Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Multijet

When it comes to ride and handling, it’s the Punto that wins hands down

Published on Dec 09, 2009 08:00:00 AM

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Jump inside and the interiors aren’t as roomy as you expect in a four-metre-long car. The front seats are large, there’s plenty of headroom, seat travel is good and the cabin feels wide and airy. The steering and driver’s seat both adjust for height too. However, the steering which doesn’t adjust for reach is too ‘in your face’ and the front seats slope down a bit so they lack a bit of support.

Get into the back seat, especially behind a six-foot-tall driver, and legroom is in short supply. However, it’s just the legroom that is a problem in the Punto. With the front seats pulled forward, the back seat is pretty comfortable.

The Grande Punto is also very well equipped. The Emotion variant comes with an iPod dock, voice-activated Bluetooth pairing for your phone, climate control, ABS and twin airbags. The information display informs you of cabin temperature and fuel consumption.

The steering wheel is great to hold and even the gear lever has a sporty feel. However, when you take a closer look, the quality of certain plastics is quite disappointing. The Grande Punto is short on storage space as well. It has shallow cupholders and small door pockets. The car, however, does have a largish boot that measures 280 litres, plenty of space for a car in this class.