Fiat Bravo Veloce 185 vs Volkswagen Golf GT

Yes, it shares everything, sans carbon-fibre shielded cold-air intake piping and fancy exhaust. That includes that 1.4-litre turbocharged engine of Bravo T-Jet. What makes it different is a factory-sanctioned reprogramming of the engine's electronic control unit (ECU). Now, it liberates an extra 35 horsepower for a total of 185bhp at 6000rpm.

What's more important is 272Nm - 66 more, arriving at just 3300rpm, with nearly 85-percent of that available 500-750rpm lower down in the rev range. Of course, the Veloce 185 has the appropriate body kitting to match, right down to "Abarth" stickers, menacingly located low and just ahead of those large, seventeen inchers.

At this point, we struggle to tell you that the Golf GT generates 15 horses less at the same 6000rpm, and has a torque deficit of 32Nm. However, those 240 or so torques kick as early as 1750rpm upwards. Add to the fact that the Golf revs all the way to exactly 7000rpm, has Vee-dub's potent DSG that shifts even faster than drift and time attack king Keiichi Tsuchiya, and you start to see just how efficient the Germans are.

Acceleration

Raw acceleration figures are as one might expect - fairly close. Launching the Golf GT, like most Volkswagens, is a straight-forward affair. Turn the ESP off, slot the lever into manual mode, hold the "downshift" paddle down on the steering, and stomp on both the brake and accelerator pedal. The Golf revs up to about 4000rpm in neutral, waiting for you to release its anchors.

And when you do, it wheel-spins more than might expect it to, especially when trying to achieve the best time, requiring you to warm up those Continental Sport Contacts (225/45 R17) a little.

The Veloce 185 is of course, a little more conventional. The lever has a slightly longer throw and little loose feeling to it, but once you're accustomed to that, you'll find that the shift action actually very nicely sprung, and it's fairly easy to not miss a cog. A good launch in the Bravo also requires the typical ESP-off and good pedal control.
Launching the Fiat neatly from rest proved to be fairly tricky, especially that the clutch, brake and steering wheel are irritatingly light to use, especially on a car this powerful. Exaggerate I do not, for a Corolla's controls are similarly weighted.

Those wide footprint Yokohama S-drives offer more bite than bark, and perhaps are the main reason as to why the Bravo inches slightly ahead every single time a tandem launch is attempted.

Furthermore, a lag in between the releasing of the brake pedal to the engagement of the cogs in the Golf caused another momentary delay. Even so, the Bravo only manages to retain its lead for about half a second or so.

The Volkswagen, with the less powerful, less torquey engine plus DSG killer combination, keeps on the Bravo's case all the way past the quarter mile mark. The lead was but two or three wheel-spans apart, and goes to show the incredible shifting speed, wide rev and torque band of the Golf GT.

The abovementioned "delay" caused the Golf to suffer a 0.39 second penalty for the century dash. Relative times clocked at 100km/h by both was 7.64 (Bravo) and 8.03 seconds (Golf), while the difference in quarter mile times narrowed slightly to 0.36 (15.40 and 15.76 seconds respectively).

The added torque of the Bravo does liven high speed acceleration up a little, especially in sixth. Flooring it at 130km/h will easily see 50km/h more in just ten seconds or so.

Ride and handling

The Veloce 185, unfortunately, hasn't gained anything over the standard T-Jet for now as far as light, lighter and lightest are concerned. No, those controls do not inspire confidence at the limits of grip. Yes, you will find yourself in that predicament because it's easy to push it there. For what it's worth, the Bravo holds the ground like a cement mixer would whilst stationary, and can be very addictive to punt around with that fat, gorgeous torque spread.
Driving this car then, is like doing a tight-rope walking act. There's almost always a cause for excessive control inputs when you do manage to stop feathering it. Even with the ESP off, there really isn't any cause for alarm. You can almost always trust the rear end of this hatch to fall back in line with a little twist (of the wheel) in the other direction.

The Golf GT, having already proven itself before, ceases to be the lesser one as soon as the both of you hit it off. While it isn't exactly the opposite of numb, the steering has much more feel to it. The singular, most consistent comment that we've received whilst talking to a professional race-driver and/or journalist is that the GT tends to be more balanced and a little more fun to drive than the GTI.

It's easier to coax the back end of the GT out to play in hard corners with a dab of the brakes. The nice part is it grips back without the need for opposite lock. It is a willing partner, this one, especially when we realized that the steering loads up proper in corners.

Which is for you?

The Bravo Veloce 185 starts from $95,900 - $2000 more than the T-Jet. For the price, you get a tuning job worth many rounds of applause, (ed. no pun intended) original Fiat side skirts, rear spoiler and big, attractive rims. The stunning red leather, immaculate stitching, soft touch dash materials and overall interior design are literally, to die for. It has less boot space than the GT, and mileage figures will never be as good, but it is also cheaper, prettier and just as easy to live with.

In comparison, the $103,300 Golf GT actually feels more of a complete, all-rounded car than anything else. True, the DSG equipped, turbo-supercharged 1.4-litre TSI and its proven fuel mileage figures are certainly something to shout about. So is the comparatively refined ride quality. But for now, there's just something about that tuned Bravo that we simply cannot ignore, especially when Fiat starts contemplating on improving its steering™