I read in this weeks Autocar magazine they have decided to run a Fiat Bravo long term car, which got me to thinking about my real car fantasy car list.

Every self respecting petrol head has a fantasy car list. This would normally consist of many different types of exotica and various high end cars. Mine however, does not. I have some pretty wacky, weird and wonderful automobiles that I quite fancy owning, for many different reasons. Just to give you a small insight into my warped mind (as if reading these blogs aren’t enough) cars on that list include a Daihatsu Charade GTti, Subaru SVX, and an MG Maestro Turbo.

This fantasy garage is not chosen because the cars are particularly dynamic, fast or even that good. No - often it is just down to styling, sometimes because of the noise it makes and sometimes just because the model I drove was unexpectedly good. This does not however mean that if I got my wishes and could fulfil this particular fantasy, I would be happy with all my choices. Picking cars in this way can be likened to fancying the woman you pass every day on the street. Its only when you get to talk to her that you realise things aren’t all they might seem and really she is a complete and utter truffle hound! This was pretty much my feelings when I test drove one of the cars on my list, a ……. wait for it…….. Fiat Stilo. Told you I was warped, but I am starting to think I was in a bad place at that time!

Here was a car that entered the list for a couple of reasons. Firstly, in three door form I loved the styling. It was the way the chisel jaw front ran seamlessly in to the voluptuous rear body. The whole design looked cohesive and something different from the mainstream. Secondly, having been punting around in my parents Fiat Doblo JTD for a couple of weeks, I became convinced that Fiat products may have finally come good. The Doblo was well built, felt more than the sum of its parts and had the fabulous 105bhp version of the1.9 JTD, which was the turning point in my life where I found out turbo diesels weren’t all laggy soot chuckers. In all it was - and still is - an honest, yet fun vehicle to run round in, if not somewhat ugly (although I argue that adds to the charm).

The logic, if you can call it that, dictated that a Stilo 1.9 JTD Dynamic three door should be a cracking car. Press reviews on this model however were few and far between, and the only ones I could find were the wishy washy sort that you find on the internet where it had been tested by Mr Average. He seemed to like it and besides, I couldn’t go that far wrong could I? It was a modern car after all! I set about looking for the exact model in my local area to test drive, and found a metallic blue example a couple of miles away at a dealer.

Things went wrong from the moment I set foot in the car. Where in the Doblo had a well fitted if not somewhat utilitarian dash, the Stilo presented a slightly more attractive but poorly fitted slab of plastic with pieces of tatty trim hanging off. Unperturbed I continued on the test drive, enjoying the lusty, if not quite as convincing motor. It was only when I hit the first bend that things started to go really wrong. Where I was expecting some sort of turn in and response, I got nothing except a stodgy helm and acres of understeer. To top it all off there was a lump of hard plastic on the door that was just in the wrong place for my leg. I walked away, disappointed and minus one car from my list.

At last though, the new Bravo has arrived to put right the wrongs of the old car. Here is another Fiat that I quite fancy, and could make it on to my fantasy list, partly because of its looks and partly because Fiats have generally improved. Sadly though I read in the18th July edition of Autocar that I may be some what mistaken again. It doesn’t appear to be a bad car by any means, but I think Fiat have missed the target again. This is a car which could have become a genuine Italian Focus, a car more of the British public could have got on board with. Much like the woman in the street though, tread carefully it would appear her daughter isn’t much better!