I distinctly Remember when the Brava/Bravo came out and in terms of styling wiped the floor with the opposition (although the 306 was very pretty). Shame that Fiat have never managed to rekindle that magic in that sector since.
Great review of a hugely underrated 90's car and so good to see a very clean survivor. Is there anyone out there who can expain why people bought a Golf when the Brava/Bravo was more interesting looking , drove better and had something missing from every VW, character!
I had a new 1999 Bravo 80 SX 16v - same engine as this Brava. I really wanted this colour, but the salesman tempted me with a red one they had just received off the car transporter. It had not been cleaned, and I remember it had little snails sticking to the wheel arches....always made me wonder where/how long it was stored. It was beautifully detailed though when I picked it up. The only option I got was the CD changer. It came with air-con as standard! It was a very reliable car and pretty well screwed together. I had it for five years, put about 50k miles on it and sold it when I moved to the US. It was fun to drive, and I would definitely say it felt bigger than 1.2, although on paper it really wasn't all that fast! One of the best things about this car was the seats and overall comfort. We traveled all over the UK in it with ne'er an ache or twinge. Good MPGs as well.
Well done matt a great review and I loved the brava/o it was so under rated my dad borrowed them when his tipo was in being serviced That one looks great and a manual as well looks like it’s been well looked after!
Had a 1.6 bought at 9 months old . Off the road with fiat out of warranty at 15 months and every three months the ECU blew. Fiat replaced the first two but wouldn't replace the third. on the final time I got the RAC man to drop it outside the showroom window.Took Fiat 8 weeks until the finance company threatened to stop payment due to no vehicle before they just put another one in .Finally sold it to a vauxhall dealer for a vectra.
One of these in the same colour went past my CCTV (in outer north London) this morning! Its worth pointing out, these late 1.2`s are ULEZ (& similar) compliant after March 2001, although the road tax is double what it was a few years ago..
I love all your pro-manual content, mainly because I totally agree. Have you noticed though that there seems to be a disproportionate number of ordinary 90s "survivors" fitted with slushers? Bearing in mind an autobox was a rare option on cars like Bravas and 216's, I keep seeing them come up for sale. I wonder if it's because the sort of people who kill cars avoided autos, so they escaped unharmed?
I think it’s because-true to cliche-giffermatics we’re bought by old people who barely used them and looked after them so they survived in disproportionate numbers, the manuals got driven and used
My Brother owned a 1.2 16V Brava that he picked up for £400. He described it as seeming to have a bigger engine than it did while consistently scoring 50+ mpg.
Very nice and clean car! I like italian cars with manual gearbox. My second Punto was a mk2 sporting with same engine and 6 speed transmission. Not the fastest model but i loved it!
Just a quick correction, the auto is a 1.6, not 1.8. Think the 1.6 you had was well overdue a gearbox oil change, these are Japanese auto boxes and perform really well when serviced correctly. They also should not default to sport mode when you start the car each time. Diagnostic socket for auto ecu is under the rear seats.
My mother had the 1.6 automatic for many years it was a brilliant car and brilliant gearbox it's funny but her car would also start off on sport mode my default.
That interior looks very familiar to a 2001 Bravo HGT owner. The Bravo dash & doors are the same part from instrument dial faces being white and having air conditioning auto heat/vent controls. I use a FM adaptor to connect my phone as didn't want to change out the (same) custom radio/cassette head unit or use the 6 CD changer in the boot. Interested to see the big dashtop vent doesn't have a manual control (one of those 'model truck wheels') that is there on my Bravo. You'll need to find a Bravo HGT to complete the video set, if not in the U.K. come to NZ! :)
early 2000s late 90s cars are so nostalgic for me, so happy they are dirt cheap right now so excellent time to expereince these sorts of cars before electric cars become the norm
That is an exquisitely smooth cassette eject mechanism. As Partridge would say ...nice action. Never heard of that special edition before. Are those alloys or wheel trims?
