Bravo! Bravo! Let’s give the fabulous, and very striking, Fiat a cry of approval. In Australia, the Fiat Bravo is sold under the name Fiat Ritmo (See our other article on the Fiat Ritmo). We certainly must applaud Fiat’s efforts with the all new Bravo.

The design has style aplenty, and, from whichever angle you care to look at the sporty hatchback, the little car looks excellent. In fact, I think that this Italian design has the flair and sexy style to edge out any designs that have recently rolled onto show room floors from other small car manufacturers. The hot looks start from the aggressive headlights and beautifully curved front tip. Low slung, the exterior lines start at the long pronounced nose and sweep seductively up and over the low raking A-pillar, over the curvy roofline and finish elegantly at the wide and sporty rear end. The Fiat Bravo shows a high waistline that gives the car an overall speedy appearance – and this is without firing the exquisite engines up. The car has the looks to get any car enthusiasts heart racing, and, sitting squat on low profile tyres and gorgeous fanned alloys, you are definitely driving a car that draws other people’s attention.

Ok, what’s under the bonnet? The new Bravo will be powered by three different petrol engines, and two diesel engines. ‘T-Jet’ is the name of the new range of turbocharged petrol engines. It all starts at 66 kW. This motor is a sweet runner, and it is extremely frugal on fuel. The next step up is the sprightly 88 kW version. With a top speed of around 200 km/h and plenty of pulling power (206 Nm from as low as 1750 rpm), this one is a true winner. The 110 kW T-Jet version has a sport button to give an “overboost” function, and the slick machine can top 212 km/h and perform the 0-100km/h dash in only 8.5 seconds. This is certainly enough ooomph to keep up with the leading bunch. At the end of 2007 the new 1.6 L M-jet diesel engine was launched, and a more powerful 88 kW version was launched in spring 2008. The 77 kW version is available with the so-called “Eco” pack. This pack gives better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions (119 g/km).

A base model Bravo is a well equipped machine. The car will come standard with remote central locking, deadlocks, ABS and EBD, a rake and reach adjustable steering wheel, dual-drive power steering (with a City button), electric front windows and Mirrors, 6 Airbags and an awesome sounding CD player. Of course, the higher end models have all the luxury “bells and whistles”. In a Bravo you need not be left wanting. The seats are superb and they offer very good support.

A Bravo is a safe performer. Its remarkable safety performance has been made possible by the many sophisticated systems available inside the new car. These include an array of passive safety systems, with two front airbags (the driver has a two-stage bag), two front side bags, two window bags and a knee airbag for the driver. In addition, there are three-point seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, five head-restraints and Fiat’s FPS fire prevention system. Body shell elements such as the bonnet, door and dashboard cross-member also contribute to protecting the occupants. A number of other components also play a part in passive safety – such as the collapsible steering column, and superbly comfortable seats. Furthermore, the new car’s consistent and predictable handling means that it can absorb a certain degree of driver error and easily cope with critical situations. In addition to a high performance braking system, the new Fiat Bravo also features the latest generation electronic braking and traction control systems to ensure safe dynamic performance. These include ABS anti-lock braking with EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) and, most importantly, ESP (Electronic Stability Program) – a system that activates under near critical conditions when the stability of the car is at risk. This helps the driver maintain control of the vehicle.

In Australia, the Fiat Bravo will be sold as the Fiat Ritmo. This is because Mazda Australia owns rights to the “Bravo” name.

Want an eye-catching Italian? The Fiat Bravo/Ritmo has driver satisfaction guaranteed. It ticks the boxes in all the right places, so head on down and experience the suave Ritmo for yourself.

The current model series includes the:

• Fiat Ritmo 1.4 Dynamic
• Fiat Ritmo 1.4T-Jet Emotion
• Fiat Ritmo 1.4 JTD Dynamic
• Fiat Ritmo T-Jet Sport
• Fiat Ritmo 1.9 JTD Emotion
• Fiat Ritmo JTD Sport

For any more information on the Fiat Ritmo , or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Fiat dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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