Fiat Punto reviews

I have been fortunate to drive a number of cars, a 2008 Skoda Fabia, 2012 Mini Cooper, 2000 Astra estate, 2006 VW Passat, 2003 Mazda Tribute, 2016 Fiat 500/595 Competizione ABARTH, 2001 Fiat Punto Mk2, 2007 Fiat Punto Evo, 2008 Fiat Punto Grande, 2013 Toyota Aygo & a 2004 Ford Fiesta. When it came to buying my first car, I had a general idea I wanted a Hatchback, but I was on a budget. Surprisingly I was actually stunned at the Fiat Punto mk2. So I decided to get a 2004 Fiat Punto mk2b (facelift model). I will admit, it perhaps isn't the best of looking, but my-jingo the thing was a bit of a beast. Interior was basic but stylish and love the Blaupunkt radio. Seats were rigid, almost like bucket seats & hold you in well - but becomes uncomfy when driving for more than 3 hours. To get to the punto of this review of the Punto ;) - it's Italian for 'point' The Pros: Very low insurance Very low road tax Dual electric 'CITY' steering Very fast revving engine Very economical for it's age Surprisingly large boot Easy maintenance Firm brakes Oddly, because it's an older car with not a lot of electrical components, it is extremely reliable - this is the beauty of it's simplicity! Cheap for parts The Cons: Gear stick feels floppy - still works but not "firm" when changing gears Typical Italian electrics, side lights may disconnect when going over rough ground, air-bag warning light is a common fault! Does not have independent rear suspension - going over large/bumpy surfaces will require a spine replacement! Does not hug corners - this can be altered with new or lowered springs & shocks DO NOT get the 8 valve like what I did, get the 16 valve engine!!! You lose a lot of power in high revs with only 8 valves! Overall: If you want a town/city car that's fun, reliable, spacious, stylish and quick at accelerating, then the Fiat Punto is for you. I've had mines for 2 years (is 12 years old) with 78,000 miles on the clock, been through ice, snow, mud, offroad, in a ditch, someone kicked the door in - got fixed, had a replacement exhaust & Hoffmann backbox for a terrific deep tone! I wasn't struck on it immediately, but once you have it, you will grow attached and understand the phrase Spirito di Punto

I have had my light blue Punto from new. I have had it for 12 years. It was the first one of its kind and colour in our area and it stood out splendidly on the roads and in car parks. Now there are a lot of them around. It has never let me down, but has needed some care over the years, such as new head gasket and all the usual checks and replacements (wipers, brake pads, tyres etc). It can accelerate well on motorways if necessary and is comfortable and roomy. Leg room in all seats is no problem, even though we are a family of 4 with everyone over 5' 9" tall. Boot size is good and it can take a large supermarket shop easily. The shelf removes for larger cargos and the back seats fold down. Petrol-wise, I have no idea what mileage it does to the litre, but I used to be able to fill it up from a quarter with £25, but now that costs £45. It has a "girly button" (that's what the salesman called it) to lighten the steering when parking, but I have never used it as the steering is light enough to use in normal mode. When I pass my Punto on to my son (he shares it with me when he is home and will one day need his own car), I will happily buy another one as I think it is a great car.

I have driven only FIATs for 34 yrs. I drive from W.Yorks. to Dover & across France (& Belgium/& Holland/& Switzerland?&...) at least once every year, & take 3 walking holidays each year, requiring on average a 5h journey. Like all of my FIATs, this car has proved to be highly reliable & practicable (almost as good as the first Pandas). It is serviced annually by a FIAT dealership. For walking holidays in this country (& until recently in France), I tow a fully laden 3 ft luggage trailer (no problems), the generous boot space being taken up by a GSD. Petrol consumption ranges from 47 mpg (urban use 1 or 2 times per week) to 52 mpg (motorways UK & France).Averaging 12500 miles per year, front tyres have lasted 4 1/2 yrs (rear tyres have not & are not in need of replacing ). All services & MOTs have had a clean bill of health to date. It will happily cruise at 70 mph in UK & 140 km/h on French motorways,in built-up areas the "city steering" greatly aids maneuvering. A useful observation - when in Europe, should a problem arise Renault garages are very good at handling FIAT problems.

I bought this Punto in 2001 at 18 months old and with 30,000 miles completed. I have done varying annual mileages in it from 15,000 to just 3,000. It has proved to be my best car purchase yet and now shows 120,000 miles. It generally costs about £300 per year for a basic service and MOT at the local independent Fiat specialist. Other than that, it costs very little to run, with good fuel consumption. I have no problem jumping in it at a moment's notice to travel on the motorway with the confidence it will perform without a hitch. Any problems that have occurred have been generally easy to rectify and it has never left me stranded. The biggest job done on the car was a new head gasket at about 105,000 miles. With a new cambelt and valve work as a result, it has been given a second lease of life. I would be quite happy to own this car until well beyond 150,000 miles. I would point out that this is the first car I've owned which has been kept in a garage and I attribute this protection (especially for the electrics) for the longevity of the car.

As a retired person on a state pension, I need a vehicle that is above all, reliable and the Punto has not let me down since I have owned it. It is reasonably economical at 40mpg considering the low mieage I do now. There is plenty of room for the rear seat passengers and good carrying space with the rear seats folded down. Performance is quite nippy but this is of secondary importance to someone who has spent his working life driving heavy vehicles.The vehicle has now covered 98,000 miles and uses very little oil and water. Starting in winter conditions is excellent. All in all, a very usable and reliable vehicle that suits my requirements admirably.