They are new old stock wheel trims. The Trofeo was a manufacturer special edition with a few extras over the SX like leather steering wheel, leather gear knob, passenger airbag, cd changer etc
It’s a really appealing car! That engine is definitely more ‘zingy’ and that befits the Italian character of the car. I always liked these when they were new. Fun story: my friend’s wife had a new 1.4 Bravo and we went to see Chris Boardman attempt the Hour Record at the Manchester Velodrome. We were running late and he absolutely whipped the little Fiat all the way and it loved it - we did a 40 minute journey in 25 minutes! However I did feel in safe hands though as his day job was driving an armed V70 T5 police pursuit car. It was such a fun little car.
I saw this car for sale on car and classic website back in February and missed out on this beauty mainly because I didn't quite have the money in time. Trying to find a ELX model are like gold dust
I've seen two of these blow a head gasket spectacularly on the road back when they were new ish. The rear lights look like glass blow into a metal frame how they bulge out. Always liked the rear lights. Please do a Stilo mum was going to buy one but went for a 2005 Hyundi Matrix she still owns that 40,100 miles.
The electrical contacts around the boot opening were a real surprise; I've never seen that. I wonder how reliable that's been across the production run. Very Italian, I like to think.
The 1.2 16v replaced the interesting but slightly flawed 1.4 12v SPi in the original Brava / Bravo... that was a new cylinder head on the old Tipo / 128 / Strada 8v engine.
All the auto’s I’ve owned (proper torque converter type) when braking for a junction, roundabout etc… they change down and engine brake to assist the slow down process 🤔
Love the design touches. Pls can they bring some of that “art” to modern cars. So that 1.2 petrol manual 0-60 of 12.5s really isn’t that bad. It is the poverty spec engine in that car and it’s similar acceleration to a Corsa 1.2 petrol manual. Personally if the 1.8 petrol auto is a proper auto (not an automated manual) I would take that…not only for being lazy but the extra power….the 1.2 will feel woeful with 2 passengers etc…as most other smaller engines cars would. On the other hand…fuel costs on the 1.8 petrol would be much higher.
I always liked FIAT'S oddness. It was on full display here with the hatchback Bravo & the more sallonish Brava! Although I preferred Renault's Megane MK 1 & 3 Hatchback/ coupe releases!
@@sharonec5419 I was thinking about this after, In the mid to late 1990's, Toyota had a hatchback, liftback, saloon & estate version of the Carolla! Renault had 5 versions of the mk1 Megane, a coupe rather than a liftback, & Scenic mpv. Crazy how many versions you can get from 1 original car!😀
@@grdixon83 Yes Renault were very innovative with the Mègane back then. It had something for everyone be it the hatchback or a saloon or a coupe or the Cabrio, the innovative Scenic MPV and in some markets even an estate version of it.
@@sharonec5419 Thank you for the reply, I know these days, 1 platform can be used for different cars (I.e VW Polo, Skoda Fabia, & SEAT Ibiza) or (Peugeot 208, Citroen C3, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa) but sadly we don't c a family type of arrangement as the 5 Meganes, or 4 Toyota Corollas. Its nice to see cars that still look modern nearly 30 years after launch!👊
I think even Italians like an auto once the age of needing a medical and eye examination everytime they renew their licence. 70 here (every 10 yr before), 65 for a C or D (every 3 yr before for a D), annually after 75 for all. Driving one is a different skill set, lifting off and coasting before braking for a corner or junction, improves the MPG too.
I had such a 1.2, I drove it in Ukraine, it is a wonderful car. Now I'm in the USA, there are such terrible cars and such terrible roads, I miss those times.
Such a nice tastefull interior, allthought not for the plastics maybe. Even Fiat doesn't make tastefull interiors anymore nowadays, just black/grey business-like interiors. Maybe some red or blue LED strips here and there.
80hp from the 1.2L, that's not too bad, i own a 1995 Renault Twingo which makes 44hp out of a similarly sized engine, and having double the horsepower would be fun.
Excellent review Matt as always Peak Fiat in this sector, the Stilo which followed was not a looker or a patch on the Bravo/Brava. Ask me how i know???
