Fiat Bravo 2.0 MultiJet 165 Sport 5dr Car Review - February 2012

The 2.0 diesel engine offers a good power output of 165 bhp at 4000 rpm with torque figures of 265 lb-ft at 1750 rpm. This gives the car an impressive top speed of 130 mph which is a great improvement over the 116 mph top speed offered by the 1.6 Active Eco. This also gives the car better acceleration, reaching 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds rather than the somewhat laborious 11.3 seconds taken by the 1.6.

The six speed manual transmission gearbox is fluid but unfortunately the steering lacks feel and there is a lot of body lean through handling corners. The suspension also struggles to cope with the imperfections of modern roads, making the drive a little bumpy and uncomfortable.

The one crowning achievement of the 2.0 Bravo is the quietness of the drive, with external noise all but eliminated. When cruising at a consistent speed engine noise is hushed to a low hum and noise from the road and wind are barely audible.

The 2.0 MultiJet comes with a number of standard features including electric door mirrors, electric front windows, air conditioning, power steering, an immobiliser and CD compatibility within the stereo system.

Additional equipment for this trim level also include alloy wheels, cruise control, MP3 connectivity and Bluetooth connectivity. Leather seats are optional, priced at £970, as are rear parking sensors (£255), metallic paint (£460), electric rear windows (£130), and climate control (£305).

It terms of cabin comfort, the Bravo offers plenty. Front seats are fully adjustable and the steering wheel can also be adjusted for reach. Unfortunately, whilst comfort levels are high, the attractive bodywork on the outside means that visibility is compromised through the small rear window and the dashboard and switchgear are a little confusing.

Rear legroom is also restricted, meaning that passengers may experience discomfort on longer journeys. Headroom is good throughout the car however and the boot boasts a decent storage capacity of 365 litres with the seats up and 1,175 litres with the seats down. Unfortunately, the high lip on the boot means loading can be a struggle but the large capacity more than compensates for this minor inconvenience.

In terms of safety, the Bravo received a five star NCAP rating with a number of great features offered as standard, even at this basic trim level. These include stability control and driver, passenger and front side airbags.

Unfortunately, reliability is not considered a strong point for the Bravo and it finished bottom of its class in 2011. The cheap feeling interior lacks the style and finesse of other models and many of the panels do not line up properly.

Overall, the Bravo 2.0 MultiJet Sport is a mediocre car that offers decent performance levels but lacks the economy figures offered by many of its rivals. A high purchase price of £19,600 means that buyers are likely to be more tempted by the 1.6 MultiJet Active or other models within this class.

Unfortunately, resale values are generally poor as depreciation is high with these models.

The 2.0 Sport also fails to keep up with the smaller 1.6 Active Eco when it comes to efficiency and a number of running costs are increased. Insurance premiums jump from price bracket 14 to bracket 25 and road tax rises from band C to band E as carbon emissions grown from a low 115g/km to a sizeable 139 g/km.

With plenty of other family vehicles available offering better performance levels, increased savings and more comfort customers would be better off investing their money in rival models or even in the 1.6 Active Eco instead.