Ok, Its been over a year since purchasing the GP Sporting and felt that it was time to do a feedback, between the current motor and the 1.2 active I had(mistakenly) bought, so heres the review.
First off obviously, is the power, the 1.2 8v is too underpowered for the frame its pulling along, which was very apparent when I took order of the 1.4 16v model I am driving now. The 1.2 8v is a perfect engine size for its previous punto body, as its not as big as the stilo sized body of the Grande punto.
However if I was in the market again I would maybe go for the T-jet sporting as without the GSR induction I have put in(giving approx total 105BHP), it still felt a bit lacking in the lower gears. With the induction kit in though, I would be asking myself whether or not I would go for an extra 15BHP in the T-jet or just go spend an extra £3500 for the Abarth GP for an extra 40 BHP? Its also worth noting though that my wife owns an 08 Bravo and the same engine is in this car, but it's underpowered and really needs the turbo.
Second, and that would be the apparent extra trim. If you are insistant on getting the cheapest GP model, then I would suggest the active sport minimum due to the fact that you at least get a leather steering wheel and gear knob. This may sound a little daft, but after going from a 1.2 active sport to the active, it was something that I had really missed when taking delivery of the previous motor.
One if the beauties of the GP range is that you now get the Blue & Me as standard, which I think is brilliant. I remember when getting the sporting showing all my mates and work colleagues this feature. I mean how cool is a talking car? The fact that you can plug a USB pen drive with your favourite tunes and using the eco drive is also very handy, especially if you're letting your kids drive the car too, as it tells you how they are driving your car!
The EVO punto is on its way and I'm worried. I'm worried that the front facelift will scare people away from a car that is a great supermini and a nippy little motor with the right engine in it. Fiat have always been good at making little cars, so i hope my worries will be proven wrong.
S Barker.
First off obviously, is the power, the 1.2 8v is too underpowered for the frame its pulling along, which was very apparent when I took order of the 1.4 16v model I am driving now. The 1.2 8v is a perfect engine size for its previous punto body, as its not as big as the stilo sized body of the Grande punto.
However if I was in the market again I would maybe go for the T-jet sporting as without the GSR induction I have put in(giving approx total 105BHP), it still felt a bit lacking in the lower gears. With the induction kit in though, I would be asking myself whether or not I would go for an extra 15BHP in the T-jet or just go spend an extra £3500 for the Abarth GP for an extra 40 BHP? Its also worth noting though that my wife owns an 08 Bravo and the same engine is in this car, but it's underpowered and really needs the turbo.
Second, and that would be the apparent extra trim. If you are insistant on getting the cheapest GP model, then I would suggest the active sport minimum due to the fact that you at least get a leather steering wheel and gear knob. This may sound a little daft, but after going from a 1.2 active sport to the active, it was something that I had really missed when taking delivery of the previous motor.
One if the beauties of the GP range is that you now get the Blue & Me as standard, which I think is brilliant. I remember when getting the sporting showing all my mates and work colleagues this feature. I mean how cool is a talking car? The fact that you can plug a USB pen drive with your favourite tunes and using the eco drive is also very handy, especially if you're letting your kids drive the car too, as it tells you how they are driving your car!
The EVO punto is on its way and I'm worried. I'm worried that the front facelift will scare people away from a car that is a great supermini and a nippy little motor with the right engine in it. Fiat have always been good at making little cars, so i hope my worries will be proven wrong.
S Barker.
