Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £9,995 to £15,345
Neat, plain styling and fashionable Italian image; the Multijet diesel engine; five-star NCAP crash test score; fun to drive; choice of bright, colourful interior trims
Quality unconvincing; lower-powered engines uninspiring; awkward five-speed gearbox; not particularly well-packaged; in no way innovative
It's a thoroughly pleasant little car with an appealing image, but it has a number of irritating flaws and it's not a class-leader by any stretch of the imagination
The Punto has always been good value for money, and cheap to run - even if it does break down, repairs are comparatively reasonably-priced& Fiat dealers usually run a series of special offers and buyer incentives, including low-rate finance (though watch out for the small print), so getting into a Punto is easy and affordable, and its popularity on the secondhand market means that it doesn't lose its value too badly. The good safety performance - and the plain panels, which should be cheap to replace - should mean low insurance groupings. Economy-wise, both the 1.2 and 1.4 return 46.3mpg and 145g/km of carbon dioxide (giving a low tax banding), the 1.3 75bhp diesel does an excellent 60.1mpg and 123g/km, the 1.3 90bhp returns 61.4mpg and 122g/km, the 1.9 120bhp gives 50.4mpg and 149g/km and the 130bhp 49.6mpg and 150g/km.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Fiat Grande Punto
wrote on 29 01 2008
wrote on 26 09 2007
wrote on 13 09 2007