2013 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

Fresh from the excitement of slashing prices and therefore greatly increasing sales of the Fiat 500 in Australia, the new importer has reintroduced its Punto hatchback.Now that Fiat Australia is controlled by the Italian head office, rather than a private importer, the Italian marque is pushing to become a mainstream player.Punto came to Australia between 2006 and 2010, but sold in modest numbers as it was expensive and not promoted with any real vigour. That’s about to change as the ‘new’ Fiat Australia has dramatically reduced prices and is about to launch a major advertising campaign.Almost nine million Fiat Puntos have been sold globally in the past 20 years and the new president of Fiat in Australia, Veronica Johns, is confident she can play her part in helping it reach the magic figure of 10 million in the next year or so.Unlike the cute Fiat 500, and the trendsetting Fiat Panda that’s due in Australia late in 2013, Fiat Punto is aimed at relatively conservative buyers. Hence it has neat but somewhat subdued styling. While the Punto has lines that are smooth and likely to prove timeless, it certainly didn’t create any visual interest from during our introductory test drives out of Brisbane.In Europe the Punto’s chief competitors are Volkswagen Polo, another vehicle that leans in the conservative direction so there’s no doubt the Italian designers are on the right track.However, Fiat dealers carry an extensive range of customisation gear so your Punto can take its own direction in the styling stakes. More about this in a moment.The engine in the Punto is the basic version of Fiat’s 1.4-litre four-cylinder unit. With only two valves per cylinder it has a power output of just 57 kW. Peak torque is 115 Nm at 3250 revs.The recommended retail price of $16,000 driveaway for the Punto Pop five-speed manual is significantly lower than that of Polo, Yaris, Mazda2, i20, Rio and a host of other cars in an exceptionally crowded market segment. Should you want an automatic transmission, Fiat’s Dualogic, which is an automated manual not a full auto, costs $17,500 driveaway.Be aware that these driveaway prices are only for the Punto Pop, you have to factor in on-road costs in the other two models in the Punto range.Far from being a stripped down ‘get-them-into-the-showroom’ special the entry level Punto Pop has a fair bit of gear; the denim inserts in the seats make a statement, the six-speaker radio/CD/MP3 audio system has steering wheel controls, and the Fiat Blue&Me hands-free Bluetooth phone setup reduces the dangers of driver inattention.Next up the line, the Punto Easy has 15-inch alloy wheels, a fancier design of dashboard, a leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, a front seat armrest, and rear parking sensors.The range-topping Fiat Punto Lounge has 16-inch alloys, a pair of sports seats in the front, a soft-touch finish to the dash, climate control air conditioning, ambient lighting and automatic windscreen wipers.A huge range of accessories and custom features is on offer. Some of our favourite dress-up items are checkered-flag covers for the door mirrors, Italian national-colours decals on the B-pillars, a twin-tailpipe extension on the exhaust and Fiat embossed covers for the tyre valve caps. Not to forget a huge choice of side stripes and alloy wheels.Major active safety items are ESC and ABS and hill-hold. Passive safety is by way of seven airbags on all models with the exception of the Pop, which misses out on a driver’s knee bag.It comes as no surprise that this low-power engine is no ball of fire and requires frequent use of the gearbox to keep it working in a reasonable manner. The change action of the manual is better than average for a front-drive car and driving a car like this can be fun for those who love their manuals.The Dualogic generally changed down promptly under its own volition, and has manual overrides should you decide your driving skill need to be called upon. Having said all that, if you’re looking for a performance hatch you should probably shop elsewhere.

