Fiat GRANDE PUNTO 1.3 MULTIJET DIESEL
Ill admit something here. Im not a typical Fiat customer. I went through a phase of buying one Italian car after the other and then I got to the age of twenty, started buying German and Japanese vehicles and never really looked back. It would take something rather special to tempt me to buy something from the Fiat stable and for years nothing really appealed enough for me to put pen to paper.
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Styling is all well and good, but without the engineering to go with it, customers often tend to feel short-changed when the aesthetic novelty has worn off. Fortunately, Fiat have their bases covered and in the 1.3-litre Multijet engine fitted to the Grande Punto, they have one of the most advanced small diesels anywhere. No manufacturer can hope to rack up respectable sales for their supermini without a decent diesel powerplant and Fiat have four to rely on.
The 1.9-litre Multijet is available in either 120bhp Eleganza or 130bhp Sporting guises but the engine we look at here, the 1.3-litre Multijet unit, is also offered in two distinct power/trim variations. Entry level customers get the 1.
3 Multijet Active thats good for 75bhp, while those who hanker after a little more muscle can opt for the 90bhp 1.3 Multijet Dynamic. This also comes with a six-speed gearbox to better plug into the 200Nm of torque. Its not as if the 75bhp car is a sluggard though.
Okay, so the sprit to 60mph of 13.2 seconds isnt going to detach your retinas, but theres plenty of torque on tap in the mid range, Fiat quoting a maximum figure of 190Nm on stream from as little as 1,750rpm. This means that you wont need to rev the engine until the valves are bouncing in order to make decent progress. An extra-urban fuel economy figure of 70.
6mpg may read like a misprint but Fiat stand by it, quoting a combined figure of 60.1mpg and an urban figure of 47.9mpg. The CO2 emissions figure of just 123g/km is also very creditable.
"These Multijet engines give the Grande Punto the engineering to back up the styling"
The more powerful Dynamic model is even more economical, the higher top ratio allowing an amazing 72.4mpg extra urban fuel figure to be achieved. Around town, youll see 47.9mpg and the combined figure of 61.
4mpg takes some beating. Even the emissions figure is a smidgeon lower than the 75bhp car at just 122g/km. Naturally, both models comply with stringent Euro4 emissions regulations. Drive with a little less regard for the environment and youll see 60mph come and go in 11.
6 seconds on the way to a top speed of 106mph. In traditional diesel engines, fuel is fed to the injectors by a mechanical pump, the injection pressure rising with the rpm of the engine. This has repercussions on how efficiently the fuel is burnt, leading to noise, poor emissions and so-so fuel economy. A common-rail engine, however, maintains a constant injection pressure regardless of the weight of the drivers right boot, and these Multijet engines use injectors that divide the main injection into a series of smaller shots, the idea being to reduce emissions and noise while at the same time increasing performance.
So much for the engineering. Many customers will never pop the bonnet and will instead be sold by the sleek good looks of this car. Its the work of Italdesign-Giugiaro in partnership with Centro Stile Fiat and its one of their best-resolved products to date. Five-door or three-door version, it makes no difference.
The shape just works. What has helped the cars proportioning is a subtle letting out of its belt. As its name suggests, this version is significantly bigger than the Punto it replaces, helping the stylists create a sleeker profile. In fact, its fully 23cm longer than the old car, but only 2cm wider and a mere centimetre taller.
These proportions lengthen the look and the sleek styling is aided with neat detailing such as the Formula One-style door mirrors and the wry badging. Although existing Punto models will continue alongside the Grande for the time being at least, unless Fiat takes a hatchet to their prices, its hard to see why anybody would bother with the smaller car. Since its midlife facelift, the Punto has lost much of its cheeky charm. Without smart styling to fall back on, the car tends to lose its essential Fiatness and then becomes judged on a whole lot of more prosaic criteria that dont do it too many favours criteria the Grande Punto is largely exempt from but would do well in anyway.
Interior space - as you would expect from a car this generously endowed in the wheelbase department is a standout feature. The 275-litre boot is about average for the class but rear leg and headroom is very good indeed. Fiat claim the interior represents the epitome of Italian style, although that may be stretching the point a little. Its rather minimalist in fact, the main dials being housed in a curiously flat-topped binnacle with an unexceptional centre console that, from a purely aesthetic perspective, is probably the cars weakest point.
Still, its undoubtedly functional, and if you get confused by the big buttons, self explanatory ventilation controls and stereo controls, then modern life has really got on top of you. One particularly smart touch is the extension of body colour to the soft trims and dash inserts. If the dashboard was finished in grey or black it would look a little dull, but specify it in red and it really lifts the cabin. Both the 1.
3 Multijet models, 75bhp Active or 90bhp Dynamic, are offered with the choice of either three or five doors. The Grande Punto also scores well in terms of safety. Fiat claim its one of the three safest cars its possible to buy and the Grande was designed from the outset to bag a prestigious (and almost mandatory these days) Euro NCAP five-star award, the quest proving ultimately successful. With a massively rigid chassis and airbags that seem able to sprout from any compass bearing, the Grande Punto will look after you if you drive it into the scenery.
Unfortunately this preoccupation with passive safety rather comes at the expense of active safety, the chunky pillars making all-round visibility something of an issue. The Grande Punto is a seductive little thing and will, for most buyers, make most sense when fitted with a 1.3-litre Multijet engine. It really doesnt need to be as good as it is, the smart styling giving it an almost unfair advantage.
If youre not the sort who buys Italian cars, now may well be the time to ask yourself why not.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Multijet range
PRICES: £8,895-£11,195 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 3E-4E
CO2 EMISSIONS: [1.3 90bhp] 122g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.3 90bhp] 0-60mph 11.6s / Max Speed 106mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.3 90bhp] (urban) 47.9 / (extra urban) 72.4 / (combined) 61.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags / ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4030/1687/1490mm
