Hello all 
I thought I'd try to write a fairly impartial review for those of you thinking of buying a 1.9 Sporting JTD. My lady and I needed one car to share, not be too attractive on our city street but be good to drive when out and about. I've never thought of myself as a Fiat fan and my past ownership of two Coupe 20V Turbos was more incidental than a pattern - what I do like though is a decent sporting hatchback. I'd been looking at much more expensive premium 3-door hatchbacks back in autumn 2006 and got sucked in by the Punto as a wild-card cheaper choice...
The first showroom impressions of the car are very positive - more than enough to encourage a test drive. Fiat seemed to have worked hard on the "wow factor" and most of the initial things you see and touch are good news. The door shuts with a good thuck and the seats on the Sporting hold you in well. One odd thing is the set of nine silver raised spots on each of the seat bases and backs; you're never quite sure whether to love or hate them. A fully adjustable steering wheel and seat height really help you get comfortable and visibility from the helm is good.
The general atmosphere from the front seats are like that of a much larger car: the windscreen pillars slope away very gently to the (short) bonnet and there are little windows forward of the doors. A chunky, leather-covered steering wheel is quite ergonomic and holds the controls to the stereo and Bluetooth phone hands-free. These aren't as intuitive as those you'd find on some cars, but become very workable over time. Compared to a more expensive car, the plastics are hard but look durable and have weathered 12 months of use well. My car suffers from the common raised dashboard windscreen air vent at one side, but it's minor enough for me never to have bothered raising it as a warranty issue. Another minor gripe is that my early model has a tacky fake carbon-fibre inlay behind the main dials that downgrades the perceived quality, for the driver at least (changed on 2007 cars).
Mine's a Chemical Grey car, which I'd say is the safe colour choice. The general fit and finish of the panels is very good, although the rear bumper doesn't quite sit flush to one of the rear panels on my car. I don't think many people would find fault with the looks: riding a little lower on 17" wheels and with subtle side skirts and spoiler, it appears sporty but restrained. The diamond-cut multispoke wheels are particularly lovely, although are very easily kerbed and difficult to clean. With so much body coloured plastic and that prominent nose, it's no suprise that I've picked up a few minor stone chips despite only covering 8,500 miles.
Other minor gripes have included a door handle breaking from the inside and the legendary leaky tailgate. Fixed promptly by the dealer and more to do with the car being an early one from the factory I'd say. I also find that the little Punto driver logo on the dashboard strip looks like a 1970s olympic symbol or something! Otherwise a very solid-feeling car, especially the drivetrain.
Like many who I suspect will buy this car, this was my first diesel. After this car, I'm a convert - although it was 6,000 miles before the engine freed-up. The lower fuel costs and retained value are attractive, but most convincing for me is the low-rev urge. I now usually drive under 2,000 rpm and enjoy occasionally letting the torque rip. It won't wow you off the mark if you're used to powerful petrols, but it's very potent for short blasts through corners and out of roundabouts. You can scare some quick cars by choosing your moment at low revs - a full set of marks from me here in an area I wasn't expecting much from.
The handling and suspension control are, again, better than I was expecting. Without directly comparing it to my old Clios 172 and Williams, it's definitely good enough to mention in their company. Again, as someone who is a little more mature than in days of old and isn't expecting a balls-out edge, it suits me well and is certainly a much better balance of comfort than the A3 S-Line I recently spent a week driving. Braking is excellent, though grabby at first.
Moving back inside for a final time and I think it's worth mentioning the decent passenger space and boot. I was also pleasantly suprised by the 6-speaker stereo, which also has a discreet MP3 / iPod connection. The Bluetooth handsfree is genuinely useful - this sort of kit would cost an awful lot on the options lists of other cars.
The overall message from me is that it was better than I was expecting - a lot better. I've previously owned some pretty potent cars and was prepared to spend up to £20k on a quality hatchback last year. The cars I'd been considering were a Golf GT TDi, Volvo C30, Clio 197 or an A3 - so the fact that the wild-card cheaper Punto it's still here after a year is only good news!
I know this review isn't from an expert driver, but I hope it helps a few people get a "real world" perspective.