The late 90s curved everything, swishing shapen non-linear sized everything was inspired by a sudden expansion (obsession?) in ergonomics and human-machine interface design. It's a fad I'm glad has passed (albeit to be replaced with a new one - everything-digital-on-touchscreen
Manuals are so much better than automatics and a manual gearbox has become an anti theft device also all Fiat Bravas must have the best tail lights ever
@@bmwman1981 l know the automatic transmissions have improved our Suzuki Beleno is an automatic but my 1997 Toyota Hilux is manual and it makes them more valuable they did come in automatic
As you say the 1.2 16v was 80hp but the 1.4 was a 75hp 12v unit and totally gutless. The 1.6 16v was 100hp but never felt much quicker than the 1.2 Trofeo was an SX spec with addition of velour trim front fog lights passenger airbag, leather wheel and rear spoiler. The final year of production the Trofeo was replaced by the Formula limited edition which added aircon, metallic paint, CD player and same alloy wheels fitted to the HSX spec
I had such a 1.2, I drove it in Ukraine, it is a wonderful car. Now I'm in the USA, there are such terrible cars and such terrible roads, I miss those times.
Very nice car! It also has the round dials from the Bravo. This engine is sweet and needs to be revved! 🇮🇹😀
Looked fab festival of the unexceptional
I distinctly Remember when the Brava/Bravo came out and in terms of styling wiped the floor with the opposition (although the 306 was very pretty). Shame that Fiat have never managed to rekindle that magic in that sector since.
A 306, preferably in the yellow/gold metallic, is still a very pretty thing.
@@ramdynebix yeah,especially the cabrio version
A Mègane MK1 post facelift was a very pretty thing too.
@@sharonec5419 I thought the cabrio and coupe versions looked good but the hatch looked a bit gawky
@@AJT296 Not at all the hatch was a great looking car especially post revamp. I forgot about the Cabrio.
Great review of a hugely underrated 90's car and so good to see a very clean survivor.
Is there anyone out there who can expain why people bought a Golf when the Brava/Bravo was more interesting looking , drove better and had something missing from every VW, character!
I’ve driven the stillo 1.2 and I liked it Six gears too Greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Yes but that did struddle with the extra weight so they upped the engine to 1.4 16v 90HP.
My uncle had one of these, I think I may of under appreciated it for its oval everything that was fashion for the time.
I had a new 1999 Bravo 80 SX 16v - same engine as this Brava. I really wanted this colour, but the salesman tempted me with a red one they had just received off the car transporter. It had not been cleaned, and I remember it had little snails sticking to the wheel arches....always made me wonder where/how long it was stored. It was beautifully detailed though when I picked it up. The only option I got was the CD changer. It came with air-con as standard!
It was a very reliable car and pretty well screwed together. I had it for five years, put about 50k miles on it and sold it when I moved to the US. It was fun to drive, and I would definitely say it felt bigger than 1.2, although on paper it really wasn't all that fast! One of the best things about this car was the seats and overall comfort. We traveled all over the UK in it with ne'er an ache or twinge. Good MPGs as well.
5:01 Ren & Stimpy ❤
Cow & Chicken was great too
I had a W reg 1.2 Bravo 16v in Rosso red. One of the best fun cars I had. Even my wife loved driving it!
Well done matt a great review and I loved the brava/o it was so under rated my dad borrowed them when his tipo was in being serviced
That one looks great and a manual as well looks like it’s been well looked after!
Great video Matt thank you. Also excellent timing -I’ll be taking the car to the Festival of the Unexceptional tomorrow!
Excellent! Look forward to seeing it/you there!
Like the car. I had a Fiat Punto Sport 6 speed with that engine and it was a bullet in those Madeira Island mountain roads.
Had a 1.6 bought at 9 months old . Off the road with fiat out of warranty at 15 months and every three months the ECU blew. Fiat replaced the first two but wouldn't replace the third. on the final time I got the RAC man to drop it outside the showroom window.Took Fiat 8 weeks until the finance company threatened to stop payment due to no vehicle before they just put another one in .Finally sold it to a vauxhall dealer for a vectra.
