Fiat has had difficulty in breaking through the glass ceiling above supermini sized cars. It isn't alone here - some specialist Japanese carmakers concentrate on smaller cars and some other marques around the world also do poorly in family size car sales.However, Fiat must accept responsibility for major errors with their bigger cars in the past - poor build quality, reliability, and some price marketing policies have damaged the residuals and brand value for models above supermini size. You've got to go Ben Dunne style and try to openly wipe the slate clean. In the motoring arena, last week, Renault admitted errors with their previous Lagunas and clearly defined that there is no comparison with the much higher quality new model.In these situations, you must put your hands up to a well educated and discerning car buying public. Mistakes from the past must be openly admitted to and a line drawn in the sand. Then with the air cleared, you move on!With that all said, Fiat’s new 5-door Bravo, which has just arrived in Ireland, certainly appears to be a fine car with many excellent power options. As previously referred to, this new range marks the company’s return to the largest segment of our new car market. Cars in this class account for over 30 per cent of the total new car sales. Within this sector, hatchbacks are far more popular than saloons with 3-door hatchbacks accounting for 10 per cent of sales and 5 door hatchbacks, such as the new Bravo, account for 53 per cent of segment sales.Eight versions of the new 5-door Bravo are available from launch, with a choice of four engine sizes (1.4 16v 90 bhp, 1.4 16v T-jet 150 bhp, 1.9 8v M-jet 120 bhp, 1.9 16v M-jet 150 bhp) and four trim levels (Active, Dynamic, Emotion, Sport). Three further versions using the sparkling 120 bhp T-jet engines will join the range in November.

An all-new 1.4 litre T-Jet 150 bhp turbocharged petrol engine makes its debut in the New Bravo. It is the latest example of the new family of turbocharged petrol units developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies to combine the sporting performance and low NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) characteristics of a petrol engine with the fuel economy comparable to a diesel unit and C02 emission levels which readily comply with increasingly stringent European regulation.Through cubic capacity downsizing allied to the adoption of the smallest possible turbocharger, this new 150 bhp T-Jet engine combines performance equal to or better than a conventionally aspirated 1.8/2.0 litre petrol engine, but with a reduction of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent in fuel consumption and emissions. These advantages are especially useful, given the importance of the fleet market, where taxation plays a major role.The 1.4 120 bhp T-jet engine due in November offers performance levels equal to or better than a conventionally aspirated 1.6 litre petrol engine, together with significant fuel consumption reductions. Top speed is 197 km/h and fuel consumption is 5.6 litres per 100km in the extra-urban cycle.The 1.4 16v 90 bhp engine is already well proven, a product of Fiat’s ground-breaking ‘FIRE’ technology. This 1368 cc engine produces 90 bhp @ 5500rpm, maximum torque of 128 Nm is available at 4500 rpm, top speed is 179 km/h and acceleration, 0 – 100 km/h takes 12.5 seconds. In the extra urban cycle this Bravo required just 5.6 litres to cover 100 km.The availability of three 1.4 16v petrol engines offering such diverse power gives buyers a unique opportunity to match their requirements exactly, and at the most economic price. Add the two 1.9 Multijet turbo diesel engines, 8v 120 bhp and 16v 150 bhp, engines that were designed and engineered to meet the needs of the very high mileage drivers very economically, and you have the most complete, most modern, and most exciting range of cars in this segment.All the engines are mated to 6-speed manual transmissions except the 1.9 litre 8-valve 120 bhp Multijet Turbodiesel unit that features a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The New Bravo was created in just 18 months, from design ‘freeze’ to production. Fiat employed groundbreaking, state-of-the-art Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) systems of unprecedented power and complexity, allowing the development of this new car to be undertaken almost entirely through ‘virtual’ analysis and engineering. This ‘virtual’ technology is used extensively in the aircraft industry, helping to design and test all types of aircraft from jet fighters to jumbo jets. ‘Virtual Engineering’ allows engineers and designers to simulate more tests than could be carried out by the previous technology and to be far more demanding in terms of quality, durability, and safety standards.Fiat tells us that the computer software involved is so sophisticated that Fiat’s engineers could simulate every aspect of the Bravo’s structural, dynamic, NVH (the auto industry’s initials for the related issues of noise, vibration, and harshness as experienced by passengers) and accommodation characteristics, to a level of unprecedented detail. They were also able to create a ‘virtual’ production line to ensure consistently outstanding component and build quality.Fiat boasts that the benefits of these advanced developments in virtual design and engineering are obvious in all aspects of the new Fiat Bravo, from consistently high build quality and class-leading passenger accommodation to superior driving dynamics, minimal NVH levels, and, of course, outstanding safety.Indeed, some proof of the benefits of virtual engineering are seen in the New Bravo’s achievement of a 5-star safety rating for adult occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash test programme. Achieving five stars for adult occupant safety, three stars for child protection and a further two for pedestrian protection, the new Fiat recorded 33 points, placing it among the leaders of its category in terms of passive, active and preventive safety.Buyers who choose cars from this segment frequently use their vehicles for both work and social purposes. As they spend more than the average time driving, interior space and comfort are vitally important factors. Fiat points out that the new Bravo consistently exceeds the average dimensions for this segment and this naturally translates into a very spacious, comfortable cabin. As an example, Bravo has class-leading cabin width at shoulder level where it really matters, plus 240 mm longitudinal adjustment for the front seats. So, the sense of space is not virtual, it is very real!Because drivers of cars in this segment tend to have a higher than average annual mileage. In this regard, Fiat Group Automobile Ireland has introduced a unique warranty recognising drivers’ specific needs: a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty. The normal warranty from a European manufacturer is two years and the normal warranty from a Japanese company is three years limited mileage. So, this three year unlimited mileage warranty is another example of creative thinking to match customer needs.Prices of the new Bravo start at €19,495 for the 1.4 16v 90 bhp: Active.