Currently an owner of a mk1 punto, had it around 4 years now, fixed it up then had no real issues with it. Is the new punto any good? or is it like the mk2 for driving. Weightless steering & clutch + Fly by wire throttle :yuck:

Not allowed a test drive due to age?

First off, every car from '99 onwards (maybe even before 99 with some manufacturers) a fly-by throttle (Electric throttle) has been used. Its all about using the pedal position for a range of fancy gadgetry.
4
EPS (Electric Power Steering) is present in all fiats from '99. Its not that bad, just easier to generate understeer

Also as with the previous notes, the clutches from atleast '99 onwards are all hydraulic based so weight behind them.

I've got the punto Evo (which is exactly the same as the new punto and the grande). To be honest they are quite reliable if you don't play with the electrics (oops lol).

What spec and engine are you looking at anyway? I assume that you are a young driver, about 19/20 years old, so the abarth edition is not an option. for the best balance between power and economy is the 1.3 MJet . The 1.4 starjet (I think thats still available) or the 1.4 MA is better for short journeys as you dont have a DPF to worry about. The 1.2 8v is gutless, and the 0.9 twinair is just pointless in a punto.

HTH

Went into the nearest dealer showroom at the weekend. saw the 1.4L Punto Easy.

I'm looking at either the 1.4, 1.4 multiair or 1.4 Turbo. However, I am also looking at a ford feista Zetec S :devil:, Vauxhall corsa and fiat 500.

And my fall back being a 2007 Ford Feisa ST (been saving for a long time)

I was quite shocked by the build quality on the punto actully, i didn't like the exsposed metal hindges on the bonnet between the plastic trays on under the front screen & top edge of the bonnet.

Plus it's such a large car compared to what i have now! i couldn't see the front of the car from the drivers seat. where as in my current car i can see the edge of the bonnet from the drivers seat...

Will have to go back for a test drive in a few weeks... Will properbly be in Red if i get one.

Not seen the "Tango Red" colour around anywhere so i'm tempted by the uncommonness of it

To be honest, the ford's build quality isn't much better, if at all, than fiats. But then again, I just dislike ford, end off.

As for the next debate, The punto and the corsa are cousins, they share the same chassis and have the same suspension, brake and rear axle setup, so why buy a corsa 1.2 when you can have a FIAT? Punto vs the 500, its all about size, but believe me, the punto is a better buy IMO as it has a larger range of engines as the 500 only has IIRC 3, The twinair, 1.3 Mjet and the 1.2 8v. The abarth edition is now shipping with the multiair turbo engine now if what I read is true.

If you want the ST, you'd be better looking for a punto evo sporting 1.4 (They were a better buy than the new punto as they were slightly cheaper although pretty much the same car).

The reason you wont be able to see the end of the bonnet is simply because its shorter and shaped differently than what you are used to, its not hard to get used to.

As for colour, my evo is exotica which actually looks orange in the sunlight and red in the shade. Don't think I've seen the tango red on the road round here but looks nice

MadMan0 said:

Not allowed a test drive due to age?

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said who

MadMan0 said:

Not allowed a test drive due to age?

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find a driving instructor with one and book a lesson:idea:

sales guy at fiat has agreed to a test drive in Decemeber
I was told before that i couldn't get one when i went online, but the chap at the dealership seems fine with it.

The main thing drawing me into the punto is the price...
£169 a month for a 1.4 punto Easy 3 Door.

ford zetec S Best price so far is £ 285 a month

Sadly the easy doesn't come with the 1.4 MultiAir or 1.4 Turbo but i'm gonna try the standard 1.4 and see if it's ok.

I've driven the whole range of the fiat 500 (except the abarth) when learning to drive - New car every week - Nothing to do with me of course! Personally i couldn't tell difference between the engines pulling power. but the sport version felt stiffer.

Not go into the ford dealer showroom yet but i get a discount on top of the offer price, so it might end up cheaper than the punto if i go for the Zetec model.

On the new punto, what kind of Mpg can i expect from the 1.3D? they say upto 80mpg? avg around 60? with no loss to 0-60 time. Are these true figures?

MadMan0 said:

On the new punto, what kind of Mpg can i expect from the 1.3D? they say upto 80mpg? avg around 60? with no loss to 0-60 time. Are these true figures?