Loved the rear lights on these, but... I always thought they should of been on the 3 door Bravo instead! (Especially the hot version!) 😀
Good looking car with a lovely revvy engine, I think I've seen this car at a Hubnut event, very nice car.
One of these in the same colour went past my CCTV (in outer north London) this morning! Its worth pointing out, these late 1.2`s are ULEZ (& similar) compliant after March 2001, although the road tax is double what it was a few years ago..
I love all your pro-manual content, mainly because I totally agree. Have you noticed though that there seems to be a disproportionate number of ordinary 90s "survivors" fitted with slushers? Bearing in mind an autobox was a rare option on cars like Bravas and 216's, I keep seeing them come up for sale. I wonder if it's because the sort of people who kill cars avoided autos, so they escaped unharmed?
I think it’s because-true to cliche-giffermatics we’re bought by old people who barely used them and looked after them so they survived in disproportionate numbers, the manuals got driven and used
@@furiousdriving driven to church once a week, then polished and put back in the garage for the week. Yep, I agree.
My Brother owned a 1.2 16V Brava that he picked up for £400. He described it as seeming to have a bigger engine than it did while consistently scoring 50+ mpg.
The attention to the details of the cars you review on your channel is brilliant. Thank you 👍
I had one went to France in it it did seem to be under powered but did not have any trouble with it
I thoroughly enjoyed my Bravo - did 70k in it before I moved on to a Vectra B which was a terrible mistake.
Very nice and clean car! I like italian cars with manual gearbox. My second Punto was a mk2 sporting with same engine and 6 speed transmission. Not the fastest model but i loved it!
Lovely car! The better years for Fiat, with several interesting cars on offer.
Cheers! you made feel happy that I had the 1.4SX, R reg in dark blue metallic, oh and the irritating bonnet release under the passenger glovebox lol..
Great Stuff Matt! I love your appreciation for Fiat’s! At least you don’t have to weld that one!!
Just a quick correction, the auto is a 1.6, not 1.8. Think the 1.6 you had was well overdue a gearbox oil change, these are Japanese auto boxes and perform really well when serviced correctly. They also should not default to sport mode when you start the car each time. Diagnostic socket for auto ecu is under the rear seats.
My mother had the 1.6 automatic for many years it was a brilliant car and brilliant gearbox it's funny but her car would also start off on sport mode my default.
That interior looks very familiar to a 2001 Bravo HGT owner. The Bravo dash & doors are the same part from instrument dial faces being white and having air conditioning auto heat/vent controls. I use a FM adaptor to connect my phone as didn't want to change out the (same) custom radio/cassette head unit or use the 6 CD changer in the boot. Interested to see the big dashtop vent doesn't have a manual control (one of those 'model truck wheels') that is there on my Bravo. You'll need to find a Bravo HGT to complete the video set, if not in the U.K. come to NZ! :)
early 2000s late 90s cars are so nostalgic for me, so happy they are dirt cheap right now so excellent time to expereince these sorts of cars before electric cars become the norm
This is the wonderful car. I loved driving it,1.2 16 valves is a peach of an engine. Got my dad's Brava to 204km/h 😮😊
My granddad had a Tempra i didnt mind that just a white saloon i saw your video of the Tempra looked nice in red
That is an exquisitely smooth cassette eject mechanism. As Partridge would say ...nice action.
Never heard of that special edition before. Are those alloys or wheel trims?
They are new old stock wheel trims. The Trofeo was a manufacturer special edition with a few extras over the SX like leather steering wheel, leather gear knob, passenger airbag, cd changer etc
It’s a really appealing car! That engine is definitely more ‘zingy’ and that befits the Italian character of the car. I always liked these when they were new. Fun story: my friend’s wife had a new 1.4 Bravo and we went to see Chris Boardman attempt the Hour Record at the Manchester Velodrome. We were running late and he absolutely whipped the little Fiat all the way and it loved it - we did a 40 minute journey in 25 minutes! However I did feel in safe hands though as his day job was driving an armed V70 T5 police pursuit car. It was such a fun little car.
