SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.
This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.
Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday August 4, 2010
Subtle. That’s how Fiat SA spin-doctors describe recent changes to their beautiful Bravo’s appearance. “Call it a nose and eye job,” they say, referring to the new grille featuring a burnished metallic finish, smoked-glass headlights and clear, rather than amber, indicator lenses. Oh, the inner door panelling is also new and the middle rear passenger gains a head restraint.
Under the skin, the new Bravo has benefitted from Fiat’s Innovation Strategy that calls for ongoing development during each product’s lifecycle. Ride has been tweaked towards comfort without sacrificing responsiveness and another noteworthy change is in NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness). Thanks to improved insulation mechanical, road and wind noise is further suppressed, making the car appreciably quieter whether commuting or cruising.
Changes to improve ride and handling include tracks widened by 20 mm and larger tyres (now 225/45 x 17’ or optional 225/40 x 18”). Modified suspension geometry, adoption of a new front anti-roll bar, retuning of springs and shock absorbers and oversized right-angled lower links designed to separate the effect of braking loads from cornering loads, optimise balance in all driving conditions.
At the rear, interconnected semi-independent wheels and a torsion axle with stiffer anti-roll bar helps increase structural rigidity while maintaining good suspension flexibility under load. Thanks are also due to a reinforced hydraulic bushing connecting the rear axle to the body. The suspension redesign included new springs, dampers with 20 mm shafts and buffers to improve dynamic response on corners.
Fiat SA has decided to rationalise the Bravo range by offering only the 110kW 1,4 litre T-Jet engined version, now simply referred to as Bravo Sport, at a refreshed price positioning of R239 900 including VAT. They believe no other family-sized hatchback offers quite the same mix of style, performance, safety and practicality at this price level.
The turbocharged engine stays the same. Through cubic capacity downsizing and adoption of the smallest possible turbocharger, Fiat’s responsive 110kW 1,4 litre T-Jet engine, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, combines the performance of a conventionally aspirated 1,8/2,0 litre engine with reductions in fuel consumption and emissions of between 10- and 20 percent.
Another thing remaining unchanged is Bravo’s 5-star EuroNCAP rating made possible by the many sophisticated systems available with the new model. These include two front airbags (two-stage for the driver), two front side bags, two window bags and a knee airbag for the driver. There are also three point seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, and Fiat’s FPS fire prevention system.
Electronic and traction control systems include four-channel ABS with EBD, an ESP that includes ASR (anti-slip regulation), engine torque regulation that comes into play during rapid downshifts to prevent drive wheels locking up, hydraulic brake assistance and a hill hold function to assist with uphill starts.
Standard equipment includes rear spoiler, side skirts, cornering fog lamps to improve visibility at junctions and during parking manoeuvres, radio/CD/MP3 player, air conditioning, power steering, front and rear electric windows, electric mirrors with demisters, remote central locking, audio controls on steering wheel, sport seats with lumbar support for the driver, height-adjustable driver’s seat, Isofix child seat attachments, racing pedals and a Sport (overboost) button to liberate all 230 Nm of torque.
A brief familiarisation drive under Highveld highway and country conditions showed the Fiat Bravo Sport to be a tastefully appointed, comfortable and reasonably spacious family car with very acceptable performance and good road manners.
The basics
Price: R239 900
Engine: 1 368 cc, inline four-cylinder petrol, turbocharged
Power: 110 kW at 5 500 rpm
Torque: 206 Nm at 2 000 rpm (230 Nm at 3 000 rpm on overboost)
Maximum speed: 212 km/h (claimed)
Zero to 100 km/h: 8,2 seconds (claimed)
Average fuel consumption: 7,1 l/100 km (claimed)
Tank: 58 litres
Boot: 400 litres
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km
Service intervals: 30 000 km
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8