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My Bravo is supposidly capable of 70's, best I've got is 56 and average 51mpg. I can normally beat top MPG quoted for a car, but in new models it would seem they really are plucked out of thin air

My friend driving grande punto 1.3mjt (75). He is getting 62.7mpg. The car is on 220 000km and no problem with engine. So if you lookin at small diesel, I am sure that you will not find better engine then Fiat 1.3.

MadMan0 said:

Sadly the easy doesn't come with the 1.4 MultiAir or 1.4 Turbo but i'm gonna try the standard 1.4 and see if it's ok.

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Yeah the easy is just a sub-name of the Punto. If you want a 1.4 turbo, you'll need to either look at the Evo Sporting, or the Punto Lounge 135. If you can get a test drive, you'll be really surprised at the power of the engine. It's a beaut

Plus it's one of the groups most economical engines!

...And i'm hugely biased towards it..

MadMan0 said:

Not seen the "Tango Red" colour around anywhere so i'm tempted by the uncommonness of it

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I have one
https://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/309142-my-new-car-punto-2012-gbt.html

I went from the 1.2 GP to the 1.4 2012 GBT, it's the 1.4 8v 77hp engine in it, it's not going to win me any races, but it's perfectly capable under any conditions I've thrown at it... and seems a good balance between power, economy, and not getting sodomised by your insurance company.

One thing I'd say, if you're buying new, get the sports suspension (unless you plan on changing it anyway) - it's a godsend, the 'standard' suspension is just WAY too squidgy in my opinion, it rolls too much.

Oh, in comparison to the MK2(b) I had before i'd make the following observations:

Steering, much 'heavier' than the MK2, and goes where you want it to.
Throttle, very responsive. MK2(b) is slightly quicker from a standing start I think, 2012 has better gear ratios (I think so anyway) - sounds 'gruffer', doesn't whine.
Brakes, more responsive, much less vague.
Handling, found the MK2(b) handled corners better than by GP, but the 2012 with the firmer suspension is better than either.

HTH.

My friend just bought a ex demo 1.4 easy and loves it, and ive seeen it its a REALLY nice car, the easy comes with lots of nice standard kit like alloys, air con and body colour handles . with the ex demos theres LOADS coming up to 9-10 monts old knocking around for the £7 mark, both 5 door and 3 door

1.4 sounds like the better option then
"What Car" also recommend the 1.4L 8v Easy

The price of the punto keeps bring me back But it would be on fiance so i'd be stuck with it for 4 years if i don't like it.

We'll see, test drive next month

one dissapointment though... they dont come with engine trays on the easy!!!:bang:

MadMan0 said:

The price of the punto keeps bring me back But it would be on fiance so i'd be stuck with it for 4 years if i don't like it.

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Ahh don't worry about that. I always change car while on finance

JockyEvo said:

Ahh don't worry about that. I always change car while on finance

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Don't you end up paying more though? I assume you have to go back to the same dealer?

Marcos999 said:

Don't you end up paying more though? I assume you have to go back to the same dealer?

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I don't think so. I financed my evo 1.4 77hp and had that for only 1 year of what was supposed to be 3 years. I got bored and wanted the sporting, so I got a settlement figure for the finance, and owed less than what my car was worth. So i went to the dealer and part exchanged, using what was left from paying off the previous evo as a deposit for the sporting.

As for dealers, I got my first evo from Sturgess in Leicester and exchanged it at Rockingham in Corby, so doesnt matter which dealer

I think finance is the best way! (imo)

Now being swayed by the "brit pop blue"... i also see that on fiat's website they now offer the punto easy with the 1.4L multi air 104hp engine

Also, What is the new punto like on Ice? road by me atm are icy and my mk1 punto handles the road very well, mainly because you can feel everything though the mechanical steering...

The Sporting is pretty useless in the snow (small car with big tyres) until I got some snow socks. Then I was going down roads only big 4x4's dared go!

MadMan0 said:

Also, What is the new punto like on Ice?

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I found the evo 1.4 8v to be utterly useless on ice. A genuine step down in that regard from both my 1.9jtd stilo MW and my dads 1.6 stilo 5dr.

I also found that the 1.4 8v felt seriously underpowered for the first 4000 miles, although it has loosened up since and now feels a little more perky but still needs to be worked very hard indeed. Get the multi air! A friend of mine owns one and it's a far more pleasant drive.