Walxer

Fiat Punto - by Brian G. Thornton - July 1999

Brian Thornton, freelance journalist and our Road Test Editor was one of the first to drive the exciting new-shape Fiat Punto. Photographs provided by FIAT. Brian may be contacted by email through caint.com.

The Fiat Punto has been Europe's best-selling car in 1997 and 1998, as well as the best in Ireland in the past 18 months. By next November its successor will be on sale in right-hand drive. A distinctive 3-door version is aimed at younger buyers and there is a 5-door version for people requiring more room and greater comfort.

The new Punto retains the 1.2-litre 60 bhp engine from the current model, which now also has a 16-valve version pushing out 80 bhp. A 1.8-litre 130 bhp unit powers the HGT. Two diesels are offered; the 1.9 D delivering 60 bhp is joined by an 80 bhp version using direct injection with common-rail technology, turbo and intercooler.


Internal spaciousness continues to be the hallmark of the Punto range. A six-feet tall person should have no difficulty in sitting behind another six-feet tall person, with generous leg and headroom for a car in this segment from a length of only 3.8m. The styling is more striking, replacing the gentle curves of the current model with sharper lines. Those on the 3-door even more so. The two front ends are the same, although the 3-door is distinguished by a black centre panel, while grooves on side panels are the same on both cars but follow different paths. On the 3-door, these suggest forward thrust, and on the 5-door, the Fiat Style Centre designers sought to portray a car that is longer and wider than it really is. Clever, huh?


Internally there are several storage places (up to 26 in some models!), including a shelf under the passenger seat for items like mobile phones, drinks cans, parking discs and so on. The luggage compartment is 297 litres in the 5-door (264 litres for the 3-door), claimed to be the largest in the class. Its anthroprometic data suggests 86.5% space efficiency index, 77.5% in the case of 3-door. Comfort and silence are the hallmarks of the new design, with a revised stiffened torsion bar rear suspension. So quiet is the car that the normal 'clicking' of the indicator flasher cannot be heard and many times indicators remained flashing when the warning light was not seen.......

A driver's airbag is standard, and there is the availability of a passenger airbag with cut-off switch for use when carrying a child seat. Side airbags are also optional. The Punto's active safety is helped by its claimed 62mph to zero stopping distance of 40 metres. The electric power steering has a city setting which makes movement during parking much lighter, and the steering wheel (frame) is now made of magnesium which is lighter and stronger. Air to the cabin is filtered through an activated carbon filter to eliminate unpleasant smells, and a pollen filter to protect those susceptible to hayfever.

The new Fiat Punto Sporting has a 6-speed gearbox, but the model we drove seemed seriously down on power and had poor handling, something not encountered with the other models driven - some "sporting". A "Speedgear" transmission is available, using an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT). This may be used in automatic mode, or as a manual shift with sequential engagement.


The Fiat Punto Rally is a Group A kit car and uses a 1579cc that develops 215bhp at 9,000rpm. The car is derived from the Punto HGT. However, Fiat is emphatic that as a brand it does not wish to enter world rally championships, and will direct its resources to the Ferrari F1 championship. Bummer.

The new Punto uses 80% new parts compared with the 1993 version. It has 4,500 components, 3,600 of which are new and has reduced production cost, and build time to 12 to 16 hours depending upon model. Irish prices will not be confirmed until November, but are expected to be about 5% higher than currently or a rise of around IR£500 at entry level (at time of writing - July 22 - IR£1 = UK£0.83 = US$1.29). Using Fiat's Open Book pricing policy means its cars cost less than other makes in similar sizes.
The Punto Rally is not destined for competition. Unfortunately.

The Fiat Punto range features six pastel and nine metallic colours. It has 'follow-me-home' headlights - just pull the stalk and the headlights will remain on for up to five minutes to allow one find the key hole and gain access to a dwelling. Its electric windows may be still operated for up to two minutes after the ignition key has been removed. These are the kind of touches that will impress potential customers. We are certainly impressed by this car. When the range is expanded next year it will be even better.

by Walxer

Xahjo

Premettendo che non ci ho capito na cippa... ma come mai ti fomenti tanto con la punto? :umh:

Beckham83

a me personalmente nn piace la punto anzi.....
tutt'altro!

Tritologol

Walxer

C'è una Punto con un sistema a protossido di azoto (NOS)

se trovi una recenzione postala

ps: la vidi su automobilismo di 4-5 mesi da allora non riesco a trovare info su internet