The Fiat Punto

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ne of the benefits of taking my Cinquecento back to the Fiat dealership was that I was usually given a Punto as a courtesy car, and the earlier Puntos drove in a similar way to the Cinquecento: in-your-face, have-at-you good natured fun. More or less!

The first Punto I had was a 55 S, which uses Fiat’s 1·1 litre engine that also saw service in the Cinquecento and Siecento. Compared with other 1·1s I’ve driven, principally the PSA 1·1 donk, the Fiat unit is louder, less powerful, but has lots more character. It was also economical too (having a 70 mile round trip to and from the dealership, and usually another 50 miles to and from work, meant that I preferred economical courtesy cars).

Despite the 1·1’s many merits, the later 60 engines - a 1·25 litre unit with 58 PS - were a useful improvement. Whilst the headline performance figures were similar, the 60 models have usefully more low down and mid range thump, and feel significantly quicker in normal driving. I had two of these as courtesy cars, and both were surprisingly competent.

The Fiat dealership also gave me a ride in the early Sporting model, powered by a 1·6 litre donk (with 88 PS and 129 Nm), which I found very tractable if not especially quick, and one look at the fuel economy put me off (the combined fuel consumption figure being a lowly 35·0 mpg). However, with the extra grunt and a stiffer suspension set up, the Punto Sporting felt surprisingly able.

The newer 1·25 16V Sporting, with 85 PS, was a different beast. I never had the opportunity to drive a Punto 85 but I’m informed that it’s a very spunky little engine. Although the 1·25 16V donk has lower headling output figures, it makes up for this with a sweet, revvy nature and it also weighs less, so outright performance was slightly better (and fuel consumption was much better).

Finally, saving the best to last and all that, the salesman at Lincoln Fiat enthused over the Punto GT. These pocket rockets come with a 1·4 litre, turbocharged engine 8v, which produces lots of power and torque from 3,000 rpm, but suffers from turbocharger lag. This makes it fun for a test drive but, I suspect, not so much fun when you are just wanting to drive “normally.” The GT also has quite a stiff suspension setup, and looks mean wearing that Arbath kit. Despite the faults, and the juicy fuel consumption, the GT Punto has more character than most other hot hatches, and it’s one of the quicker in a straight line. Furthermore, it has the usual Punto interior space. I still have an admiration for the car, and could see myself in one if money were no object.

I like the Punto’s Italian engines, the huge interior space, looks, equipment and value for money. But the Fiat dealership experience lets them down.