I went down to another Local Fiat dealers to look at the Bravo, and was offered a day long drive in one!! The one im getting is a 120bhp MJet Dynamic so im gonna take it and give it a pasting, never know it may replace the GP! looks lovely in the showroom so hopefully it will exceed my expectations

bet you ask afterwards how much of a trade in they will give you for the GP

They doing 24hr test drives?

We ain't.

I want one on loan for the day to bring to Auto Italia.

well I had it for the day, a 1.9 8 Valve Dynamic Diesel and I wont be swapping the GPS for one. Its a lovely car but iI will list what im not keen on:

Raucous Engine at idle and pulling away/changing up to 2nd
Its not great looking from the back I have to say
Not very much room in the back
Stereo not as good as mine
Same MPG from 1.9 MJet as 1.4 Starjet
Soft Handling from 16 inch wheels and standard suspension
Dash not as well laid out as GP (however better looking? opinion...)
Grabby Brakes
Clunky Gearbox (5 speed only too)
Possibly the worst cupholders ever fitted to a car ever in the rear armrest, I would rather they werent there they are that cheap lol
New badges look very old fashioned in colour
Very poor rear visibility and forwards isnt stunning

Alot of this is of course my personal view and I could probably make a list of flaws with the Punto although I dont think it would be that long, in many ways the car is very impressive indeed, but in many it dissapointed me which is a shame, next a list of things I liked...

Smooth Ride in Dynamic Spec
Standard Cruise Control
Remote window open and close from key
Quite powerful and overtakes well
Very attractive dials and switchgear
Feels well made and solid

Do I think it offers anything over a Grande Punto, not really, unless you must have a bigger car it seems a bit pointless to spend the extra cash, especially as a loaded 1.9 16v Sport is over 17k list, whilst not providing any more room for the 4 main passengers, when I saw the car I own I fell in love, the Bravo didnt do that for me im afraid. I was thinking of ways to afford the top of the range model but to be honest, not for me. Its annoying it left me a bit cold because I wanted to love it, basically, its just a car, a very good car, but just another family car. I have pics of it next to mine aswell which will come tomorrow when I can be bothered, feel free to comment as im sure you will!

Bit unfair to compare a dynamic diesel to a petrol sporting.

Plus a lot of your other complaints are simply due to moving from one class to another.

Hellcat said:

Bit unfair to compare a dynamic diesel to a petrol sporting.

Plus a lot of your other complaints are simply due to moving from one class to another.

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True but should there be any complaints about an "upgrade" of class within the same manufacturer?

Also one of my previous cars was a current shape Megane dCi which is the same class as the Bravo and in my opinion a superior car if you take it just on its mechanics and to drive, interior wise Bravo is better of course...

This is all just my opinion of course and it is a very nice car indeed but as they wanted me to upgrade I had to compare on that basis....and in a years time its gonna be a 1-Series I think, in white of course!

auto_blanco said:

True but should there be any complaints about an "upgrade" of class within the same manufacturer?

Also one of my previous cars was a current shape Megane dCi which is the same class as the Bravo and in my opinion a superior car if you take it just on its mechanics and to drive, interior wise Bravo is better of course...

This is all just my opinion of course and it is a very nice car indeed but as they wanted me to upgrade I had to compare on that basis....and in a years time its gonna be a 1-Series I think, in white of course!

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you complain about space in the back and you plan on buying a 1-series?

auto_blanco said:

True but should there be any complaints about an "upgrade" of class within the same manufacturer?

Also one of my previous cars was a current shape Megane dCi which is the same class as the Bravo and in my opinion a superior car if you take it just on its mechanics and to drive, interior wise Bravo is better of course...

This is all just my opinion of course and it is a very nice car indeed but as they wanted me to upgrade I had to compare on that basis....and in a years time its gonna be a 1-Series I think, in white of course!

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Not sure I'd agree about the Megane being a better car. Especially if you compare a renault diesel with a JTDm.
As for going from GP to Bravo being an upgrade - I wouldn't look at it like that. Bravo is a bigger car, not better. It's not going to be as nimble as a GP, and carrying around extra weight it's not going to return much better MPG except when you start pushing them. That's when the 1.4starjet will start to lose to the 1.9JTDm. On the plus side you get more cabin space and a larger boot.

As for getting a BMW.. Get a 3 series. The 1s are there for people who want 1 buy can't afford a real 1.

i thought the 1 series was made to make the 3 series look like a better buy?

either way i point and laugh when i see one

The Renault dCi is a far smoother engine than the Mjet and better on fuel, cant comment on the 16v one as havent experienced it but the 8v was very rough.


I think im drawn to BMWs as we have had them for years and they have always been superb and 100% flawless, pure luck, I dont think so and its still an aspirational brand, when we bought our 750il new in 97 it was 85k, and worth every penny, even with huge miles on it and 10 years later its still completely as new. As for the new ones, the 1 series has more space in the back than the Bravo, or the Audi A4 for that matter....We also have 2 7 Series BMWs so I wouldnt need a bigger one with its associated parking issues, and to be honest, once you drive a 1 series with its incredibly sharp handling and steering you will love it, especially a 120d or 130i, drove the 3 series as well and its more of the same, same leg room in the back with more headroom, the 1 is not as cramped as people say.....people are of course entitled to opinions but please experience before commmenting!

I wanted one this time around but due to being 20 with 6 points it wasnt on the cards, but when im 21 its Sytner BMW here we come!! and the model I want with options will be around 23k, and yes I know its the smallest BMW, but its still a BMW and they do still make some of the best driving cars the world has seen.

Its like saying why did I spend 11.5k on the top model Punto when the basic one is 7, well for one reason, I wanted one lol!

Must admit I wasnt compelled to buy a Brava like I was with the GP. I thought it looked good, as FIATS do generally (with some exceptions based on function over form) but sat inside I thought "bigger GP"? Not the extra bang for the extra buck I dont think... but as posted before its a personal thing.

auto_blanco said:

The Renault dCi is a far smoother engine than the Mjet and better on fuel, cant comment on the 16v one as havent experienced it but the 8v was very rough.

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Don't worry, people on here genuinely think that Fiat diesel engines are the pinnacle of technology despite Renault, PSA, BMW etc. producing engines just as good if not better.

Pugeout engines were only good for one thing. Transits.

I've driven plenty of Pug car diesels and they were crap compared to the Fiat engines at the time. Fiat invented the common rail, bosh made them and everyone else followed.

You can think what you like of Renaults - but there is almost always a more exciting, more practical or simply better looking Fiat. If Renaults were actually good I'd have one. But I've driven them and always gone back to Fiat.

Hellcat said:

Pugeout engines were only good for one thing. Transits.

I've driven plenty of Pug car diesels and they were crap compared to the Fiat engines at the time. Fiat invented the common rail, bosh made them and everyone else followed.

You can think what you like of Renaults - but there is almost always a more exciting, more practical or simply better looking Fiat. If Renaults were actually good I'd have one. But I've driven them and always gone back to Fiat.

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You're being ignorant though because of your brand loyalty