I have made 3 return trips to the south of France in my Punto in the last 18 months. Each time I have taken a full load as I have bought a small house there. One trip my daughter and I took our 2 cats in their carry boxes, plus wooden garden table and 4 chairs, clothes, household items etc. It took 15 hours door to door via the tunnel and we managed 61 miles to the gallon! Without the cats, we have an overnight stop. While in France last time I bought 22 sq metres of floor tiles, grout, glue etc and loaded up the Punto for the 25 km journey back to the house, which also included my daughter, her friend and me. I love my Punto!!

Bought in 2010 with 39000 on the clock. Had had a new head gasket and ECU fitted prior to that and was good until about 2-3 years ago. Fuel consumption averaged around 50-52 mpg. Various minor problems developed & in 2012 a problem with an engine light coming on resulted in a "lamba" sensor being replaced. The following year saw a radiator fan replaced and new clutch and another head gasket fitted. Soon after a new cam belt and water pump were fitted, ( at 74000 miles - pretty standard event,) but at 75000 miles, the engine gave up the ghost when it "dropped a valve" and was deemed uneconomic to repair.

Had the car 1 month after driving a bmw. Obvious the reduction in comfort and power were the first thing i noticed after downgrading but after 1 month the comfort is no longer an issue and the reduction in power is outwieghed by the ease of city driving and parking in smaller spaces. The punto is modestly equipped (I have the basic active model} but it has everything you would expect for a basic car. fuel economy is good. 42mpg city driving and 47mpg motorway driving at 70mph. The car is good value for money. Bought mine at 3 year old and was £2000 cheaper than the equalivent fiesta.

Ha my Fiat punto forte 14 years from new Great runner forse Town,shopping,supermarket The only down Fall is and Most probably every car has is after the 150.000 miles the engine starts To be tierd or should Say lazy but i woudn`t blame her after all she s given me in 14 years however when her time will come i would defo get The same updated model with some Hope It would be The same Long lasting car that i really daught on every car today as to much tecnology is put in these new cars today so keep it simple and things will work

THE PUNTO was an established car and new interventions added that add nothing to the car poor position of speedo who wants to know how many revs when you cant see the speedo. Stop start a waste of time very annoying when car is put in nuetral and stop start kicks in. If these were removed and the poor seat adjustment my wife cant get close enough to the pedals unless virtually on top of the widscreen. We have had Fiats for over 25 yrs 126,127,128 strada,uno punto. will not be buying another Fiat.

I find my Fiat very comfortable and generally reliable it does on occasion have some electrical quirks and I would like a bit better acceleration. however it is economic to run on most accounts getting just over 50 mpg on a long run and around 45mpg around town. I`ve had it since it was 2 years old and other than routine servicing, the replacement of the front tyres ( at around 30000 miles) and 2 sun visors it has given very little trouble and is now showing 41000 miles.

I needed a cheap car for my retirement and I bought this one with 91,000 miles on the clock. It is nippy, quite roomy and versatile. I have moved many things in this car including a cut-up 14Ft conifer tree. It is fairly comfortable given it's original price-point, cheap to run and uses very little oil even though it has now done 99,500 miles.It starts easily in any weather and all the electrics work well. All in all a brilliant vehicle.

This has been a very good purchase. The car which was brought second hand but has been very reliable with very little mechanical problems apart from general wear & tear service requirements. Car is adequate for four adults but although it has capacity for an additional passenger would not be confortable for longer jpurneys, more over sized passengers. Boot space is more accomodating then expected. Cost of running is average.

I have only had this car a couple of weeks seems to have no problems a bit slow but what do you expect from a 1.2 engine, roomy enough to carry my fishing tackle when I go, seems very reliable, starts no problems, with a 1.2 engine running costs are low ie, tax,insurance, fuel consumption, looks good, don,t like windy conditions all in all a nice small car I have been used to much larger cars.

Fiat cars seems to have a bad reputation (cf. Which magazine), but I have been driving them (with the occasional Lancia or Alfa Romeo thrown in) for 40 years and they have not given me much trouble. They are comfortable and relatively nippy - though my current vehicle has a smaller engine than I am used to, which can be a bit of a drag.

My punto is gold hence the name BLING! She is reliable and quick for a 1.2 cc The only downfalls are the exhaust and the power steering, the exhaust constantly rattles and the power steering has gone twice in five years. The good points are she is quiet quick and fine on motorways. She is comfortable on smooth roads.

Best car I've had and I've had many Puntos. It's never let me down, so very reliable. what I don't like about it is that it's designed for a man with long legs and I'm a woman with very short legs! The seat belt cuts across my neck. The door pillars block side view. Having said that, I would buy another one.

My 1999 Fiat Punto is still going strong. I have an automatic which is called the Punto Selecta. It is very reliable and fuel economy is good. Considering its age, I have had very little trouble with the car, although recently the head gasket went which was a bit pricey! Car running really well now though.

I love my Punto.... I haven't had it from new ... so probably haven't seen it/used it at its best. My only negative - which I think is due to shape and lighteness - is that it feels more wobbily than other cars I've driven in the wind. So I dont enjoy driving it much when its very windy weather.

This is an economical car to run and it is best driven on a flat road at an average speed. It does not have good capacity for carrying loads - other passengers or keeping speed on uphill gradients. Do not expect to overtake quickly or very efficiently. Otherwise it is a neat little runaround.