Fiat Punto 1.9 JTD Diesel Sport 2006 Review

7-day Test

Fiat's Australian distributors have been offering commercial vehicles in this country for some time now. But Ateco Automotive waited for the right product in order to bring the Italian giant back into the local car market after an almost 20 year absence. And with petrol prices on everybody's lips it appears they may have their timing just right.

The new Fiat Punto line-up consists of one petrol and three turbodiesel models. And all of them are fuel misers.

The city car's cheeky styling is a hit with passing motorists. We had more thumbs up in the 1.9 diesel Sport than any other car in recent times. And no wonder it looks good, it was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro -- the Designer of the Century and mastermind of the new Alfa Romeo Brera.

It's compact but there's a surprise in store when you enter the cabin. The three-door hatchback (there are five-door versions in the range as well) has room for five and it's spacious and comfortable in both the front and back seats. The fit and finish is pretty good too despite some cheapish-looking plastics. 

There's also plenty of standard kit including air-conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, cruise control, trip computer, CD player, remote locking and power windows and mirrors.

The 1.9 Sport comes standard with a six-speed manual gearbox and a 96kW/280Nm four-cylinder turbodiesel driving the front wheels. The 1.9 can reach an academic 200km/h but you could have a pizza delivered in the time it takes to reach 100kmh -- a claimed 9.5secs -- but that's something you'll have to live with if you want this car's economy.

The Punto's engine is almost useless below 1500rpm but keep the foot down -- it's best around 3500-4000rpm -- and it proves to be a perky little thing with surprising performance and good handling to boot. But sitting on 17-inch alloys -- it misses out on a full-size spare wheel -- it has a harsh ride that's really tested on choppy surfaces.

The 1.9 Sport gets all-round disc brakes with ABS and with the Punto weighing only 1205kg they do a good job pulling the car up from speed.

The Fiat is zippy around town and cruises comfortably on the highway with excellent fuel economy. We returned 6.4lt/100km -- a bit more than the claimed 5.8lt/100km on combined cycle but still a welcome relief from high fuel bills.

Perhaps the Punto's best feature is its Euro NCAP crash test results. The little car gets a class-leading five-star rating thanks in part to its six airbags, ABS and traction and stability control.

It all sounds pretty good so far. That is until you look at the price. Starting at $27,990 for the top-spec 1.9 Sport -- throw in a sunroof and you're pushing thirty grand -- it's almost twice the price of the $14,990 base model Toyota Yaris. That smarts no matter how long you shout about the diesel savings. How long will it take you to recoup $13K?

The Fiat Punto is undoubtedly a good car but if price is a concern -- and it probably is if you are looking in the small car segment -- there are much cheaper options that will still get you from A to B including the Fiat's cheaper 1.4 petrol-engined base model Punto Dynamic at $19,990.

Related review:
Fiat Punto 1.3 JTD 7-day Test