D
David
Guest
As soon as I get the new headcloth fitted (leaky sunroof) and the dent in the o/side wing fixed (fairly minor and didn't break the paint so its not worth fitting a new wing)I will be selling my Bravo jtd to buy a 3-door Stilo jtd.
Having sat in a Stilo in a Fiat dealer last year I have to say that I was reasonably impressed with the interior. It is much better quality than the Bravo.
Styling-wise it is difficult to say which is best. The 5-door Stilo is a Taxi, but then the Brava was no oil-painting and the Marea was even worse! Fiat have always struggled with styling four door cars for some reason and yet the 3-door versions are always so much better. Hopefully the new Panda and Idea are signs that they are starting to head in the right direction.
I like the Bravo but the front end seriously lacks presence, hence the baked potato jibes in the motoring press.... Even JC at Top Gear likes the 3-door Stilo styling but then again that might be a reason not to buy one!!
My first Fiat was a 1972 124 Sport Coupe. It was based on the car that became the Lada Riva......... Pininfarina should have been awarded the Nobel Prize for incredible transformations for that one. But it was a similar Fiat Tipo to Fiat Coupe transformation.
My big concern is the lack of decent handling in Fiats these days. My wife's 145 twinspark is sooo much better on the twisties than the Bravo. Yet it is based on the Tipo chassis and both cars are running on 15" alloys. The two best things about Italian cars should be their style and their handling. When was the last time that a Fiat out-handled a Fo*d in a road test? Shocking admission! Fiat need to get their designer back out there driving their attempts at a chassis until they get it right. It will be interesting to see how the Stilo compares when I get it home.
Being a bit of an Italian car nut I will no doubt still make the occasional post to this forum (still one of the best) - lets face it the Stilo is just a Bravo with a bit more Origami.
Having sat in a Stilo in a Fiat dealer last year I have to say that I was reasonably impressed with the interior. It is much better quality than the Bravo.
Styling-wise it is difficult to say which is best. The 5-door Stilo is a Taxi, but then the Brava was no oil-painting and the Marea was even worse! Fiat have always struggled with styling four door cars for some reason and yet the 3-door versions are always so much better. Hopefully the new Panda and Idea are signs that they are starting to head in the right direction.
I like the Bravo but the front end seriously lacks presence, hence the baked potato jibes in the motoring press.... Even JC at Top Gear likes the 3-door Stilo styling but then again that might be a reason not to buy one!!
My first Fiat was a 1972 124 Sport Coupe. It was based on the car that became the Lada Riva......... Pininfarina should have been awarded the Nobel Prize for incredible transformations for that one. But it was a similar Fiat Tipo to Fiat Coupe transformation.
My big concern is the lack of decent handling in Fiats these days. My wife's 145 twinspark is sooo much better on the twisties than the Bravo. Yet it is based on the Tipo chassis and both cars are running on 15" alloys. The two best things about Italian cars should be their style and their handling. When was the last time that a Fiat out-handled a Fo*d in a road test? Shocking admission! Fiat need to get their designer back out there driving their attempts at a chassis until they get it right. It will be interesting to see how the Stilo compares when I get it home.
Being a bit of an Italian car nut I will no doubt still make the occasional post to this forum (still one of the best) - lets face it the Stilo is just a Bravo with a bit more Origami.