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Fiat Punto Review | Quirk On a Budget

The supermini market is arguably one of the most populated sectors of the automotive industry - competition has risen steeply since the introduction of cars from asian markets, notably from Kia and Hyundai. What this means is that cars such as the Fiat Punto, a name long established in hatchbacks must be constantly raising their game in order to preserve market share. The current Punto looks very similar to the 2006 Grande Punto, the styling is more evolutionary than revolutionary - the ‘EVO’ name may suggest Fiat admits this too. India gets different styling to European models which to my eyes, look uncannily like a cross between the Peugeot 208, and the Kia Cee’d. The relatively liberal use of chrome is a sure sign of Italian flamboyance, detracting it from other more conservative cars in this sector. Models higher up in the range are fitted with more visually impacting alloys. Black plastic trim does a decent job of making the car look interesting, without becoming too fussy. The interior quality of the Punto reflects its cheap price, plastic on the doors is rough and scratchy and the dash is covered in a high gloss material which squeaks when pressed. Switchgear feels equally flimsy. To its credit, the cabin is well laid out and top of the range models come with metallic paint trim, leather stitched seats and steering wheel. Talking of trim levels, the Punto comes in 5 different levels starting off with the ‘Active’ topping out at the ‘Sporting’: standard equipment is generous throughout with all cars being offered with steering-mounted controls as well as Fiat’s BLUE&ME system developed in conjunction with Microsoft, giving bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition. Connectivity is further enhanced with a standard USB flash drive socket. The cabin will be suitable for drivers of all sizes with good adjustability; the seats are genuinely comfortable with good padding and bolstering. City driving is made easier thanks to excellent all-round visibility. The rear cabin space is not the best in this sector, despite this being one of the larger models available. When sat behind myself, I simply don’t have enough legroom to sit-down straight, headroom is however adequate - the advantage of not having a dramatically sloping roofline. The Punto’s practicality is fairly average, the boot is smaller than many rivals at 275L allowing owners to fit only a few suitcases - the loading lip is relatively large meaning getting things in and out may be tricky. A rarity in the sector is the 60-40 seats, which fold down almost completely flat opening the volume to 1030L, which is actually very good. Interior cabin storage is extremely good with cubbies everywhere, as well as 4 cupholders. Parking the Punto is very easy thanks to the ‘City’ button which makes the steering ridiculously light - not that it needed to be any lighter to begin with. Our test car is fitted with the 1.4L petrol producing 76 bhp and 83 lb/ft of torque, which is perfectly adequate for the Punto’s main intended use, the city. At higher speeds, the driving dynamics are quite far behind those of rivals such as the VW Polo or the Ford Fiesta. The steering is ridiculously light and completely devoid of any feel, meaning judging the angle of the front wheels is tricky - especially turning into high speed corners. Mechanical grip is however pretty good with limited body roll, the compromise is the temperamental ride which is too firm and becomes fidgety on uneven road surfaces. The Punto comes with plenty of choice regarding engines, starting off with the 77 BHP 1.4L naturally aspirated petrol topping out with the 1.4L MultiAir Turbo producing 135 bhp, propelling the car to 60 in a sprightly 8.5 seconds and is definitely the choice for extra-urban drivers. For buyers looking for economy, there is a choice of two 1.3L MulitJet - the more powerful state of tune producing 97 BHP and is capable of almost 70 MPG combined, partly thanks for the stop/start system which is fitted as standard across the range. Road tax is very cheap on diesel models thanks to the sub-100g/CO2 emission ratings. The cheaper price of the Fiat Punto is reflected by its cabin quality. Nevertheless, the touch of Italian flair and flamboyance mean it represents a good choice for buyers looking for a supermini without going for the ubiquitous VW Polo or Ford Fiesta.