You get a lot of go for your money with this T-Jet engine. You can pay as little as £13,995 for it, but even at the £14,295 that this Sport costs there’s little to touch it for the money in terms of horsepower or acceleration.
The 1.4-litre motor’s smaller-than-average turbo very effectively reduces lag, this engine feeling pretty feisty despite a little low-rev lethargy and a couple of flat spots under full throttle.
Sport versions of the 150 T-Jet get a shot of overboost torque, the 170lb ft total enough to propel the Fiat to 60mph in 8.5sec and on to 131mph. That acceleration is achieved through shorter gearing in the middle ratios and this, together with a relatively limited rev range (the red line is at 6000rpm, and the cut-out at 6500rpm) means more gearchanging than might be expected with so much torque.
When it comes to ride and handling, the Bravo hasn’t really got the sophistication of the class-leading Focus and Golf, or the solid capability of the Astra, but it is good enough. The first surprise is that despite its biggish wheels and low-profile tyres the Sport rides with a firm pliancy that feels quite sophisticated, even if sharp-edged potholes make the suspension crash.
Better still is that the Bravo’s bodyshell feels genuinely rigid, an impression underscored by a robustness that Fiats rarely display.
The story is similar in the handling department. Turn-in is quite sharp and the chassis pretty obedient up to a point, this being the moment when the engine’s enthusiasm gets the better of the tyres.
The steering is the weakest dynamic link. Fiat’s Dualdrive electric assistance is fitted; press the Sport button on the dash and the resistance is firmed below 19mph. But while the Bravo changes direction with fair accuracy, the sensation of mild woolliness never departs.
The brakes are a shade over-servoed at first, and they could use more bite once past that point.