2008 Fiat Punto Reviews

Italian carmaker Fiat is very big in Europe but had been quiet in the Australian passenger car scene for years before re-entering our market in July 2006 with the Punto, a small-medium hatchback. However, Punto was pretty expensive and didn't sell particularly well at the time, to the extent that it was pulled from

  Fiat has launched a turbocharged petrol version of its light Punto hatch that is in a word a little ripper.We can't get over the difference this power plant makes to the feel of the car, with its lively performance and sporty dynamics.The good looking Punto is the car that heralded the return of the Fiat passenger car brand to Australia two years ago.But at the time the hatchback was available only in diesel form.The three-door Sport Turbo, priced from $25,990, is essentially the same car as the 1.9-litre turbodiesel Sport, but with a different engine and transmission.Where the diesel is heavier and more expensive, the petrol version feels lighter, nippier and more fun to drive _ and it's $2000 cheaper.Weighing in at 1155kg, it is 50kg lighter than the diesel and you'd have to reckon that most of that weight would have come out of the front end.The new engine is a light pressure turbocharged version of Fiat's 1.4 litre Star-Jet engine.The low inertia turbo lifts power from 57 to 88kW and torque from 115 to 206Nm, with an amazing 200Nm of torque available from just 1700rpm.The engine is hooked up to a relatively pedestrian five-speed manual transmission.It would have been nice to see the six-speed from the diesel, but having said that the five is slick, easy to use and delivers the goods.By boosting the engine Fiat has managed to shave four seconds off the car's 0-100km/h time which is now a very respectable 8.9 seconds.At the same time it uses an average of 6.6 litres of fuel per 100km and that's not too far behind the diesel at 5.8.As the cost of fuel continues to rise motorists will start looking to smaller cars with smaller engines to save money.With petrol costing $1.60 and diesel $1.80 a litre, many motorists are finding the cost of filling up the family car topping the $100 mark.That's going to take a bit of getting used to.Punto takes 95 strength premium (although it will run on standard) and we were getting 7.6 litres/100km from the 45-litre tank, with a bit of hard stuff thrown in.Many people will take one look at the 1.4 litre capacity and dismiss the engine as too small.But you'll be surprised.The boost kicks in early with a flat torque curve that generates strong peformance across the range.Even in top gear it sales up hills and will still accelerate even if the revs are allowed to drop.Punto comes with a five-star safety rating, six airbags, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control.It's a middle of the road car in the Fiat scheme of things and this is reflected in the plainer, more conservative styling inside.The standard of finish is also not up to the standard of the more recent Ritmo and 500 models.Also, you'll find a re-inflation kit instead of a spare or space saver under the luggage area.Still, it's a very appealing little car if you want to get away from the usual Japanese fare.

Developed by the Fiat Style Centre, the exterior design looks like a more grown-up version of the Punto hatch and has a distinctly sporty flavour, including a Maserati-style grille.As with all new European cars, the Ritmo has a long snout to pass European pedestrian safety regulations.The five-door hatch is slightly larger against its key rivals.Compared with a VW Golf, the Fiat hatch is slightly bigger in every area, including wheelbase.The Ritmo's luggage space, with the rear seats in place, is 400 litres compared to the Golf's 347 litres.Australia is expected to get two engines, the 110kW/305Nm 1.9-litre JTD and 110kW/206Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged TJET, in with Sports or Luxury specification in either six-speed manual or robotised manual guises.Fiat says the 1.4 has a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.5sec while returning 7.1litres/100km on the combined fuel economy cycle. The 1.4 also has over boost that lifts peak torque to 230Nm.The 1.9 JTD is almost as quick as the petrol engine, reaching 100km/h in 9sec and returning 5.6litres/100km on the combined fuel economy cycle.As expected of Fiat, buyers can expect a full range to be available in Europe, including a wagon, hot Abarth models and possibly a coupe.However, Fiat's Australian importers Ateco Automotive will initially concentrate on the petrol and JTD hatches but is tipped to fill out the range with the Abarth models later.As with the Punto, the new Ritmo has a five-star Euro-NCAP safety rating. The equipment list locally is expected to be on a par with its rivals.That means cruise control, alloys, climate-control airconditioning, stability control and six airbags. Logical dash layout with large buttons. Expect prices to start about $30,000, right in the VW Golf, Mazda3 and Ford Focus arena.The performance of the 1.9 JTD was strong and even the 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol had a good burst of mid-range enthusiasm on the roads around Bologna, Italy, and felt like a strong 2-litre four. In sharp corners the car exhibits some steering rack rattle, which feeds back through the steering but the MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension is well sorted. But overall the packaging and performance is on the money.Inside the cabin has a nice Italian air about it, the layout is logical, seats comfy and there's plenty of room in the back. Most drivers will find the driving position acceptable.However, small children may whinge about not being able to see out of the rear side windows because of their shallow depth.