Fiat Bravo is the attractive car with good safety features

British buyers hunting for a family hatch are spoilt for choice. The Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astral dominate the market.

But then there’s the mighty VW Golf, Toyota’s newly-launched Auris and Honda’s sexy Civic to choose from, not to mention the Peugeot 307, Citroen C4, Seat Leon, Kia Cee’d, Dodge Caliber… need we go on?

Now Fiat has unveiled the Bravo to compete in an already crowded market – which can only be good news for the consumer. The first thing you’d expect from a Fiat is for it to be a bit of a looker – and its no surprise the Italian company sees this as one of the Bravo’s strongest selling points.

Buyers can choose between three petrol engines, the 1.4-litre T-Jet 120bhp model, 1.4-litre T-Jet 150 bhp model and a 90bhp model due later in the year. Diesel fans can choose between a 120bhp and 150bhp 1.9-litre model.

The Fiat Bravo scored a full five star rating in the EuroNCAP crash test programme, and every model from the Active – the second in a five-strong line-up – features driver, passenger, front side and curtain airbags and ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution as standard.

On the roads, the Fiat Bravo reveals itself as a more complete economical car than the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion. That model feels rough and unrefined with its dated engine.

Overall, Fiat has achieved considerable success in meeting their big aims with the Bravo – beauty, safety and performance. And in terms of building on the good work begun with last year’s launch of the Grande Punto – the Bravo looks set to be a winner.