kyle96 said:

Fair enough they're fine in the corners but so are most hatchbacks,

There isn't much to accelerating, and they're still slow.

This whole drive them properly doesn't mean much to me, it's not hard to fly round a corner, once you drive a car which will wheel spin it's way through 3rd gear you learn how to drive properly,

Never the less there's still plenty of fun to be had in them, they're just really slow, all there is too it mate, the fire engine owners make a bad name for themselves, they have to argue with everyone and resort to trying to rip you over the internet because they're in some disbelief that their 65bhp monster is rapid.

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People put far, far too much emphasis on power outputs and performance figures. In the real world, a seemingly weedy car can be surprisingly swift if it's in the correct hands. That is the point we are trying to make. I never had a problem with my old mk2, and I find my Grande to be a very satisfying drive.

puntofan01 said:

People put far, far too much emphasis on power outputs and performance figures. In the real world, a seemingly weedy car can be surprisingly swift if it's in the correct hands. That is the point we are trying to make. I never had a problem with my old mk2, and I find my Grande to be a very satisfying drive.

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"we" I think your on your own mate it's you and some chap thinking he's back in secondary school trying to rip someone over the dinner table.

It doesn't matter whos hands the car is in, I had an mk2 up my arse the other day on the country roads near me, when I got bored of his poorly adjusted hid's in my mirror I left him for dead without leaving 4th gear,

You could give ken block a 1.2 500, it would still be slow.

"That is the point I am trying to make"

kyle96 said:

"we" I think your on your own mate it's you and some chap thinking he's back in secondary school trying to rip someone over the dinner table.

It doesn't matter whos hands the car is in, I had an mk2 up my arse the other day on the country roads near me, when I got bored of his poorly adjusted hid's in my mirror I left him for dead without leaving 4th gear,

You could give ken block a 1.2 500, it would still be slow.

"That is the point I am trying to make"

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You could also give a very naff driver a Golf GTI, and they'd struggle to keep with Lewis Hamilton in the aforementioned 500 1.2

"Its not how much power you have, its how much power you can use that counts"

puntofan01 said:

People put far, far too much emphasis on power outputs and performance figures. In the real world, a seemingly weedy car can be surprisingly swift if it's in the correct hands. That is the point we are trying to make. I never had a problem with my old mk2, and I find my Grande to be a very satisfying drive.

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You need to go out on a regular basis in a few other cars, yes you can throw these puntos about but the 77bhp on the 1.4 8v is very gutless compared to a multitude of other small cars with everso slightly more powerful engines.

To put it in perspective a 24 year old 1.4 ford escort has 75bhp and the same level of handling with less weight

Fiat like to keep the power out put down as it looks good on their CO2 figures

AndyRKett said:

You need to go out on a regular basis in a few other cars, yes you can throw these puntos about but the 77bhp on the 1.4 8v is very gutless compared to a multitude of other small cars with everso slightly more powerful engines.

To put it in perspective a 24 year old 1.4 ford escort has 75bhp and the same level of handling with less weight

Fiat like to keep the power out put down as it looks good on their CO2 figures

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That maybe true, but I never find it lacking, truth be told. I'm used it now, but I was surprised by how responsive it is from 30 in 5th.

puntofan01 said:

but I never find it lacking, truth be told. I'm used it now, but I was surprised by how responsive it is from 30 in 5th.

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You might do but others with more powerful cars on the drive, which they drive on a regular basis will disagree greatly, my previous car was a Saab which would scare Porsche 911 drivers as standard.
kyle96 has a point if you want something faster then save up and swap it in when you get the chance, you can buy some really quite quick 90s cars now for a lot less than a grande punto, putting fuel in it and insurance on it however are a very different matter especially if you're a young driver.

As for how fast SUVs are my brother has a porscher cayenne and it's so fat an lardy it can't keep up with anything especially with its very high centre of gravity and its 15mpg means even if it does keep up it will soon run out of fuel

AndyRKett said:

As for how fast SUVs are my brother has a porscher cayenne and it's so fat an lardy it can't keep up with anything especially with its very high centre of gravity and its 15mpg means even if it does keep up it will soon run out of fuel

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It is such good fun having 4x4s behind you: in 30 and 40mph speed limits, they're trying to fit their needlessly big wastes of fuel and roadspace into the boot, yet as soon as it gets fast and twisty, they become dots in the rearview mirror, lmao!!

Keep it civil chaps. Agree to disagree. The 1.2 8v is bloody slow! There's combine harvester's that could out drag it.

For a cheap reliable car you can't go wrong (assuming it's looked after!)

The 1.2 8v has to be driven in a certain manor to enusure you are in the powerband so when you nail it - it does go

I have given many cars off the line a shock as when the taps are open it goes go reasonably well

Its a small 860kg car with only 60bhp, it only has a powertoweight ration of about 65bhp/per tonne

Mrs has a c1, 68bhp at about 600kg and that is bloody nippy! Again ive shown a few people not to under estimate small cars

Ziggy