1999 Fiat Brava ELX 100 from Malaysia

Summary:

OK

Faults:

Driver seat fabric torn off after a month use. Followed by front passenger seat.

Seat fabric (velvet-like) is also easy to catch dirt and hard to clean.

Torino Motors (Malaysia) promised to change. Now it's 5 year old, the fabric is still never changed.

General Comments:

Car is responsive.

Fiat SPA supposed to fire the fabric manufacturer and replace the fabric.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd March, 2005

1999 Fiat Brava SX 1.6L 16v from Jordan

Summary:

Good engine, bad quality car

Faults:

At the first kilometer, serious brake problem (from the manufacturer). Solved by the previous dealer with the cooperation of the FIAT Company, Italy.

Third year, the 4 door handles (outside) wearing (changed).

Third year, the front axle rubber leaked the gear oil, (changed).

General Comments:

Fuel consumption is low.

The engine is relatively powerful.

The type of plastics used are very inferior quality.

Spacious cabin.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th August, 2004

29th Jan 2005, 04:53

I want to add that the dealer in Jordan has very inferior quality in dealing with customers. he does not pay any attention to customer satisfaction. I needed spare parts from the dealer, and he told me that there is no parts available for the Brava, and he would not bring those parts!!!

I wish to have the email address of the FIAT Company to convey my complaints.

1999 Fiat Brava 1.4 LX 1.4 LX from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A heap of crap

Faults:

Bought car brand new 2 days of having it heater broke down,5 days later clutch went,1 month later car broke down because spark plugs was'nt working

1 year later started to rust around the doors.

General Comments:

Don't buy a Fiat car, reliability very very poor I have got a Ford Mondeo 5 years now never broke down up 2 now, if buying a family car try the mondeo not the Fiat Brava.

Never go near a Fiat.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th February, 2003

10th Jun 2003, 14:55

I feel you are being too harsh on the fiat brava. I am the seventh owner of a N registered, 1.4, fiat brava. Although I haven't bought it as new, I too had problems only days after I purchased it. I thought something was continually running down the battery only to find that battery had lost its charge. Obviously not Fiats' fault, its just a matter of being unlucky. I work for a large motor company and have been there long enough to realize some garages often replace components or swap them for their own use.

But you have just been very unlucky, I've had my brava quite a while and she's a little beauty! It will be a long time before I replace her.

5th Mar 2011, 23:38

I have a Fiat Brava 98 SX. I think it's an amazing car, love her design, very original for those years, comparing it with the Peugeot 306, Jetta etc. Even with all this, I had lots of problems with this car, but not Fiat's fault; here in HONDURAS, the dealer of Fiat disappeared 5 years later, we had trouble finding original Fiat parts, and a mechanical expert to work on your car. I think this was the major problem with my car. Except for this, I love the Fiat Brava, the only Fiat model I've actually liked till now.

And yes, I think this is just luck.

1999 Fiat Brava ELX 1.2 petrol from Greece

Faults:

Power steering failure. Replaced at no cost.

Electric windows.

Door trim failure. Replaced at no cost.

General Comments:

Good for the money. Why not a 1.4 liter engine with more power?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th May, 2001

1999 Fiat Brava 80 SX 1.2 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Guardedly optimistic; I want this car to succeed

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong yet - but see below.

General Comments:

We bought the Brava after 15 years and 230k miles with Golf IIs: we looked at VWs and others in the VAG stable, but they were way too expensive. This example was 13 months old, had 7k on the clock and was £6895 from the local dealer - new, they are around £9500.

Engine - we chose the 80 SX to benefit from the VED threshhold and low insurance group (6) - despite this the engine produces 82 bhp max. Be this as it may, you need to have 4k on the rev counter to get anything out of this engine.

Gearbox - nice and slick, not as slick as the Golf's with G50, but give it time... Funny ratios, mph per 1000 are 4.5, 8.3, 13.3, 18, 21: bit of a hole between 2 and 3, and the 5th gear could be a bit taller for economy cruising.

Ride - a bit choppy - not as refined as, say, a Peugeot 306, a SEAT Leon or a Renault Megane. No worse than the Golf II!

Handling - fine - sharp enough for what I want, no nasty surprises yet!

Comfort: OUGHT to be very good, and first impressions favourable - ergonomically designed at Loughborough University etc etc., but I have to say that despite this and the adjustability in 3 planes and an adjustable steering wheel, I am getting a very stiff right arm and shoulders after just 20 minutes driving. I guess it's a question of experimentation, but I never had this trouble in the Golf, even when its seat was not adjusted optimally because of having to take piles of children's stuff to uni. Anyone out there got any ideas? (Does FIAT UK read this stuff?).

Economy - fine - 40+mpg easily attainable, probably more when the engine has loosened up a bit.

Goodies - regrettable there are not more e.g. remote central locking, courtesy light delay, just because it is the little engine.

Radio instructions quite incomprehensible, a shame when FIAT have put so much effort into devising a sophisticated piece of kit.

Visibility - takes getting used to, but it only takes a test drive to find out whether the car is easy to see out of. There has to be some trade off for Brava's stunning good looks.

Dealer service - so far so good. My neighbour has had FIATs for the past 20 years from the dealer where we got ours, and has been very well satisfied. We had a problem with a sticking seat belt and it was dealt with without quibble.

Generally, very early days yet. It seems it would be a good idea to change the cambelt religiously at 40k/miles, but I don't know if others' experience of snapping belt apples to the FIRE engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th March, 2001

1st Feb 2003, 15:04

Seems like you have done a lot of research into this car!

13th Oct 2005, 18:01

Yes, this car is pretty, and I need your help.

I live in Serbia and Montenegro, former Yugoslavia, and I want to buy used Brava. But our government is allowing importing only vehicles with EURO3 emission standard to protect our own auto-industry. So I desperatly need help. Can someone tell me, what is the first Fiat Brava that has EURO3 standard, a year, possibly a month, and engines.

Thanks in advance.