I saw this car for sale on car and classic website back in February and missed out on this beauty mainly because I didn't quite have the money in time. Trying to find a ELX model are like gold dust
Sounds like a revvy engine and a manual gearbox suit this car really well. I love the groovy upholstery and "Talking Heads" horn
Love this one, nice colour, great peppy little engine (didn't the Punto 1.2 16V had a 6 speed) and really like the interior. Great review Matt!
Great car…Hubnut needs to get something tasty like this
He's tried a Marea estate (actually they both have...)
I've seen two of these blow a head gasket spectacularly on the road back when they were new ish.
The rear lights look like glass blow into a metal frame how they bulge out. Always liked the rear lights.
Please do a Stilo mum was going to buy one but went for a 2005 Hyundi Matrix she still owns that 40,100 miles.
That engine was great in the mark 1 fiat punto. Quick for it's size. Looks to have it's work cut out moving that brava but it's fun to rev
I really like the Brava Content. Keep the Fiat content going!
Chrome finish grill was standard on all brava models after 99.
Had the 1.6 ELX in Rosso red. Loved that car. 100bhp so I imagine the 1.2 is a bit underpowered. Nice car though.
We had the 1.2, but it wasn't underpowered at all.
1.2 had 80bhp and definitely was not under powered. Magnificent engine that loved to be revved.
I have the 1.6 elx in white!!
It can take a wile, but the 1.2 can really grow an you, a nice engine with the right caracteristics even if it is not very big.
13:12 she better stop trying to cross here, that's twice already
Any 96-01 bravos? Can't even buy them in Ireland anymore
The electrical contacts around the boot opening were a real surprise; I've never seen that. I wonder how reliable that's been across the production run. Very Italian, I like to think.
My old Ford Puma had this setup; imagine it was common across many Fords. Never gave any problems, but I remember hedging to coat it in Vaseline 🙂
The 1.2 16v replaced the interesting but slightly flawed 1.4 12v SPi in the original Brava / Bravo... that was a new cylinder head on the old Tipo / 128 / Strada 8v engine.
Also… the 155 HGT 5 cylinder only came in with the “Mk2”…
Our old Punto 85 had that rorty 1.2 engine
All the auto’s I’ve owned (proper torque converter type) when braking for a junction, roundabout etc… they change down and engine brake to assist the slow down process 🤔
I always wanted the Bravo because i loved the tail lights but didn't like that it didn't come in 5 door format 😢
Love the design touches. Pls can they bring some of that “art” to modern cars.
So that 1.2 petrol manual 0-60 of 12.5s really isn’t that bad. It is the poverty spec engine in that car and it’s similar acceleration to a Corsa 1.2 petrol manual.
Personally if the 1.8 petrol auto is a proper auto (not an automated manual) I would take that…not only for being lazy but the extra power….the 1.2 will feel woeful with 2 passengers etc…as most other smaller engines cars would.
On the other hand…fuel costs on the 1.8 petrol would be much higher.
I love these cars, they have aged very well
I always liked FIAT'S oddness. It was on full display here with the hatchback Bravo & the more sallonish Brava! Although I preferred Renault's Megane MK 1 & 3 Hatchback/ coupe releases!
The Merea was the saloon version of the Bravo/Brava.
@@sharonec5419 I was thinking about this after, In the mid to late 1990's, Toyota had a hatchback, liftback, saloon & estate version of the Carolla! Renault had 5 versions of the mk1 Megane, a coupe rather than a liftback, & Scenic mpv. Crazy how many versions you can get from 1 original car!😀
@@grdixon83 Yes Renault were very innovative with the Mègane back then. It had something for everyone be it the hatchback or a saloon or a coupe or the Cabrio, the innovative Scenic MPV and in some markets even an estate version of it.
@@sharonec5419 Thank you for the reply, I know these days, 1 platform can be used for different cars (I.e VW Polo, Skoda Fabia, & SEAT Ibiza) or (Peugeot 208, Citroen C3, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa) but sadly we don't c a family type of arrangement as the 5 Meganes, or 4 Toyota Corollas. Its nice to see cars that still look modern nearly 30 years after launch!👊
Any reason why your recent videos only have a max quality of 720p?
