Fiat Brava 1.4SX Review

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Fiat Brava 1.4SX
2.7 stars
Average rating for this product is: 2.7 out of 5

From 14 ratings and 34 reviews

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britbabe's Review of Fiat Brava 1.4SX

12th Dec 2005

Overall Rating

3 stars
  • Value for money
    2 stars
  • Length of ownership
    16 months
  • Performance
    3.5 stars
  • Reliability
    2.5 stars
  • Year Manufactured
    1997
  • Doors
    5
  • Practicality
    4 stars
Good Points

Good sized family car, nice looking, ample boot space, easy to read dashboard


Bad Points

Fuel consumption, poor acceleration


General Comments

I have a Fiat Brava 97 (p) 1.4s, bought second hand in August 2004. For the first 6 months I had absolutely no real problems at all, lovely to drive, suited my needs (mum of 2 so school runs, shopping etc...) enough room in the rear for 2 kids car seats and another passenger (a thin one admittedly).

There is plenty of room for passengers in the front, unfortunately no passenger air bag on my model. Easy to do basic maintenance, fluid levels can be checked and filled easily and front and interior bulbs are easy to replace (havent had to change rear ones). The spare wheel is tucked away neatly under the boot carpet and all the tools you need are stored withing the spare skinny wheel. The rear seats fold flat for extra space if needed.

Unfortunately in April this year it all started to go horribly wrong, head gasket blew resulting in car being garaged for a week. Since then the temperature has fluctuated and there has been an annoying ticking from under the bonnet.

In the last WEEK a brake pipe has split leaving me with NO braking power, my thermostat is either making my car overheat or keeping it too cool, and it has been leaking oil which turns out to be gearbox oil and the gearbox casing is cracked. Whilst I appreciate all these can be age related my mechanic is shocked the gear box has gone on an 8 year old car.

Overall I would say it is a good sized family car, just a shame it's not very reliable. The boot size is ample enough for a pushchair and 2 families weekly food shopping and the controls are all within easy reach, just be careful in the winter as the handbrakes notoriously freeze up and the rear demister takes a while to clear the screen. The thick pillars can cause problems seeing traffic from the left, especially if you are short (like me). I would approach a Brava with caution, or opt for the Bravo......

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