Fiat Grande Punto HP review

Fiat 2013 Grande Punto 90HP review: Steady Evolution

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What started as a replacement for the ageing and long serving Uno resulted in a car called Punto, which did not look as desirable, but that was way back in 1993. May be it did look desirable for its time since it’s a Fiat in the end, a manufacturer which has a knack for making good looking cars. Unfortunately many of Fiats offerings reached our shores later than the international markets as was the current iteration of the Punto, launched in 2005. The beautiful lines of the current attention grabbing Punto were carved by none other than the legendary car designer of the Century, Giorgetto Giugiaro himself. As blessed as we are, Fiat rewarded us with yet another drool-worthy car after the Palio and instantly created a niche market.

Having owned the Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX, I knew what to expect from a Fiat product – typically robust build quality, good driving dynamics and involving driving experience. While facing testing times of dealer network coverage, Fiat`s alliance with Tata motors for sales and service came as a much needed respite for owners which sadly did not blossom into a longstanding partnership. Fiat has yet again made a move to revive the brand through dedicated dealership network and cafes, a brand which is dear to many. By launching the 2013 Grande Punto Fiat is trying to woo customers by adding a few more features to what still remains a desirable package.

Style & Design

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Praise Giugiaro that despite being around for almost 8 years now, the 2013 version still looks stylish and attractive. That eyeballs kept turning at the “Pearl White” machine dressed in chrome front grill, silver accentuated fog lamp surrounds and graphite shaded smart looking 15” alloy wheels, was a proof enough. Visually, not much has changed over the previous Puntos. Fiat has however added extra colours to the line-up, freshened up interiors with new fabric and provided 2 extra speakers to the incorporated audio system with a remote control. That said, could we expect the face lifted Punto in 2014, replete with new bumpers, front grille, tail lamps and new interiors?

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Fiat has tweaked the suspension and the ride height to suit “our” road conditions meaning higher ground clearance (195 mm) and a lot of gap between the tyre and the wheel arches, which is usually an eyesore. The Punto, however, despite riding taller than the previous versions, is not quite difficult on the eyes. While other manufacturers are going fluidic and kinetic with their design approaches, all Fiat has done is splash a few new shades of paint and freshen up the already good design. The Punto stays away from creases along the waist or complex looking intricate bumper design. Instead, it retains clean lines. In the colour tested, the car looks simply fantastic when viewed from the front three quarters.

Interior and features

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Stepping inside, one is greeted by the familiar Punto interiors, well crafted seats, lovely to hold steering wheel, classy silver finished dashboard central console and retro dials. Even though the red stitching on the gear lever and steering wheel and seats look racy, the dashboard in contrast is a mix of classy elegance and chronograph-like dials. The dashboard remains dark shaded with a nice grain finish and a chrome strip running across to break the monotony. Fiat could have used a better color or shade on the lower parts viz., the glove box and the door panel inserts which carry a down-market grey shade and reduce the diminish the overall appeal of the cabin.

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The seats, though they have firm padding the ones at the front offer good support. The passenger seats again have firm padding and come with adjustable head restraints. The driver seat comes with height adjust, and to help you find the a driving position that best suits you, Fiat also offers rake adjust on the Steering wheel which also has controls for the multimedia systems.

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The driver seat offers a good view outside with large rear view mirrors while the quarter glass on the front doors adds to the airiness of the cabin. The dials are clear and easy to read with an amber lit display when dark, and offer a host of information on the central LCD which can be accessed via the Trip button mounted on the right side wiper control stalk. Instantaneous fuel consumption, average consumption, range, trip distance, audio media details and such can be cycled through by pressing the Trip button. The Grande Punto Emotion 90HP also comes equipped with airbags as a safety feature.

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