much any other car in its class and its faster. Better performance and lighter than the new golf too. Very good kit for little or no money. Not keen on the bravo though but I'm waiting to see what abarth pulls out! I'm very surprised they didn't make a 3door.

Bluefoam

I saw the Bravo recently in Italy. It is a very good looking car, better than it looks in pictures.

su_dios

Theres a few up there on carzone. Theres one that looks like the above picture with the nice alloys and chrome strips around the window. Looks great but the two navy ones look bad! Punto looks better

techie

su_dios wrote:

I drive a 1.4 stilo and it is a fast car! Compare it with pretty much any other car in its class and its faster. Better performance and lighter than the new golf too. Very good kit for little or no money. Not keen on the bravo though but I'm waiting to see what abarth pulls out! I'm very surprised they didn't make a 3door.

Wait until you see the new Bravo T-Jet 150 Sport, Wow!!! What a car, my local dealer has one and it is the bees knees!!! At 25k though????????

jameshayes

techie wrote:

At 25k though????????

you could get an astra sport for that

techie

jameshayes wrote:

you could get an astra sport for that

Yes but you will need a lot of batteries for the torch you need in the back, its DARK in there, friend of mine has one!!!! :rolleyes:

pred racer

Looks a bit nissan to me. BTW I liked the old bravo.

pburns

I remember Clarkson gave the Bravo/Brava a great review on the old Top Gear. I think he even pronounced it 'best in class' (this was prep-Focus MkI).

I can't see the new car doing the business against strong competition from above (VW, Ford etc.) and below (Hyundai, Kia etc.)

A friend of mine has just bought a Kia C'eed 1.6 diesel and In was amazed - quite handsome, great spec (leather!), really responsive, refined engine, decent handling plus a 7 YEAR WARRANTY!!

Blows the socks off a Stilo and I'd recommend it over an Auris to a family member...

techie

pburns wrote:

I remember Clarkson gave the Bravo/Brava a great review on the old Top Gear. I think he even pronounced it 'best in class' (this was prep-Focus MkI).

I can't see the new car doing the business against strong competition from above (VW, Ford etc.) and below (Hyundai, Kia etc.)

A friend of mine has just bought a Kia C'eed 1.6 diesel and In was amazed - quite handsome, great spec (leather!), really responsive, refined engine, decent handling plus a 7 YEAR WARRANTY!!

Blows the socks off a Stilo and I'd recommend it over an Auris to a family member...

Funny you should say that because today I picked up my new Kia Cee'd 1.4 petrol and boy what a car, its the EX model so it has all the toys and as you said A FULL 7 YEAR WARRANTY!!!!!!!!!

floss992

my first 2 cars were fiats, and boy did they give me major trouble (gear box.....engine head ....drivers seat collasped) so on so on ..wife bought a 2yr old punto and the engine management system just shut down on her plus door handles giving trouble.....changed 2 mitsubishi and bought 5cars so far..... and never spent as much as 1 cent on any of them......drove the new lancer..... impressive looking car,......designed in europe

galwaytt

I saw that red T-Jet 150 in Monaghan's too, I was wondering what it's like to drive............have to dump those red 'sail' seats though !

I see on the UK site that you can spec up a 150bhp 1.9Multijet diesel, 6-speed full leather Sport Brava - looks the dog's on 18's, too. - what's not to like? Cheap, and fast, and low VRT/low tax - less than the 1.4 T-jet, actually......

I like 'em.

btw, I'm biased - I once bought a new Cinq Sporting - in yellow, naturally. Gave a lot less trouble than any car I've had since, I can assure you.........

And nobody is falling over themselves calling the Auris attractive, that's for sure......

RobAMerc

These look absolutely superb I have to say, I actually saw a traffic cop in Blanch nearly spin the head off his shoulders trying to look at one proper last week.

hey colm_mcm - does everybody buy on reliability alone in your world ?

Can't you imagine that some people might take a chance to drive something they like?

Christ - how dull life must be in your house!

Biro

galwaytt wrote: »

I saw that red T-Jet 150 in Monaghan's too, I was wondering what it's like to drive............have to dump those red 'sail' seats though !

I see on the UK site that you can spec up a 150bhp 1.9Multijet diesel, 6-speed full leather Sport Brava - looks the dog's on 18's, too. - what's not to like? Cheap, and fast, and low VRT/low tax - less than the 1.4 T-jet, actually......

I like 'em.

btw, I'm biased - I once bought a new Cinq Sporting - in yellow, naturally. Gave a lot less trouble than any car I've had since, I can assure you.........

