Wednesday, 21 January 2009

LAUNCHED: FIAT GRANDE PUNTO 1.4 T-JET






Fiat launched the new Grande Punto T-Jet Sport today. The 5 and 3-door T-Jet Dynamic and Sport respectively become Grande Punto’s flagship models and can realistically be pitted against the likes of Toyota Yaris TS. As one of only a couple of vehicles in its segment fitted with a turbocharger, the car is able to overcome pretty much all of the turbo lag problems associated with living at a high altitude city like Johannesburg where normally aspirated cars can lose up to 17% of their power.


Using the same 1.4-litre turbo engine found in bigger brother Bravo, the Grande Punto T-Jet produces a healthy 88kW (120hp) at 5000rpm and maximum torque of 206Nm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual ‘box. Fiat says the car will sprint from 0 – 100km/h in just 8.9 seconds and record a top end speed of 195km/h.


Combined fuel economy is said to be 6.6l/100km from the 45 litre petrol tank, while C02 emissions are 155g/km. Fiat has been found to produce the least amount of combined C02 emissions amongst all the European car companies.


As the top dog in the range, the Grande Punto T-Jet (in 5-door Dynamic mode) is specced to the hilt with things like power steering, CD/ MP3 player, air conditioning, ESP, ABS, radio steering controls, 6 airbags and 15-inch alloy wheels. Buyers can also add body stickers to enhance their car’s exterior appearance. For the 3-door model you can add things like 17-inch wheels, fog lights, rear spoiler, leather steering wheel and side skirts. There are plenty of options available as well such as Blu & Me entertainment system that lets one play music straight from a USB memory stick, thus negating the need for expensive portable MP3 players.


The Grande Punto T-Jet Sport comes with a 30 000km service interval requirement in addition to Fiat’s standard 3-year/ 100 000km warranty. It’s priced as follows:

1.4 T-Jet 5-door Dynamic – R183 600

1.4 T-Jet 3-door Sport – R191 900

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