Fiat

Punto

With a choice of engines and trim levels to choose from the latest Punto takes the popular model to new heights. And with entry prices below £10k it’s one to watch.

The good

Good value, economical to run and well kitted out

The bad

Dated and quite loud

Tech Specs

Price from

£10,265

Combined Fuel up to

80.7mpg

0-62 from

13.1 seconds

max speed up to

107mph

co2 from

90g/km

Test Drive

Fiat Punto 1.4 MultiAir Turbo 135bhp Lounge (3-door)

It may have had more reincarnations than most in the name department but the new Fiat Punto is better than ever.

The Punto Evo and Grande Punto have gone and now it’s back to plain and simple Punto, but there’s certainly nothing plain about the car which was first launched back in 1993.

Its smaller sibling the Fiat 500 may have been stealing the plaudits recently, but the Punto is a supermini that competes well in a fierce market segment and the range-topping Lounge model supplied for the test drive lived up to expectations.

The Punto is Fiat through and through and has some striking features that help it stand out – not least of all the Exotica Red paintwork.

Then, there are the darkened headlights, tinted windows, panoramic sunroof, 17-inch alloys, body-coloured door handles and kickplate with aluminium insert and Punto logo.

Inside, the Punto is relatively simplistic in its layout but the car is feature-rich with techno treats such as a good sound system with CD player and steering wheel-mounted controls, automatic climate control, cruise control, ambient lighting, Bluetooth connectivity, remote central locking and plenty more besides.

The sporty seats featured snazzy design patterns and there is room in the back of this three-door model for two adults although leg room is a little limited if they are of the taller variety!

Elsewhere, the boot is generously-sized for a supermini and its capacity can easily be increased thanks to 60:40 split-folding rear seats.

So the Punto looks the part and has plenty of equipment on board, but how did it perform?

Once again, this little Fiat is a winner with the 1.4-litre petrol-powered engine delivering plenty of punch. I guess the clue is in the work “Turbo”.

In and around town, it cruised along effortlessly and then out on the quicker roads, it easily kept pace with faster moving traffic as it shifted smoothly through the five-speed transmission. This particular model can sprint to 62mph in just 8.5 seconds and tops out at 124mph. According to the official figures it has a combined fuel efficiency of 50.4mpg which again is quite reasonable in the supermini segment.

Road surface and engine noise was not the quietest, but it wasn’t that bad either and the sound system more than compensated.

As one would expect, Fiat has packed plenty of safety features into the Punto such as anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, numerous airbags including a driver’s knee airbag, electronic stability programme, hill-hold and lots more.

After all these years, the Punto still retains its Italian charm and with its asking price of just shy of £16k including a few optional extras, it will keep the bank manager on side too.