2012 Fiat Punto Sport review, test drive

In a bid to bring the Punto back onto the hatchback buyer’s radar, Fiat’s launched the 90bhp Multijet diesel Grande Punto Sport. The upgrades are purely cosmetic, the most obvious of which are the decals that run the length of the car and the hatch. There is also the contrasting colour of the side-view mirrors – they are black on the red car, and red on the white as well as the black car. The Sport also boasts a chrome-tip exhaust sourced from the Linea T-jet.

There are a few changes on the inside too. The red contrast stitching on the seats is now seen on the gear lever as well, and this limited version also gets metallic door sills and aluminium-finished pedals. A useful inclusion is the delay function for the power windows, which allows their operation for a short while even after the ignition is turned off.

Mechanically, the Punto remains largely the same. The engine characteristics are retained, while the only change is the ground clearance which is now raised by 14mm to 185mm. This in turn has affected the Punto’s dynamics, which are not as good as before. The Punto Sport costs Rs 15,000 more than the regular Punto 90HP – that’s not really too much. Still, we can’t help but think this cosmetic upgrade is too little and a bit too late.