I thought I'd try to write a fairly impartial review for those of you thinking of buying a 1.9 Sporting JTD. My lady and I needed one car to share, not be too attractive on our city street but be good to drive when out and about. I've never thought of myself as a Fiat fan and my past ownership of two Coupe 20V Turbos was more incidental than a pattern - what I do like though is a decent sporting hatchback. I'd been looking at much more expensive premium 3-door hatchbacks back in autumn 2006 and got sucked in by the Punto as a wild-card cheaper choice...
The first showroom impressions of the car are very positive - more than enough to encourage a test drive. Fiat seemed to have worked hard on the "wow factor" and most of the initial things you see and touch are good news. The door shuts with a good thuck and the seats on the Sporting hold you in well. One odd thing is the set of nine silver raised spots on each of the seat bases and backs; you're never quite sure whether to love or hate them. A fully adjustable steering wheel and seat height really help you get comfortable and visibility from the helm is good.
The general atmosphere from the front seats are like that of a much larger car: the windscreen pillars slope away very gently to the (short) bonnet and there are little windows forward of the doors. A chunky, leather-covered steering wheel is quite ergonomic and holds the controls to the stereo and Bluetooth phone hands-free. These aren't as intuitive as those you'd find on some cars, but become very workable over time. Compared to a more expensive car, the plastics are hard but look durable and have weathered 12 months of use well. My car suffers from the common raised dashboard windscreen air vent at one side, but it's minor enough for me never to have bothered raising it as a warranty issue. Another minor gripe is that my early model has a tacky fake carbon-fibre inlay behind the main dials that downgrades the perceived quality, for the driver at least (changed on 2007 cars).
Mine's a Chemical Grey car, which I'd say is the safe colour choice. The general fit and finish of the panels is very good, although the rear bumper doesn't quite sit flush to one of the rear panels on my car. I don't think many people would find fault with the looks: riding a little lower on 17" wheels and with subtle side skirts and spoiler, it appears sporty but restrained. The diamond-cut multispoke wheels are particularly lovely, although are very easily kerbed
and difficult to clean. With so much body coloured plastic and that prominent nose, it's no suprise that I've picked up a few minor stone chips despite only covering 8,500 miles. Other minor gripes have included a door handle breaking from the inside and the legendary leaky tailgate. Fixed promptly by the dealer and more to do with the car being an early one from the factory I'd say. I also find that the little Punto driver logo on the dashboard strip looks like a 1970s olympic symbol or something! Otherwise a very solid-feeling car, especially the drivetrain.
Like many who I suspect will buy this car, this was my first diesel. After this car, I'm a convert - although it was 6,000 miles before the engine freed-up. The lower fuel costs and retained value are attractive, but most convincing for me is the low-rev urge. I now usually drive under 2,000 rpm and enjoy occasionally letting the torque rip. It won't wow you off the mark if you're used to powerful petrols, but it's very potent for short blasts through corners and out of roundabouts. You can scare some quick cars by choosing your moment at low revs - a full set of marks from me here in an area I wasn't expecting much from.
The handling and suspension control are, again, better than I was expecting. Without directly comparing it to my old Clios 172 and Williams, it's definitely good enough to mention in their company. Again, as someone who is a little more mature than in days of old and isn't expecting a balls-out edge, it suits me well and is certainly a much better balance of comfort than the A3 S-Line I recently spent a week driving. Braking is excellent, though grabby at first.
Moving back inside for a final time and I think it's worth mentioning the decent passenger space and boot. I was also pleasantly suprised by the 6-speaker stereo, which also has a discreet MP3 / iPod connection. The Bluetooth handsfree is genuinely useful - this sort of kit would cost an awful lot on the options lists of other cars.
The overall message from me is that it was better than I was expecting - a lot better. I've previously owned some pretty potent cars and was prepared to spend up to £20k on a quality hatchback last year. The cars I'd been considering were a Golf GT TDi, Volvo C30, Clio 197 or an A3 - so the fact that the wild-card cheaper Punto it's still here after a year is only good news!
I know this review isn't from an expert driver, but I hope it helps a few people get a "real world" perspective.
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