Fiat Grande Punto. Alien from the Apennines
Neither the winner of the European Car of the Year 2004 award, Panda, nor the debutant Grande Punto managed to turn the situation around. It's not about the cars themselves, but about established stereotypes and, of course, the price tags.
We have a wary attitude towards Italian cars. Many doubt their reliability and quality over the long haul: who knows what will happen to such a car in a couple of years? And you have to pay very decent money for it. Take, for example, the hero of our test — the Grande Punto, which costs almost 26 thousand dollars. For that money, you can actually find a 2002 Mercedes E-Class from Germany. Comparing them is pointless. Especially since the Grande Punto is B-class, where its competitors are the Toyota Auris, Opel Corsa, and Chevrolet Aveo hatchback. Perhaps that's where the list ends; the rest are already golf-class: VW Golf, KIA Ceed, and others.
So, we get behind the wheel of this alien from the Apennines. Why Punto turned into Grande Punto — one can only guess. It seems the manufacturers wanted to emphasize that the little one has grown: it became 190 mm longer, 20 mm wider, and 10 mm higher. If only it were a centimeter more in each direction — and it could move up to the senior class! But, apparently, that was not in the plans of design maestro Giorgetto Giugiaro, who, by the way, also had a hand in the Chevrolet Aveo.
The front of the Grande Punto resembles a smiling alien baby. The headlight-eyes are a sight to behold. And so it doesn't cry, they put a pacifier-logo FIAT in its mouth-grille. From the side — a typical Golf. In red — an association with a hot chili pepper. The interior was handled by Frank Stephenson from Ferrari. Smooth lines of the dashboard, instrument panel studded with buttons, plastic on top moderately hard, unusual seat upholstery. All this lifts the mood, especially the funny little man on the glove box and trunk lid, clearly enjoying the driving.
The new Punto only looks like a child. In fact, it's the largest in its class. The 275-liter trunk is impressive, and with the rear seats folded, all 1030. The rear is quite spacious: during the test, four adults fit there. The central console is a bit wide — your right leg presses against it when you relax on the highway. With the left leg — it's a real problem. The pedals are clearly designed for a miniature girl, not a man in size 43 winter boots. The left foot constantly touches the footrest (it seems nothing has changed here since the version with the 'robot' — we had a manual in our test).
In Europe, the Punto is sold with five engines — from the 1.2-liter 65-horsepower to the 1.9-liter turbodiesel with 125. In Russia, the choice is modest: either a 1.4-liter engine with manual transmission, or a three-door with 1.4 L 16 valves and 95 hp on order (also only manual). Acceleration to 100 km/h in 13 seconds can't be called exciting, but on first and second gears the car is nimble; the excitement fades only by fourth gear. But the brakes are beyond competition. In any situation, the car stops instantly. You even need to get used to this, especially if you switch to a FIAT from another car.
The Grande Punto handles excellently, especially in the city, if you activate the 'city' mode with the button on the steering wheel. Then the steering wheel turns literally with one finger.
The onboard computer is customizable and remembers settings for two drivers, reminiscent of 'Audi' logic: just the button on the right of the wiper stalk. But the wipers themselves are inconveniently arranged: you change the frequency of modes not by moving the lever, but by a dial. This takes more time and distracts from the road. However, the rear wiper turns on automatically when it starts to rain or snow — a plus for a hatchback. The doors lock already at 5 km/h, and you won't forget about the seat belts — the buzzer screams like a siren as soon as you don't buckle up. Moreover, the signal for an unbuckled passenger even triggers if a woman's handbag is on the seat. You'll have to either buckle it up or move it to the back.
In the conditions of capital city dirt, there are downsides. There's no headlight washer even as an option, so they get dirty quickly. The rear windows and mirrors get even dirtier. That's the aerodynamics — Giugiaro clearly didn't account for our roads and weather.
But the fuel consumption pleased. In the city, even in traffic jams, no more than 7.6–7.8 liters per 100 km. On the highway — 5–5.5 liters. The manual gearbox shifts are short and soft, so your hands almost always stay on the wheel, conveniently gripping its ridges (like in an Audi), and turn it effortlessly, getting true pleasure.
Now the results. The Grande Punto is indeed the largest in the B-class, the most equipped, but also the most expensive. Our test car was priced at 520,000 rubles (about 21 thousand dollars), of which 10,000 for the Exotica Red color and 7,000 for dual-zone climate control. There was no seat heating, but it can be added for 10,000 rubles. A robotic gearbox — another 31,000. In total, a fully equipped car is about 600,000 rubles.
Isn't that a bit much for a brand that has already left our market more than once without finding its niche? Maybe the problem is precisely in the inflated prices?
Technical specifications:
| Dimensions (mm) |
4030x1687x1490 |
| Engine displacement (cc) | 1368 |
| Maximum power (hp) | 77 |
| Curb weight (kg) |
1040 |
| Maximum speed (km/h) | 165 |
| Acceleration to 100 km/h (s) |
13.2 |
| Average fuel consumption (l/100km) | 7.7 - 7.9 |
| Maximum torque (Nm/rpm) | 115/3000 |
| Fuel tank capacity (l) |
45 |
| Trunk volume (l) |
275/1030 |
| Price of tested model (rubles) | 520,000 (in top version 620,000) |
Dmitry Shavyrin
We thank the Avtomir dealership in Strogino for providing the car for the test.
Source – AUTOMANIA.RU