General Advice on new Punto Evo, maybe ordering 1 at weekend

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General Advice on new Punto Evo, maybe ordering 1 at weekend

SHANE7W

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Im looking for a new car as i want to upgrade from my punto mk2, i seen the punto evo gp 1.4 8v at my local dealers and really liked it, just looking for a bit of advice on it, good & bad points. Also what would you say is best colour, the dealer had red, blue & white on show, and for some reason said the white one was the cheapest. Any advice would be great
 
Hi.

The evo gp is a very good car, its highly spec'd for the price.
Good points would be that it feels solid and large inside, feels miles better inside than a fiesta.

The only bad point i can honestly say is that the steering is a touch too light.

I too have a 1.4 8V GP. The engine is quite pokey around town, so do not believe the people who say its gutless or those who say the suspension is 'uncomfortable'.... its not.

Take a look at mine if you want to see the colours - https://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/250372-fiat-punto-evo-gp-italia.html
Personally i would say white on its own looks abit plain - It need some stripes to lift it abit

Hope this helps.
 
Hey there,

I have just recieved mine in white, this seems to be the must have colour at the minute and also its (as people have said) cheaper!!

Therefore that was the winning vote for me. Also due to mine being a sporting all the interior bits are white which is great.

Check what the inside is like first? i.e. i hear in all models bar sporting the ambient lighting is red... are there any coloured parts in the car? I like things to match so would look into that :)

Good luck with the car, I love mine so i hope you get what you want!!
 
The only bad point i can honestly say is that the steering is a touch too light.

I disagree - you can make the steering lighter by using the City mode. Turn it off, and the steering becomes heavier.

Got my punto 6 weeks ago, and I love it. Sure, there are things I would change, but that's true with any car.

I got my wife a new Fiesta last year and the Punto is miles better. Disagree about the better interior though. I like the Punto interior better in terms of style, but the Fiesta interior is slightly nicer quality. Other than that, the only thing the Fiesta wins on is the gearbox, which feels almost like it changes itself.
 
thanks for everyones advice, im going to the dealer tomorrow, think ill be going for white as ive seen alot on here which look very nice with a few little mods. if everything goes to plan hopefully have it by next week. ill keep you updated and post some pics when i been to dealer.
 
Late reply sorry

I have had my Punto evo 1.4 8v for 2 weeks (today) and I thinks its great a few things I would change like the steering. The interior is great and lots of room even for me and im 6 ft 5.

I have mine in acid jazz blue with the italy stripe on the sides, bonnet and boot but that is yet to be put on.

Good luch getting your car :)
 
I disagree - you can make the steering lighter by using the City mode. Turn it off, and the steering becomes heavier.

Got my punto 6 weeks ago, and I love it. Sure, there are things I would change, but that's true with any car.

I got my wife a new Fiesta last year and the Punto is miles better. Disagree about the better interior though. I like the Punto interior better in terms of style, but the Fiesta interior is slightly nicer quality. Other than that, the only thing the Fiesta wins on is the gearbox, which feels almost like it changes itself.

We obviously have different opinons.
The fiesta came accross to me as a car built to a budget. The dashboard felt really cheap and the plastic silver trim really didn't impress me.
The steering is too light on the Punto Evo, even when the city mode is turned off.
Its not that bad but it could have more feelinging, especially at straight ahead.
 
We obviously have different opinons.
The fiesta came accross to me as a car built to a budget. The dashboard felt really cheap and the plastic silver trim really didn't impress me.
The steering is too light on the Punto Evo, even when the city mode is turned off.
Its not that bad but it could have more feelinging, especially at straight ahead.

I would agree with you, with City off, the steering is too light.

At high speeds without turning, it also feels a little, well, odd. Doesn't feel solid. But on a plus side, even at higher speeds, it does stick to the corners pretty well.
 
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One thing to consider, that I didn't even think about, when choosing the colour is that paint touch up sticks are not available in all colours (yet?).

I have easy listening white, which I really like and would probably still choose, but I have a stone chip just above the wheel arch which I can't touch in because I can't get the paint stick ! Fiat customer care even advised me to contact Halfords to get them to mix one up :eek:
 
I would agree with you, with City off, the steering is too light.

At high speeds without turning, it also feels a little, well, odd. Doesn't feel solid. But on a plus side, even at higher speeds, it does stick to the corners pretty well.

Fair enough.

I never even turn the City mode off - I guess I just like my steering to be light.
 
Well im very happy at the minute as i will be collecting my new punto evo on wednesday. got a good deal, £155 deposit and £155 per month for 3&half years. ill post some pics on wednesday once been to collect :D:D:D:D
 
I'm abit confused by all this! So do some people put city mode in and leave it on? ( I'm assuming it's off as default and pressing button on dash pits it on?) I've not yet tried it!
 
I'm abit confused by all this! So do some people put city mode in and leave it on? ( I'm assuming it's off as default and pressing button on dash pits it on?) I've not yet tried it!

Yeah I tend to leave my city button on as I like the feather light steering. Its supposed to turn itself off once you get above about 25mph(??) and then I find the steering weights up quite nicely above about 40mph.
 
I'm abit confused by all this! So do some people put city mode in and leave it on? ( I'm assuming it's off as default and pressing button on dash pits it on?) I've not yet tried it!

I wouldn't, the steering is extremely light as it is. I drove my wife's Xsara Picasso last night and the steering felt heavy!
 
Ill give it a go, I do feel the steering is light as it is (although i do quite like it!) I drive a Vauxhall Combo van during the day and its a very welcome change, As are low engine and wind noise!.. One thing ive noticed is that the clutch in the evo is soooo light i couldnt believe how much effort i needed to push the clutch down in the Combo.
 
I just wish they had given the sporting a “Sport” button like the 100HP Panda rather than a lame “City” button… would have been much more fitting! :devil:
 
We obviously have different opinons.
The fiesta came accross to me as a car built to a budget. The dashboard felt really cheap and the plastic silver trim really didn't impress me.
The steering is too light on the Punto Evo, even when the city mode is turned off.
Its not that bad but it could have more feelinging, especially at straight ahead.

Having test drove the fiesta I also thought it felt cheaper inside than the punto, it was one of the reasons I went for the punto in the end.

I also think the gearbox was easier to use with the fiesta to begin with, but im used to the one on the punto now, even though its a little notchy that is probably a good thing, as you can feel when your going into gear properly. I think thats the way the italians do them I had the same experience with my Alfa's, way notchier than the volvo I drove before and compared with other cars i've driven. Despite the notchiness I think the transmisisons are strong and that is more important.

As for the steering on this punto, its great for parking it has to be said, but it does feel a little too light once you get moving at speed.
 
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