1998 Fiat Brava ELX review from UK and Ireland

So far, no faults!

When I wanted to trade in my old and very tired Rover 216 GTI, I was looking for a good all round company/family car which had more to offer than your average saloon for £5000, and with all honesty, I got just that with the Brava 1.8 ELX.

So what's right with it? Well, not only is it different from all the other Ford Mondeo's on the road in terms of styling, it also handles a lot better as well.

The exterior was described by my wife as "cute", and I describe it as "funky".

The interior is just what I was looking for - modern, curvy, with easy to use switches and a lot of room. And this is the most important (for me) factor. I am 6 foot 2 inches and fairly well built and I have in the past found it difficult to find a car within my budget that can cope with having the seat pushed back and still offer passengers some leg room! And the Brava handles this well. It will seat 5 adults in comfort, or even four adults and all our fishing tackle. The interior may be a little plasticy, but the fabric is of good quality and hard wearing. The only issue I have is that the driving position is slightly uncomfortable for long distance, giving my slight back-ache. It has power assisted steering, anti-lock brakes, electric windows, mirrors and a great heater. My particular model has no air-conditioning (who needs it in England?) but had all the wiring in place for a CD multi-changer which was fitted with ease and for only £200.

In terms of driving the car, it is what you would expect from a quirky Italian family car. The performance is not staggering, but it pulls well from all gears, is great in town and cruises very well on the motorway at expected UK speeds. And it does all this fairly quietly. I feel it revs a bit high for a 1.8, but it accelerates well at speed - so one outweighs the other.

The lights are good, and the boot has a fairly low loading level which has come in handy for all the fishing tackle.

The area's that I would "nit-pick" are:

* No rear window wash.

* Uncomfortable driving position?

* Low miles per gallon.

* Slightly "bouncy drive at speed".

* Cornering takes getting used to.

However, generally, I would recommend this model to anyone looking to purchase a good value "different" family saloon. I also test drove the smaller engine models, and found them very inadequate - but that can be said for most cars.

And finally, insurance. I am 30, male, have 11 years no-claims and live in a low risk area without a garage, and my years insurance cost me £520 fully comprehensive.

All in all, a great little little car!