You've got to hand it to Fiat for having another crack at the Aussie market after a number of previous half-hearted attempts under private importers. They're serious this time with a factory owned local operation.First cab off the rank, the tiddler-size 500, recently came in for some "repositioning" (price reductions) and now the Italian manufacturer is re-introducing the Punto, a biggish light car now offered from a start price of $16,000 drive away for the base model Pop.Before the end of the year we'll see the practical little Panda coming in to compete against a rash of similar size small SUVs from left, right and centre. Fiat also has two light commercial vehicles in the Ducato and Scudo vans and there's also the Freemont people mover (aka Dodge Journey).But focus this month is on the rebirth of Punto, a model that's been around since 2006. The local Fiat outfit has opted for Punto in five door hatch configuration only in Pop, Easy and Lounge grades. All share the same naturally aspirated 1.4-litre petrol engine while the Pop is the only one to get a five-speed manual with optional five-speed Dualogic automated manual transmission ($1500)  standard on Easy and Lounge grades.The engine passes Euro 5 emissions regulations despite having a single camshaft and only eight valves. It's an old plonker for sure but sips 91 octane fuel lightly on the way to achieving a modest 57kW/115Nm output.This is adequate to push the one tonne Punto along at a respectable clip provided you don't expect anything remotely sporty. In Dualogic mode, it's even more relaxed and has the annoying trait of lurching between gear changes. Get the manual every day unless you want to turn into a nodding dog.Punto has auto stop/start, gear shift indicator and eco:Drive software to help drivers learn economical driving techniques.It's all adhoc stuff that skirts the real issue  a lack of powertrain technology to assist efficiency.Punto scores a five star ANCAP rating and comes with a reasonable amount of equipment in the base model including a multi-function wheel, Bluetooth phone, USB connector, decent audio, aircon, power front windows, remote headlight height adjust, daytime running lights, folding rear seats, full size spare and other stuff.But you only get plastic wheel covers for the cheap 15-inch steelies, a hard plastic dash, wind up rear windows, drum rear brakes and modest rear seat legroom.The Punto is old school hatchback, innocuous but not exciting at all. It looks a little like a Nissan Micra at the front and an earlier Ford Fiesta at the rear.  It won't offend anyone that's for sure. It's the same in the cabin -- small econobox, nothing flash but it's functional and has a pleasing appearance to the dash.We drove Punto Pop in a city environment and it proved quite a handy tool nipping through tight laneways, parking in small places and using as little as 7.4-litres/100km in the city. That drops to 5.4L on a combined city/highway circuit for the Dualogic cars.The ride is comfortable from a strut front and torsion beam suspension system and the electric steering is light and has some 'feel.' But you have to row through the gears to get it going with any purpose. With Dualogic, that means using the manual selector system.We kinda like the Punto because it's something different to the rash of Japanese and Korean cars in this segment. We'd have one over something like a (cheaper) Suzuki Alto or Mitsubishi Mirage every day because Punto has a proper four cylinder engine and doesn't look like a Noddy car. But it needs a turbodiesel engine option -- possible down the track.

The Fiat Punto is back with a fresh face and a $4000 price cut. The Italian five-door hatch now starts at $16,000 drive-away, making it one of the cheapest Europeans on the market.The Punto disappeared from Australian showrooms three years ago after slow sales. But it’s back with a revised model line-up that takes in some minor visual changes to the lights and bumpers and an updated interior.Priced from $16,000 drive-away, the Punto now comes with Bluetooth phone connectivity but still lacks wireless audio streaming. The Punto Pop comes with a USB port located in the glovebox (hidden behind a little rubber bung type protector) while the Easy and Lounge have their Aux in and USB ports exposed in the centre console. The Punto also has one of the cheapest satellite navigation upgrades in the business. The $595 optional touchscreen plugs in to the top of the dash.The 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 57 kW and 115Nm. There's a choice of either a five-speed manual or five-speed robotised manual transmission.Armed with six airbags and stability control the previous generation Punto scored a five-star safety rating from ANCAP. The new one has not been tested but it’s unlikely to have gone backwards.The Punto has been around since 2006. As it approaches its eighth birthday (old age in the car world) this is its third update. It still drives well, soaks up the daily grind with ease and visibility is good all around because of the large glass area (at a time when car windows appear to be getting smaller).But the 1.4-litre petrol engine is a little underdone even in small car terms. When matched to the optional five-speed robotised manual ($1500 more) it can be downright frustrating. Unlike the more modern twin-clutch automated gearboxes, this is an older design and the shifts are slower and more pronounced.In practical terms it means the Punto is slow to grab a new gear and it can feel like an eternity, even if it does only take a few seconds to respond. Modern automated twin-clutch gearboxes shift in milliseconds. Three-point turns come with a new level of anxiety with one of these gearboxes. You have been warned.The reason the Italians are slow to embrace twin-clutch or even conventional automatic gearbox technology is because manual gearboxes still account for the majority of sales in Europe. In Australia it’s the other way around.Sharpening the purchase price makes the Punto a more attractive position than before but Fiat does not yet have capped price servicing, so be sure to shop around.Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) and the warranty is three years/150,000km (the distance sounds generous but in reality Fiat know most drivers rarely do more than 50,000km over three years).This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling