What do you want your Family Hatchback to be? Good value? Well equipped? Great looking? Economical? Versatile? Offering punch performance? Fiat's Bravo 1.9 Multijet 150 diesel model ticks all these boxes. So why is it so overlooked by buyers and pundits alike? Perhaps it's a badge snobbery thing. Either way, this car remains a well kept secret.

Developed over eighteen months using cutting edge computer technology, Fiat's Bravo doesn't feel like a rushed job. Anything but in fact. And that's in contrast to previous Fiat products developed over far longer periods that felt considerably rougher round the edges.

Though the T-Jet petrol models have their appeal, the Multijet diesels, in 1.6 and 1.9-litre forms, probably make more sense overall, assuming that you're not merely buying the car to amble to the shops and back. Fiat don't claim to be taking on the market leaders in terms of volume with this car but they do want to improve substantially on the poor sales they've traditionally recorded in this sector. To that end, the marque has long needed a far more class-competitive product. The Bravo is that car.

This isn't the sharpest handling car in this sector but it's close enough to the highest class standards for most potential buyers not to notice - or indeed to care. They'll probably be more bothered about the fact that the interior feels very well built. Bright finish plastics lift the cabin and the controls are easy to figure out without recourse to the manual. It all looks agreeably Italianate as well. Fiat has really got the hang of the whole soft-touch dashboard moulding in recent years and the new Bravo's supple, textured finish wouldn't look out of place in an Audi.

The more powerful 1.9-litre Multijet 150bhp diesel has some real muscle to it, getting the Bravo from rest to 62mph in 9.0 seconds and topping 130mph. With 305Nm of torque available, it's not going to have any problem putting irksome white van men in their place, that torque output superior to something like a Subaru Impreza WRX.

Fiat's Dualdrive electrical steering assistance is fitted, which lightens the steering around town and at parking speeds by pressing a button on the dashboard. A bit more feel at higher driving speeds would be welcome however.

"I have a suspicion that the Fiat Bravo 1.9 Multijet we're looking at here is the best family car you can buy..."

It's easy to forgive the Bravo any minor shortcomings when you walk round the car, taking in its beautifully integrated detailing and elegant proportions. Many five door hatches are about as beguiling as the prospect of an evening spent creosoting your mother-in-law's fence, but the Bravo is different. Just as the Grande Punto added a touch of the exotic to the supermini class, so the new Bravo does the same for cars the next size up. Though this isn't the largest car in the class, there's a decent amount of luggage space in that curved rump.

The big draw for family buyers is undoubtedly the amount of safety gear Fiat has packed into the new Bravo. Winner of a coveted five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating, the Bravo sits squarely at the top of its category with a total of 33 points on the NCAP scorecard. The Bravo is the product of over 60 crash tests, 15,000 hours of computer simulations, 150 simulations with a crash sled and more than 100 crash tests on components and subsystems. The Bravo features two front airbags, two front side bags, two window bags and a knee airbag for the driver.

Prices start at £15,695 for the 1.9 Multijet 150 model, with a choice of either Dynamic or Sport trim levels. Only a single five-door hatchback bodystyle is being offered. No other car in the sector is better value - or better equipped. The 1.9-litre Multijet diesel model we've been driving in Dynamic 150bhp form costs around £2,000 less than an equivalently equipped 130bhp TDCi Focus that offers less performance. Want a cheap South Korean alternative with comparable 150bhp power? Sorry, there isn't one. You don't actually have to have 150bhp in your diesel Bravo though, the 120bhp 1.6-litre version is also a sound choice.

ABS anti-lock braking with electronic brakeforce distribution and the latest generation ESP stability control system should prevent the worst coming to the worst. The ESP system includes functions such as anti-slip regulation (ASR) to limit wheelspin in slippery conditions, and engine torque regulation which prevents the driven wheels locking up during rapid downshifts. Hydraulic brake assist boosts pedal pressure in emergency situations and there's even a hill-holder function to take the faff out of hill starts.

The low upfront asking prices allied with improving Fiat brand residuals create a car that's very class competitive in terms of that crucial pence per mile figure after a typical three year ownership period. Whether you can justify the £1,000 premium being asked for the Bravo 1.9 Multijet 150 model over its T-Jet petrol 150 stablemate will depend of course on the kind of mileage you rack up. A Multijet 150 model will return around 50.4mpg on the Combined cycle - around 10mpg better than the petrol T-Jet equivalent. Do the maths by all means, but make sure you've got the petrol to diesel price differential right. Fiat dealers tend to sell more Bravo diesels than petrol models, so will keep more in stock. As a result, better deals may be available that will drive the price differential down.

While you're asking on this, also investigate the guaranteed residual programme that Fiat dealers offer on this car with regard to some of their financing schemes. This is intended to soften the blow of residuals that remain slightly behind obvious mainstream competitors. Insurance costs (group 10 for the variant we're looking at here) are however, comparable.

I have a suspicion that the Fiat Bravo 1.9 Multijet we're looking at here is the best family car you can buy. The problem I have is in getting anyone to believe me. Experts talk of cars like Ford's Focus or Honda's Civic as being leaders in the Family Hatchback sector. But a Fiat? Surely not. I can see their point, yet when I go back to my notes having driven the car, it's hard to escape the facts of the case. It's affordable, it goes well and it looks great. The Italians have done their sums with this car. You can pay an awful lot more in this sector and get less. A great deal less.