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For kiwi customers, the best news about Fiat's new family hatch is that it's lacking something - namely the "Ritmo" badge that's being used for the car in Australia. Over the ditch, Fiat importer Ateco Automotive has resurrected an old and rather unloved name from Fiat's rusty, unreliable past because the "Bravo" moniker assigned by the factory is already spoken for in that market (Mazda owns it).
That's not the case in New Zealand, so Ateco's local arm is sticking with the Bravo bootlid badge, just as the factory intended.
Looking like a longer, sexier version of the Grande Punto, the Bravo has been launched here in two models: a 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol-turbo and a 1.9-litre JTD diesel-turbo. Both powerplants are offered exclusively with the top Bravo Sport level of specification, at prices of $36,990 and $39,990 respectively.
Like the rival Volkswagen Golf TSI, the Bravo T-Jet aims to provide 2.0-litre levels of performance with the potential for small-car economy when it is driven carefully. The T-Jet engine, making its production debut in the Bravo, pumps out an impressive 110kW/206Nm from its 1.4 litres, and accelerates the Bravo from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds, yet is capable of fuel economy of 7.1 litres per 100km in the European Combined cycle. The torque can be increased to 230Nm with the use of a pushbutton "overboost" function (0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds).
However, the 110kW/305Nm JTD diesel is almost as quick as the petrol car and more thrifty - 0-100km/h in 9.0 seconds and Combined economy of 5.6 litres per 100km.
Sport trim for both cars brings dual-zone climate air conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth cellphone connectivity, sports seats, alloy wheels and a body kit.
The old Fiat transmission bugbear continues with Bravo. At launch, the new car is restricted to six-speed manual gearboxes, with two-pedal transmissions not due to arrive until next year. They like to actually drive their cars in Italy.
