If Fiat had been looking for a neat little word to sum up the personality of its dashing five-door hatchback, brio would have done very nicely.

As it turned out, the badge on the rear is Bravo, but perhaps that captures the vigour, vivacity and verve of the car equally well.

For the Italian brand's return to the second largest segment of the UK market - almost 600,000 cars per year - certainly has been achieved with panache.

Fiat said it used state-of-the-art computer aided design and engineering to simulate every aspect of the Bravo, and was even able to create a virtual production line.

The effort certainly paid off, with an assertive front end worthy of the Italian GT tradition, complete with crisp, sporting grille and sleek, teardrop headlamps.

Plenty of effort went into ensuring a quiet, vibration-free interior, which in turn makes travel a thoroughly pleasant experience.

Much of the pleasure though, comes from the power plant under the bonnet.

Having driven the car for 100 miles or so, I began poring over the specifications, which said the engine was just 1.4-litre. Surely some mistake?

The 120 horsepower, turbocharged engine, one of a choice of five, is a remarkable newcomer, with performance equal to, or better than, a conventionally-aspirated, 1.6-litre petrol engine, coupled with significant savings in fuel consumption.

Passion has not been achieved at the expense of practicality and the new Bravo's interior is exceedingly practical, with a useful storage drawer under the front passenger seat, a refrigerated compartment, door pockets, a centre console with space for bottles, documents, maps and coins, storage compartments on the fascia for keys, sunglasses and remote controls, and a large glovebox.

Safety has also been an important design feature, with the car awarded a maximum five-star rating for adult occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash test programme.

Fifteen versions of the car, priced from £10,995 on-the-road, are available in five trim levels - Bravo, Active, Active Sport, Dynamic and Sport.

Standard equipment ranges from anti-lock braking, remote central locking, driver and passenger front and side airbags, electric front windows, to a CD player, twin-setting electric power steering and follow-me-home headlamps.

Options range from dual-zone climate control, cruise control, rain, parking and tyre pressure sensors, to a glass sunroof occupying almost the entire roof area, and Blue & Me mobile phone and MP3 player connection with steering wheel controls.

Auto facts Fiat Bravo 1.4 T-Jet 120 Dynamic

  • Price: £13,995
  • Ins group: Seven
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 42.2mpg
  • Top speed: 121mph
  • Length: 433.6cm/170.7in
  • Width: 179.2cm/70.6in
  • Luggage capacity: 14.1 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 12.7 gallons/58 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 158g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles