Fiat Punto 2008 News

We live in strange times — or at least under a Federal Government that has some strange ideas about things on four wheels.A big, heavy luxury SUV cops less tax than a more efficient, cleaner imported car. Diesel is less expensive to produce than petrol yet costs more at the pump than premium unleaded. Diesel cars are more fuel efficient than petrol equivalents, yet continue to command a price premium.Perhaps the only surprise is that Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan hasn't stuck an import duty on the cars we present here for being too efficient. It would be in keeping with the logic of his budget.All cars listed here offer official or claimed fuel consumption of less than five litres per 100km (56 miles per gallon by the old measure) in ideal conditions.Fiat 500 1.3 JTD Pop$25,9904.2L/100kmSuch was the demand for diesel that Fiat Australia has expanded its availability to the top of the 500 range's Lounge trim.If the existing Pop lacks the Lounge level of spec, it has all its desirability and efficiency. In fact, official figures place this immensely cute and quite practical re-born 500 as the most fuel-efficient auto on the Australian market.The smallest of the Fiat Group's turbo diesel, the 1.3 is a shade laggedly but winds up nicely to provide a cruisability that belies itscapacity.The DINK's city car par excellence: if the 500 doesn't raise a smile, then it's you that's wrong.Citroen C3 HDi$23,9904.4L/100kmWhile the French marque's reputation for reliability gets nowhere near Japanese surety, Citroen does chic in a way that, shall we say, Toyota doesn't.That Prius-equalling consumption is achieved with 65kW/215Nm 1.6-litre turbo diesel that utterly erases the petrol C3s for efficiency and performance.It typifies the “downsizing but upspeccing” paradigm that has seen sales of light and small cars overwhelm the “Falcodores”.While we do try to be enlightened, we gotta to say that if the C3 is chic, it's also for chicks. Sorry.Toyota Prius II$37,4004.4L/100kmThe world's most successful automotive marketing exercise, one which has caused denuded whole forests for paper devoted to its praise, the Prius is synonymous with lean and green motoring.Another paradox is that being as visually appealing as a chunk of cheddar has enhanced rather than damaged its appeal. It's distinctive and that's what counts. What's the point of making an eco-statement if no one knows you're making one?The Prius comes into its own in commuter traffic, where the constant throttle needed to extract the best return from diesel is hard to maintain. If anodyne to drive in the Toyota fashion, it's by no means awful with quite responsive and reasonably direct handling. Too dear, though.Fiat Punto 1.3 JTD$25,4904.5L/100kmRather more practical than the 500, the larger Fiat achieves its frugal consumption via a robotised six-speed sequential manual; one that does without a clutch pedal and provides an automatic drive mode, minimising the emission spikes that occur when gear changing in a conventional manual.If you can do without the rear seat headroom and don't mind joining a queue, take the 500. Fiat have invested too much in this car for it to flop qualitively.The Punto's interior does not inspire the same confidence.Audi A3 1.9 TDIe$38,900diesel 4.5L/100kmThis hugely efficient and incredibly clean (119g of CO2/km) turbo diesel is absolutely a Prius rival, both in terms of its figures and mad pricing.An eco-conscience can come with a considerable cost but, in this instance, at least you get a decent badge for your splodge (never you mind that it's all Volkswagen Golf underneath).We've yet to test this particular car — that comes in a few weeks — but on the basis of other Golf/A3 diesels, the 77kW/250Nm provided by this unit promises to make being green slightly easier to bear.Citroen C4 SX HDi$30,990diesel 4.5L/100kmAgain you've got to go for the sequential/robotised transmission to realise this figure from the 1.6-litre 80kW/240Nm diesel — which is probably no hardship given how most of you bleat about having to change gears for yourself. Harden the frack up, Australia ...Anyway, this version of Peugeot's 307 in a smarter suit is a cleverly-designed number that manages to afford more usable passenger space than certain bigger cars.You'll not quickly tire of instruments and features that initially appear quirky but are indeed highly practical.Though not the most composed drive on RTA roads and never in danger of providing excitement, the C4 would probably be the family pick from those here.Honda Civic Hybrid$32,9904.6L/100kmThis Honda would run the Citroen close, though.A 1.3-litre petrol-electric hybrid that's much cheaper than the Prius, the Civic attracts infinitely less attention just by virtue of the fact it looks like a common-or-garden Civic, rather than an advertisement for itself.A good but almost forgotten thing, we'll be revisiting the hybrid Honda in depth in the coming weeks.Hyundai i30 SX CRDi$21,4904.7L/100kmCarsguide's Car of 2007, in case we haven't mentioned it recently, at least with the $1300 safety pack that includes stability control and the full complement of airbags.With its responsive 85kW/2455Nm 1.6-litre diesel, the i30 is a spacious, European-designed hatch that dispels any lingering notions about Korean cars. If such doubts do linger, there's always its five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.Steering feel and standard rubber leave something to be desired, but we liked it. So will you. What do you think about hybrid cars, bio fuels and all things green? Have your say.  

The new model sits above the Fiat Punto providing the Italian car maker with a second model in the important and lucrative small car category.Fiat will also launch the turbocharged version of the Punto Sport at the show.David Stone, general manager for Fiat Cars in Australia, said the Brisbane International Motor Show marked the “coming of age” for Fiat's return to the Australia market.“The Ritmo is our move into a market sector that is becoming increasingly important in the Australian market premium and prestige small cars,” he said.Ritmo comes with ABS, stability control, remote central locking, four airbags, electric front windows, CD player, power steering and Follow Me Home headlamps in the Emotion trim level.The Sport version adds dual zone climate air, cruise control, Bluetooth, sports seats, alloy wheels and a body kit.Pricing will be announced at the show.It is powered by a choice of petrol and diesel engines. The 110kW 1.4 litre T-Jet turbocharged petrol engine is the first example of a new family of turbocharged petrol units developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies.The T-Jet engine offers an over boost button on the centre console in Sport versions and deliver 230Nm at 3000rpm, giving it a 0-100kmh acceleration time of 8.2 seconds.At the same time, Fiat claims fuel economy figures of 7.1L/100 km in the combined cycle and restrict CO2 emissions to 167g/km. Ritmo also comes with a 110kW 1.9 litre JTD turbo diesel with 305Nm of torque at 2000rpm.Fiat claims a 0-100kmh time of 9.0 seconds and fuel consumption of less than 5.6 litres in the combined cycle. These engines are mated to six-speed manual gearboxes with a Dualogic self-shifting gearbox later in the year for the 1.4L T-Jet.The new Fiat Ritmo was created in just 18 months from design freeze to production, using Computer Aided Design Computer Aided Engineering systems.This meant its development was almost entirely achieved through virtual analysis and engineering.Fiat claims this led to consistent build quality, driving dynamics and low noise, vibration and harshness levels.Ritmo has recorded a maximum 5-star rating for adult occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash test programme, three stars for child protection and two for pedestrian protection. 

The Italian small car boasts a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 8.9 seconds, making it the fastest little Fiat here, until the Abarth arrives midyear. But if you can't wait that long, the T-Jet offers performance and economy, says Fiat. The more aggressive Abarth will also feature a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine that offers 116kW of power and 206Nm of torque (230Nm on over boost) which, with a six-speed manual gearbox, will sprint from zero to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds. Fiat Australia general manager David Stone says the 1.4-litre T-Jet is the engine of the future. “The highly efficient 1.4 gains a turbocharger to produce power and torque levels the equivalent of a two-litre engine,” he says. Fiat is claiming the Punto Turbo Sport is one of the quickest and one of the most economical sub-$30,000 hot hatches. The low-pressure turbo 1.4-litre engine ups the power from 57kW to 90kW and torque from 115Nm to 206Nm. Fiat says 200Nm is on tap from 1700rpm. But the engine needs just 6.6 litres of petrol to cover 100km while emissions are 155g/km. The turbocharged five-speed manual car has not gained much weight, according to the manufacturer, helping performance, economy and keeping the little Fiat's good road manners intact. The Punto T-Jet will slot into the Fiat range beneath the range-topping Sport 1.9 JTD turbodiesel, with similar equipment levels. Among the features are ABS brakes, stability control, a hill holder, 17in alloy wheels, colour-coded body kit, sports seats, a leather-trimmed sports steering wheel and gear shifter. The T-Jet also gets sports-tuned suspension, power steering, power windows, power mirrors, cruise control, airconditioning and remote central locking. Mr Stone believes the addition of the T-Jet gives the Punto range a car to suit a wide variety of buyers. “Each power unit offers its own blend of performance, economy and purchase price to offer buyers of small cars the ability to tailor a Punto to their own particular budget and motoring needs,” he says. “Whichever Punto they buy, they will own a car with benchmark safety, superb good looks and a small car that has something only a Fiat can offer - Italian soul.” The Fiat Punto Sport T-Jet will carry a $25,990 price tag and deliveries start today  

The Punto Abarth brings the badge back on sale in its home market later this month and is set for a mid-2008 arrival. The Abarth model will be offering 116kW at 5500rpm and peak torque of 206Nm (just 500rpm earlier) from a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol 16-valve four-cylinder engine. Fiat also says there's a powerboost mode that increases torque to 230Nm at 3000rpm and tightens up the steering for a sportier drive. Hooked up to a six-speed manual, the Italian marque is claiming a 208km/h top speed and 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds. The interior has been tweaked for sports-oriented drivers and has been trimmed with black and red leather. The brakes behind the 17-inch alloy wheels have been upgraded to cope with the extra performance and Fiat says the track is up by 6mm, with a redesigned nose including larger air intakes. The Abarth also gets a body kit for better aerodynamics and four-wheel disc brakes (the front discs are ventilated and have Brembo calipers). The MacPherson strut front/torsion bar rear suspension has been lowered by 10mm and sports-tuned, with the anti-roll bar widened to 19mm. The front springs are 20 per cent firmer. The stability control system is standard and cannot be deactivated. Australian pricing and specification will be announced when it goes on sale mid-way through next year.  

The iconic Italian brand disappeared from our shores 18 years ago, its cars tainted as unreliable and lacking excitement. But the president of Fiat cars Luca De Meo, who is in Australia this week spearheading the brand's return, has made some bold predictions for its future in Australia.Mr De Meo says Fiat is treating Australia, thanks to its market diversity, as a test to see if it can succeed in re-establishing itself on the global stage.He wants Fiat to achieve a 5000 sales target in this country by 2008 and to also become the leader in the diesel passenger car market, overtaking European rivals in Volkswagen, Peugeot and Citroen.To back that up it has a bevy of new models heading our way to join the existing Punto, including a mid-sized Bravo next year, a born again bambino 500 in 2008 and a mid-sized all-wheel drive five and seven-seater crossover wagon, which will be offered in both diesel and petrol variants, in 2009.Fiat is still working on what to call the Bravo in Australia and has narowed it down to a short list of three names.The Bravo name is already owned by Mazda.De Meo told CARSguide.com: "We want to be there to be able to compete with the other traditional European manufacturers face-to-face in terms of product image and price positioning, service levels and customer satisfaction."We feel we have the opportunity to start from scratch (in Australia) which is a challenge on one side but on the other side it's an opportunity for us."We are here to stay a long time. This is an important market as we re-enter the global competition with Fiat."We are looking at being a small car specialist and we want to do things the others cannot do. The idea of creating a young dynamic fashionable brand is part of the story."You buy an Italian product outside of Italy because it is good looking, fun and reasonably priced. Those three ideas we need to match with our cars."I cannot imagine a Fiat in this market which is too similar to midstream models otherwise people would by a Toyota or buy a Holden."We need to have some kind of character, a (range of) cars closer to what people expect from an Italian brand."Keith Didham is a senior roadtester on the CARSguide team and also editor of Mercury CARSguide. A version of this review, as well as other news, reviews and analysis will appear in the Mercury this weekend.

Fiat will offer the Grande Punto for sale mid-year, joining the Fiat Ducato commercial vehicles and its Alfa Romeo cousins in the market. The Grande Punto is a brand new model, setting a trend for all Australian-market Fiats to be all-new models from the Italian maker. As with Alfa Romeo, Fiat will launch its models in Australia as they are launched in Europe, and the initial dealer network will largely comprise established Alfa Romeo dealers. There will be a full range of Grande Punto versions, including a diesel, and all will be uniquely specified for the Australian market and priced to match their Japanese and European rivals in the premium small car sector. Grande Punto is aimed at buyers moving into smaller cars, but not willing to give up the style, equipment and performance they are used to in larger cars. Judging by the enthusiastic reception received by Alfa Romeo when it returned to Australia just over seven years ago, Fiat can expect to be one of the top show attractions for Italian car enthusiasts. Along with Italian supercars from Ferrari and Maserati - corporate relatives within the Fiat family - the Grande Punto delivers a distinctive Italian flavour that sets it apart from its rivals. Melbourne International Motor Show runs from Thursday 9 February to Sunday 19 February at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, and is organised and promoted by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce through its dealer division the Australian Automobile Dealers Association (Vic).