Punto raises eyebrows

Date Published: 01-Jul-2010

Ten years ago the Fiat Punto was the top selling car in Ireland. How the mighty have fallen in recent years! Even the young Garda at a check point in Tuam during the week – he looked like he was about seventeen -raised an eyebrow when he realised it was the new Punto Evo. That was after he had given me the onceover for my licence and insurance. He is not alone as this is the kind of reaction the Punto gets from everyone you meet. Then again, that’s what you should expect from an Italian designed car. They might be gone from the World Cup but they still have an edge in car creation.

Certainly the new Punto looks rather dashing in it new skin. It gives the main contenders in this class a good run for it in the prettiness stakes. Inside too, Fiat has tidied-up the Punto to meet modern standards. It is one of the first things you’ll notice, the stylish new dashboard. There are some hard surfaces in there but they are interspersed with some soft-touch panels on the dash and in the doors and some classy control panels, especially in the centre console and around the main display areas.

Accommodation too is decent. The seats are sturdy and the space is equal to the best in this class. You get a decent roof height and the specification of the test model, the Punto Evo 5-door 1.2 Dynamic includes Blue&Me Bluetooth, Air Conditioning, Leather steering wheel and a host of other details. All the Audio controls and the Bluetooth controls are placed on the steering wheel, which is a safety detail not always offered by some of the opposition. The test car also came with a Style Package including Adaptive front fog lights, 15” alloy wheels, metallic effect side mouldings and bumper inserts.

Safety levels too are a match for the competition with seven airbags and it is one of the few cars in its class to provide a driver knee bag as standard across all trims. As well as the usual ABS, EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) systems, there are other useful features such as the Hill Holder system, which helps the driver with hill starts by keeping the car stationary for a few seconds in order to prevent it from rolling backwards, and the adaptive cornering front fog lights that come on automatically on dipped beam according to the steering angle.

Driving the Punto Evo shows that Fiat are on the money too. For such a small engine, matched to a five-speed gearbox, the car is sprightly enough with precise handling and decent cornering. I would like the steering to be less vague and with a little more feedback. Around town it is fine but it is too light on the open road and not as sharp as the Fiesta or the Polo, for example.

The engine is eager and surprisingly refined for a 1.2. CO2 emissions are 135g/km while petrol usage achieved reached 7.0L/100kms. There is the option of Fiats 1.3 MultiJet that might just be a better option. However, for most discerning drivers this version is more than adequate. Compared to some of the opposition it is actually very good indeed.

Fiat continue to sell the older Grande Punto alongside this new car for about €1,000 less. At €15,915 – base price is €14,995 – with all that the test car has added; the new Punto Evo is priced to be really competitive.

Fiat maybe get bad press for reliability and poor resale valuations in the past. However, Fiat demonstrate their own faith in this car and they offer three different warranties. The Punto Evo is backed with a 3 Year Warranty, 3 Year Paintwork Warranty and an 8 Year Anti- Perforation Warranty. Only time will tell if that kind of confidence is justified. However, we are now living in more stringent times, just like ten years ago and perhaps like then, this could be a new era for the Punto Evo.