Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £13,255 to £17,650
Smooth, willing and flexible 1.6 diesel engines, good economy.
Uninspiring handling, patchy interior, lack of steering feel, low-speed ride.
This 1.6 diesel engine is one of the best options in the Bravo range - though the low-emissions 105bhp version is better still.
Small Fiat diesels are some of the best in the business. What they lack in refinement, they make up for in punchy performance, flexibility and a petrol-like appetite for revs. So the firm's new small capacity 1.6-litre engine has much to prove.
The 1.6-litre direct injection common rail unit is a development of the 1.9-litre engine created under the firm's short-lived technical partnership with General Motors. This 118bhp version, with variable-nozzle turbocharger, replaces the 1.9-litre 8v diesel with the same power output; the 150bhp 16v 1.9 continues in the Bravo diesel range. There's also the 103bhp 1.6 '105' (reviewed separately), which comes with an optional Eco pack to bring its emissions down to tax Band B levels.
This engine meets the forthcoming Euro 5 emissions requirements, thanks to a novel compact particulate filter sited behind the engine, close to the engine's exhaust manifold. This arrangement benefits from the higher exhaust temperatures that help the system work more efficiently.
Prices for the Bravo 1.6 Multijet 120 start from £15,605, in combination with Dynamic trim.
The exception to the Euro 5 rule is the new 'Eco' model that's estimated to cost an extra £300 over the entry engine. Sharing the same 103bhp it has longer gearing and an ECU set for low CO2 emissions of just 119g/km. The catch is that in order to reach this emissions goal, the particulate filter has had to be ditched to the detriment of its Euro 5 acreditation.
Prices start for the 103bhp 1.6 Multijet at £13,800, with the more powerful 118bhp variant costing an additional £700.
