[4] The Bravo/Brava chassis spawned saloon and estate versions in 1996, which were badged as the Fiat Marea, a car which aimed at Ford Mondeo and Opel/Vauxhall Vectra buyers, which won praise for its large boot.

The Choice", hinting at the fact that they 'were very similar cars but with the option of a sporty three-door hatchback or a practical five-door fastback.

He said they wanted to push the design to the limit, break the rules and discover every angle of the car, distinguishing it from the competitors.

[6] Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Fiat Bravo and Brava in 1995 on Top Gear, stating that "This is how an ordinary car can look like, if you put a bit of effort into it".

The 1.4L 12v engine was dropped in favour of the 1.2 16v unit from the Fiat Punto, the 2.0L 20V engine of the HGT model gained VVT and VIS systems upping the power from 147 PS (108 kW) to 155 PS (114 kW), the dashboard was redesigned and improved across all trim levels, the grilles of the cars were redesigned, the A/C unit was swapped with the automatic one from the Fiat Coupé, and other small details about the cars were changed throughout the range of trims.

The 1.9 turbodiesel was phased out in favour of 1.9 JTD diesel units (now with and 105 PS or 77 kW), to give even better economy and refinement.

In the end of 1999, Fiat introduced the Abarth accessories for the Bravo, available were more aggressive wheels and bodykit, performance was the same as the 2.0 HGT model.