ON THE ROAD: FIAT GRANDE PUNTO 1.4 T-JET

What makes this Fiat Punto stand out?

Firstly, Fiat prefers to call it the Grande Punto and you have to pronounce the “e” in Grande. Although the exterior badge only says Punto, it is referred to as the Grande Punto. Try it. You’ll be impressed at how Italian you sound.

You said firstly. What else?

Oh yes. Secondly it has a 1.4-litre T-Jet engine. Fiat’s new T-Jet engines are very compact but are fitted with turbos to offset their size deficiency. When it comes to performance there is no deficiency. The figures don’t particularly say “hot hatch” in the sense of a 2009 car but plant foot down and you feel the heat.

1400cc is still tiny.

That may be but like I said, it packs a good sting on the ground, especially in Gauteng. You’d be surprised at exactly which bigger, more powerful (and might I add, more expensive) cars you’ll take out on the average robot-to-robot dash. Actually they will be surprised even more than you! Understeer is expected under sharp turning because this is a turbocharged front-wheel-drive hatch. Yet it doesn’t take away too much of the fun. The gear shifter could have been tighter though.

I could fall for that, yet, this is still a Fiat.

Had a feeling you’d bring that up. I’m one of those who haven’t heard too many good things about the Fiat brand, even though a few years ago I had a Palio for a few months. My Palio was a competent enough car, never gave any problems at all except the thirst. Back to Fiat. You’ll notice the new red & silver badge at the back and front. That’s from Fiat’s renewal, their own little renaissance if you will. It’s part of the company’s new commitment to improving product quality to match any other in each segment, to elevate service levels at dealerships and to ultimately give the brand an image that is much more favourable than ever before. In fact, so improved is Fiat that it is now buying Chrysler, one of America’s best-known car brands.

Ok, I am with you now. So what do I get for my money?

A number of nice things come to mind. A radio/ front-loading CD player with MP3 playability combo is one. I was hoping my test car would come fitted with the Blue & Me entertainment system so I could pump my 600 tracks straight from USB but it wasn’t to be. That’s six hours of non-stop music; no need for a CD bag or a CD changer. Front electric windows are the other (personally I don’t appreciate manual rear windows because I have a naughty son – but I guess if you gotta save costs you gotta save costs). Other standard fittings include air con, power steering and a steering wheel with audio controls. Outside you find 15-inch standard wheels (17-inchers for the 3-door) and colour-coded bumpers.

Safety?

ESP, ABS and six airbags are standard. I tested the ABS once or twice and the car tended to dip a little, lose some balance at the rear. Granted that was under duress so in normal circumstances it should work quite well.

I’m definitely warming up to it.

The Grande Punto is not yet a class leader but if Fiat keeps improving the way it has over the past 18 months it should be among the top three within the next two generations.

QUICK STATS

FIAT GRANDE PUNTO 1.4 T-JET 5-DOOR

ENGINE: 1.4-litre four cylinder turbo

POWER: 88kW / 120hp at 5000rpm; 206Nm at 1700rpm

0 – 100KM/H: 9.5 seconds

GEARBOX: 6-speed manual

TOP SPEED: 195km/h

FUEL AVERAGE: 7.9 l/100km

CO2 e: 155 g/km

PRICE: R191 500

NATURAL RIVALS: Volkswagen Polo Classic 1.9 TDi Highline, Volkswagen CrossPolo 1.6 5-dr, Honda Jazz 1.5 EX-S auto

*PRICE RIVALS: Renault Megane II Authentique 1.5dCi, Renault Scenic II 1.6 Authentique

BABE-MAGNETIC FACTOR: Medium

*A price rival falls within R20 000 or so of the subject’s price on either side of its price spectrum for cars over R350 000, R10 000 for cars of between R250 000 and R350 000 and R5 000 for cars below R250 000.