Fiat Bravo

Fiat Bravo at a glance

Design and development

Fiat introduced the Bravo to the press in Rome in January 2007 and gave it a public debut in Geneva that March. The car was styled at Centro Stile Fiat, with Alberto Dilillo named as designer. Austria's Magna Steyr engineered a large part of the body.

Development relied on computer-aided engineering and simulation on a very large scale, which allowed a tight schedule. According to Fiat, more than 15,000 virtual crash tests were run, plus 60 physical crash tests and hundreds of component tests. The name went back to the three-door Bravo of 1995, while the Stilo's C2 platform provided the base.

Engines: T-Jet, MultiAir and Multijet

The Bravo introduced Fiat's new 1.4 T-Jet turbo petrol line, offered in two outputs. Diesels were Multijet units of 1.6, 1.9 and 2.0 litres. From 2010 the 1.4 MultiAir Turbo 140 took the place of the T-Jet 150 in the range.

Kerb weights run from 1,205 to 1,360 kg. Even at the top weight, the 2.0 Multijet offers about 89 kW per tonne, while the 1.4 Fire at the lowest weight has about 55 kW per tonne. The power-to-weight calculator works this out for any version.

Gearboxes were five- or six-speed manuals. A six-speed Dualogic automated manual was offered with the 1.4 T-Jet 120 and the 1.6 Multijet 120. The power converter translates these figures into hp.

Safety and equipment

Euro NCAP published its result on 1 March 2007: five stars, with 33 points for adult occupants. Child occupant protection scored 36 points and pedestrian protection 16 points. Every Bravo had ABS with brake-force distribution and ESP with hill holder, ASR and MSR, as well as belt tensioners and adjustable head restraints on all seats. Active front head restraints were optional.

German trims at launch were:

• Active: electric front windows, height-adjustable driver's seat, split rear bench and remote central locking;
• Dynamic: adds manual air conditioning, CD radio, 16-inch wheels and fog lights;
• Emotion: adds two-zone climate control, alloy wheels, rear electric windows and a multifunction steering wheel;
• Sport: 17-inch alloys, sports suspension, side skirts and a body-coloured roof spoiler.

Prices and markets

In Germany the Bravo went on sale on 21 April 2007. The 2007 prices started at €15,400 for the 1.4 with 66 kW and €19,000 for the 1.9 Multijet with 88 kW. The 110 kW diesel cost €22,000 in Dynamic trim, and the Sport package added €1,600 in 2007.

In Australia the car was sold as the Fiat Ritmo, because Mazda Australia owned the Bravo name for a commercial vehicle. Sales there were slow: 463 cars in total before it was withdrawn a year after launch.

Brazil built its own Bravo at Betim from 2010 to June 2016, with a 1.8 E.torQ engine of 95 kW (129 PS) among others.

European production ended at Cassino in July 2014. In Europe its successors were the Fiat Tipo and the Fiat 500X crossover.

The first Bravo and Brava (1995–2001)

The name first appeared in 1995 on a pair of compact hatchbacks. The Bravo was a three-door and the Brava a five-door with a sloping fastback rear. Together they were voted European Car of the Year 1996. They were built at Cassino and Rivalta in Italy, and the Brava also in Brazil, Turkey and Poland.

Both earned two stars in safety tests. The Fiat Stilo replaced them in 2001, and the Bravo name returned on the Stilo's successor in 2007.