And nobody is falling over themselves calling the Auris attractive, that's for sure......

And based on 2 reports on the Auris, both have been unreliable, one was a new hire car, 1st renter and the thing died on the person renting it. Toyota have slipped big time. And the C'eed is better looking!
Anyway, ya, the Bravo. I like it. And the 150 multijet is far better value than the similarly priced bog basic 1.9 105bhp golf.

E92

Biro wrote: »

And based on 2 reports on the Auris, both have been unreliable, one was a new hire car, 1st renter and the thing died on the person renting it. Toyota have slipped big time. And the C'eed is better looking!

My old man has an Avensis and by god they don't make them like they used to. It has had a string of niggly problems(though the engine has never gone wrong in it's 86,000 km so far) like the Traction Control which certainly doesn't seem to be working(pull off on a hill and you can get the wheels to spin even when it's turned on and you still get that horrible smell of clutch from it when you do this), it has also pulled to the left under braking and this summer the air conditioning was like it was on strike. Toyota "reliability" is now like Merc and VAG.... firmly in the past tense. Although it has never properly broken down i.e. car off the road for a few days, and in that sense is still as reliable as a proper Toyota.

Though I've never been in the Auris, the sister car the Corolla is leaps and bounds behind the Mazda 3 and Opel Astra, I travelled in a diesel taxi recently and it feels like an old school Toyota in terms of build quality on the inside...loads of hard shiny plastic etc and the diesel is as slow as a good old fashioned diesel (and bear in mind this was a taxi driver driving it and when was the last time a taxi driver drove slowly?) so god only knows how the petrol moves at all.

L1011

Grande Punto on pies.

Will probably still give it a whirl when I have the chance, think Airton have some for a while now...

fdisk

So, I've driven the new Bravo - and it will blow you away. Acceleration is very impressive, as is the handling and braking. The one I drove was fitted out to a vary high standard, and I assumed it was a special, but I was told that the only non standard was the leather seats. The insurance companies are going to have a major headache with the new Bravo - it performs better than a lot of 2 litre cars I've driven.

Bluefoam

The 150bhp 1.4L looks like a great buy + the spec is great on the sport model... Do many cars in this class have the 'blue & me'?

Thats a nice car. I'd probably go for one of their tried and tested diesel units rather than a petrol engine.

Although that 150 bhp 1.4t is tempting.

barryfitz

Pig ugly IMO, and a horrenduously dark cabin. Sat in one in the local dealers, wouldnt have it.

E92

Fiat's common rail diesel engines are meant to be very good for reliability too.(and I don't mean good for a Fiat I mean good full stop)

Noelie

I think the 1.9 D will be about the same price as the 1.4T in july. and tax will be less on the 1.9

drdre

I would prefer a golf, or even polo anyday over a fiat.

Noelie

why, want to back that up?

Biro

Ah yes, the farmers choice. A good solid VW... "Shurrr what could be bether? Pure class dem VW's are..."

L1011

drdre wrote: »

I would prefer a golf, or even polo anyday over a fiat.

Explain...

floss992

had2 Fiat's years ago ......got problems with both (gear box....engine head) ....wife bought a 2yr old punto ,and the engine management system went plus other faults along the way...... decided 2 buy mitsubishi after that, and up2 now i've had 5 mitsu's and never spent 1 cent on repairs, will keep on buying them

ninty9er

I'd have one....1.9 150bhp Multijet Sport....there seems to be a bit of overcharging on new ones on carzone compared to the website list price though

nah_biy!

My mother had a decent 98Punto sx, she only got rid of it though as she didn't feel especially safe in it, have they finally ridden themselves of that "tinny" sound when you close doors? I remember driving it and constantly thinking it didn't feel put together very well at all, mind you the old Tipo was a treat, mind you hat's more a FIAT wide question I suppose. I've seen 1 blue/navy 1.9D on stunning dark alloys in town and it really looks striking, whereas a Golf R32 is very unasumming.

siralfalot

Have a 156 and a Bravo at the moment, they are going to be joined by a Fiat 20VT Coupe after Crimbo before the eco nazi's green tax comes into force:rolleyes:.

sat in a 1.4 Tjet Bravo last week and loved it, beautiful looking machine, just a pity I didn't get to drive it

r3nu4l

I was reading TOP Gear New and Used car guide last night and they give the Bravo 4/5, a very decent score!

My local dealer has some on display and while I haven't driven one I have had a lot of time to poke around them and must admit that I like the looks and styling The engine choice is pretty good too.