lAT PUNTO 1.9D
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PRICE AS TESTED: £8,830 (ex-VAT). Includes £7,495 for
basic vehicle; £298 for anti-lock brakes; £596 for climate control with pollen filter; £275 for electric windows and central locking; and £166 for passenger airbag. ENGINE: 1.9-litre diesel, 60hp (44kW). GV1V: 1,570kg. PAYLOAD: 435kg. AVERAGE SPEED: 64.4km/h. AVERAGE FUEL CONSUMPTION (laden): 48.7mpg.
talians pride themselves on their flair, and you an rarely fault the style that they give to their vehicles. But from Ferraris to Ducatis, the practical details can tend to suffer. Fiat's latest Punto hatchback has style in spades, from its jaunty rear to its purposeful front bumper. But can it also earn its keep as a practical van? We think it can.
The Punto has been around as a car since 1994 and has done very well for itself, selling more than 300,000 to date in the UK alone. In fact, helped by a comprehensive facelift last year, this Fiat has become the second best selling car in Europe. The old-style van (tested by CM in 1996) has now run its course and the CV version of the new Punto has been launched. It looks quite different, too: the rear hatch slopes inwards, angular light clusters sit high on the rear pillars and the front bumper threatens to eat the road in front of it.
As well as the body workout, the Punto has changed in other respects. Payload and power are both up, for instance, and a selectable twolevel power steering system is standard, while ABS is a welcome addition to the options list.
Product profile
Buyers can choose between two Punto van variants: a 1.9-litre naturally aspirated diesel and a 1.2-litre petrol version, costing p7,495 and L7,195 respectively (delivery adds £421).
The specifications do not stretch to a highoutput common-rail turbo-diesel, however; the indirect-injection, naturally aspirated diesel develops just 6ohp at 4,500rpm. Mind you, that's four horsepower more than its L7litre predecessor (despite having a catalytic converter and EGR), while torque is up by 20%, from 98N m to ii8Nm at The petrol engine matches the diesel's power but, as you'd expect, torque is lower, peaking at Io2Nm at 2,5oorpm.
Standard equipment and trim levels on car-derived vans can be pretty generous, mainly because it simply isn't cost effective to change the car's specification for a relatively low-volume commercial cousin. The Punto is no exception to this rule and comes with a height-adjustable steering wheel and driver's seat, a driver's-side airbag, cup holders, washable tufted carpet and height-adjustable seat-belts.
CM is intrigued by the deep grooves in the side panels which replace the windows found in the car version: they look a little like venetian blinds. The panels look very purposeful with their go-faster grooves, but it's another question whether they have an influence over fuel consumption.
Options for buyers include ABS for £298, air conditioning for /596 and electric windows and central locking for £275 the pair. If you want your passenger to have an airbag it will cost you another £166.
Productivity
Our laden fuel figure of 48.7mpg round the Kent test route is an improvement over the last Punto we tested—which returned 47.2mpg—and is good for a vehicle of this size. Oddly enough, it's close to the 49.6mpg that Fiat quotes for the EC combined test cycle.
Payload is increased in the new Punto by 6 okg to 435kg—pretty good for a hatchbackderived van—and this is the same for both petrol and diesel versions: the diesel is mokg heavier than the petrol, but it has a higher gross weight to compensate. Without driving
le two back to back it's impossible to say that effect this has on their respective hanI ing and performance.
The Punto's load volume is i.om3, which is pical for the hatchvan class but, disappointtgly, a little less than its predecessor's. One bserver remarked that the load volume ,ould improve if the rear door were ot concave, at the expense of lose rakish curves. Incidentally, le rear end of the Fiat appears
n the front of the van's rochure, so you can see how roud its designers are of it. A ir nicer rump than the Clio's. The loading sill is pretty igh, but this is no surprise on hatchback-derived van. Most sers will be carrying relatively ght loads, but please bear this limi ition in mind; we wouldn't want you to
.ip a disc. The load hatch can be opened from aside the cabin, which might seem unneceslly but does seem to save time. The Punta Dmes with a non-slip PVC load mat, a pair of e-down points and a full-height mesh partion as standard, which all help prevent the river from being squashed (this can seriusly delay a parcel delivery).
One downside of the little Fiat is that the oil nd filter changes come thick and fast, at very 6,000 miles—a bit of pain, to say the iast, and a far cry from the ig.000-tnile serice intervals of some of the latest vans.
The standard warranty is an impressive tree-year, oo,000-mile deal (comprising a ne-year manufacturer's warranty and two nrs dealer cover) with a year's AA cover thich includes load continuation. Galvanised anels throughout allow Fiat to offer an eightmr anti-corrosion warranty.
• N THE ROAD
)u r test vehicle gave a good account of itself t the test track: the 0-50mph dash took i2.5 ..conds with a 30-50mph time of just 7.4 .conds—good figures, and around 20% etter than the old model, thanks to that xtra torque.
The van also coped easily with our 33% (1-intest hill, managing a standing start when illy laden without complaint. The Punta :ops as well as it goes, managing a superb eak retardation of o.96g to give a stopping 'stance almost 20% shorter than some of the pmpetition. However, it would be nice to ave anti-lock brakes as standard.
The Fiat Punto has a unique "Dualdrive" ower steering set-up. Nicely weighted for ormal use, the power assistance can be icreased instantly at the press of a button on le dashboard. It sounds like a gimmick, but when parking this can be invaluable. You won't leave it on by mistake—get up to speed with the assistance on maximum and you can veer around like a mad thing by squeezing your hand a little harder on one side of the wheel...well almost. In general, however, the handling is very good and makes the prospect of a drive in the Punto, whether along a motorway or through town, very inviting.
Each wing mirror has a useful convex blind-spot section, and the view out of the cab is good—unlike some small vans, where the A-pillars are intrusive.
When we drove the old-style Punto we thought the turn indicator was far too loud, saying it sounded "like there's a small cricket trapped behind the dash". Well, the cricket's long gone, chased off, squashed or otherwise expired, to be replaced by a stealth indicator noise which can't really be heard above 3ompla. Unless you keep an eye out for the small, inconspicuous repeater lights it's all too easy to drive with your flashers flashing.
CAB COMFORT
The Punta van scores very highly here. Why is it that when presented with a small cabin the designers really seem to get to work to make the most of it? When they're given a lot of space they sometimes seem to make no effort at all.
The Fiat has more storage than many large vans; it comes in sensible shapes and is made from good-quality plastics. The central console houses a cup holder; a good sized glove box sits beneath a deep recess on the dash, with another recess above the console.
The seat fabric is attractive and the seat is commendably supportive—Fiat seems to have improved its upholstery a good deal recently, with this model and the larger Dobla. The seat and steering wheel are both heightadjustable so we think most drivers will be accommodated well by the Punto unless they are so tall that they can't get the seat back far enough. Our six-foot tester certainly didn't find it a problem.
Seat-belts are also adjustable and they are allied to the driver's airbag which comes as standard. A good-quality RDS stereo cassette player is also included; a combined Blaupunkt radio-CD and satellite navigation unit is available for £766 (ex-VAT).
SUMMARY
The Punta is a cracking little van with excellent fuel economy and more-than-adequate performance. Its build quality is excellent— like its predecessor, it feels more solid than some small hatchbacks—and Fiat's warranty is as good as any.
Only the short service intervals let it down: hard working couriers could be visiting the garage every few weeks.
So it looks like the Italians have cracked it: head-turning style and a seriously practical design in one vehicle. If you're in the market for a small van (and these hatchbacks are very small) you really ought to take a second look at the Punto.
II by Peter Lawton