SOMETIMES, what is not obvious is clearly the first choice for many.

The family friendly Fiat Bravo 1.6 Eco Dynamic is a good case in point.

While most motorists would look at Focus or Astra for sound family transport, the five-door Bravo does all that its rivals can, but pound for pound it's a more logical choice.

The Bravo range runs to 10 models between £15,200 and £19,600, three trim levels and petrol or diesel engines ranging from 90bhp 1.4 to 165bhp 2.0 with only one automatic diesel offered in a range of six-speed manuals.

The Bravo 1.6 Eco Dynamic is towards the top of the range and is a good all rounder with a lot of practicality, fairly brisk performance and really good economy. It is not a sports hatch, but a sensible hatch.

The 105bhp four-cylinder engine has been set up to extract economy without too much demand on a driver. Start up is a little slower than some diesel rivals but it soon settles down to a steady throb and it's not too noticeable in give and take motoring, and it's very muted on the motorway.

For a diesel it stretches every gallon over 55 miles but in urban use it did not seem to be very flexible and I wondered if it could have been better tuned to further reduce gear changes and eek out economy still further.

The high gearing for fuel economy has also meant it is not particularly quick through the six-speed manual box but the light clutch and precise pattern to the changes do compensate.

The Bravo comes with the pioneering dual weighted power steering which allows a driver to select normal or lighter city modes and this is a very good feature, particularly if the car is to be used by more than one driver and each prefer different amounts of assistance.

The traditional handbrake has a high travel action but it held the car on a steep slope and the brakes underfoot showed a good balance between assistance and power, slowing the test Bravo very easily and with utmost control.

Secondary switches were gathered around and on the steering wheel for the most frequently used controls and while they look good, their operation is not as clear as it might have been.

The central console carries the sound system including CD player above the air conditioning controls. There are central and side vents, four powered windows but no sunroof on the basic car, although it is a £1,025 electric option.

Visibility is fairly good but you cannot see the front of the bonnet or the tail, the lights are good and the wipers clear a huge area of glass at the front and the back window also has a small yet effective wiper.

Access is good and the room inside is reasonable. The cloth covered seats have fairly good adjustment in the front and all offer good support.

You can hear the suspension coping with the bumps beneath the Bravo but it does a good job of absorbing the shocks. It rolls slightly on bends and feels nose heavy in some corners but the handling is very safe and you are never alarmed by the car's attitude.

Noise levels are generally dominated by the road noise with some additional contribution when the engine is pushed with determination through the gears but wind and other mechanical noises are very low.

You have to work hard to make rapid progress but it's very settled on main roads and the economy is extremely good for a five-door family car.