Its a processing error thats hopefully fixed now
@@furiousdrivingamazing news! Thanks for the update
I think even Italians like an auto once the age of needing a medical and eye examination everytime they renew their licence. 70 here (every 10 yr before), 65 for a C or D (every 3 yr before for a D), annually after 75 for all. Driving one is a different skill set, lifting off and coasting before braking for a corner or junction, improves the MPG too.
Once again , Fiats of this era ruled. That FIRE engine is one of the modern greats.
I had such a 1.2, I drove it in Ukraine, it is a wonderful car. Now I'm in the USA, there are such terrible cars and such terrible roads, I miss those times.
Nice looking 90s Car.
I had a 1.6 exl cool. It was a great car. My mate bought a 1.2 litre bravo and have to say it haad some oomf
Such a nice tastefull interior, allthought not for the plastics maybe. Even Fiat doesn't make tastefull interiors anymore nowadays, just black/grey business-like interiors. Maybe some red or blue LED strips here and there.
80hp from the 1.2L, that's not too bad, i own a 1995 Renault Twingo which makes 44hp out of a similarly sized engine, and having double the horsepower would be fun.
My parents had the 1.6 manual. It was pretty pokey.
Had one of these new, in hindsight it was the worst car I ever owned, but at the time I didn’t care because I loved it.
Did u use the tea shelf?
You seem to access more FIAT's than Mr McGill lol
Excellent review Matt as always Peak Fiat in this sector, the Stilo which followed was not a looker or a patch on the Bravo/Brava.
Ask me how i know???
I'm into vws and in the mid 90s I built a custom beetle and used them back lights it looked pretty cool
I notice you've not uploaded in 1080p for a couple of weeks, are you aware of that?
Yes, it was a processing error with uploads which is fixed now
The late 90s curved everything, swishing shapen non-linear sized everything was inspired by a sudden expansion (obsession?) in ergonomics and human-machine interface design. It's a fad I'm glad has passed (albeit to be replaced with a new one - everything-digital-on-touchscreen
Smooth eject means it's a high quality cassette player lol
Hmmm, a Brava with Bravo underpinnings. Because the Brava is the better looking one by far
9:26 honk! honk!
Another good video Matt 🚗🚙🚘👏👏👏👏⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👍👍
Wasn't your Brava a 1.6?
might have been
hi sorry to say but people have to have automatic because they are disabled i would to have a manual but i can not
I drive a automatic out of choice as I much prefer them and modern automatics are years ahead of a manual gearbox
Loved that
Manuals are so much better than automatics and a manual gearbox has become an anti theft device also all Fiat Bravas must have the best tail lights ever
Sorry no automatics are so far ahead nowadays that manuals will come a thing of the past and a option
@@bmwman1981 l know the automatic transmissions have improved our Suzuki Beleno is an automatic but my 1997 Toyota Hilux is manual and it makes them more valuable they did come in automatic
Drove a hire Brava (1.4?) to Chorley over the M62 at work, mid-90s. I liked it. Listened to Oasis. 😁👍
Yipee I'm 2,690th today Mattkins.
Is this for sale please
I dont think it is
1.6 would obviously be preferable on the motorway though.
7'48".... DOGGERS!!!! 😂
As you say the 1.2 16v was 80hp but the 1.4 was a 75hp 12v unit and totally gutless. The 1.6 16v was 100hp but never felt much quicker than the 1.2
Trofeo was an SX spec with addition of velour trim front fog lights passenger airbag, leather wheel and rear spoiler. The final year of production the Trofeo was replaced by the Formula limited edition which added aircon, metallic paint, CD player and same alloy wheels fitted to the HSX spec
The bravo was the better looking car..... quirky though
I wouldnt touch a fiat with a barge pole especially a punto rubbish 😮😂
Impossibile to be better than 1.6 😅
41k miles?? The interior looks like a 140k mile car at best. My 250k mitsubishi looks newer lol
I had such a 1.2, I drove it in Ukraine, it is a wonderful car. Now I'm in the USA, there are such terrible cars and such terrible roads, I miss those times.