 Punto
was a terrific car. Not only being the world’s best selling supermini,
it once sank the mighty Golf into the second place of European selling
chart for all cars. European Car of The Year 1995 is another title
recognising
its achievement. 5 years later, the Mk-II Punto is set to repeat the
success.
Given a budget of $709 million, the new car is of course more than a facelift but it is not an all-new car either. The first we have to ask is whether it is based on the old car’s platform. Depends on how we define a "platform", someone may insist that it is a new one because the most important rear suspensions have been shifted to the popular torsion-beam set-up from the old trailing arms. Some may argue that the front MacPherson struts are still there and all the positioning of hard points, which governs interior space, remains unchanged. Myself prefer to call it a 50% new platform. Why torsion beam suspension ? people having read my "Technical School" could easily point out that it is compact and cheap. The trailing arm is a rather old design which works reasonably well with long arms but this is not feasible in the space-conscious supermini. Short arms lead to more undesirable change of chamber and caster, thus explain why the old Punto was notorious about handling. The trailing arms could also be blamed for the old car’s harsh ride because the heavy trailing arms contribute to more unsprung weight than competitor’s torsion beam, and this could be a big headache to the very light supermini. The new Punto’s rear suspension is 6.5kg lighter. While the suspension is the most improved part, the evolutionary exterior styling is certainly not. To some people, the new Punto looks more conservative than the previous Giugiaro design, which is still pretty in today. However, the advance in build quality (that is, narrower assembly gap, fitter plastic molding and better painting) polishes the visual quality while some elegant features are added to enhance the classy feel. Sheet metals are shaped to more boxy and incorporates some aggressive edges. The center section of the "mouth" now becomes a black plastic molding sandwiched between the body-coloured left and right air dam, hence looking like a sport-utility vehicle. A pair of ventilation holes on each of the air dam deliver a sense of sophistication. At the rear, the distinctive vertical taillights remains there to enable a wide hatchback door. Fiat emphasis that the 3-door and 5-door are very different : the former has an eye-catching inclined edge running above the rear wheel arch towards the taillight, hence a more a sporty appearance. Moreover, the aforementioned SUV-inspired front bumper is only found in the 3-door. The 5-door has a safer styling, also an extra 35mm rear overhang to enhance cargo volume to nearly 300 litres. However, they are not as different as Brava / Bravo. Perhaps the biggest visual change is the deletion of our favourite 5-bar logo. It was originated in the Panda / Uno and since then spread to all other Fiat models, now gives way to the so-called "100 years anniversary logo", which is just a little circle with the word "FIAT" inside. Behind the badge is the familiar Super FIRE engine. No 1.1-litre anymore, leaving the 1242c.c. 8V (60hp) as the base engine. Next up, the all-alloy dohc 16V version passed the forthcoming emission regulation by dropping the rev and peak power from 86hp / 6,000 rpm to 80 hp / 5,000 rpm. Oddly, Brava’s 1.6-litre 16V is not found in the line-up, so further up is the top-of-the-range HGT which is powered by Barchetta’s 130hp 1.8-litre with VVT. In my old report I said Fiat should had been replaced the old 1.4 turbo with this one, now it comes true. However, the most exciting is that a "Tiptronic-style" CVT is added to the line-up consists of 5-speed and 6-speed manual. The 1.2 16V Sporting is the luckiest of all because it gets both the 6M and the CVT. Both transmission cannot cope with the extra torque of the 130hp HGT so that only 5-speed manual is offered for the flagship. In the 80hp Sporting, the 6-speed is as delightful as usual. The new CVT is supplied by Fuji. You probably haven’t heard about this company but in fact it is the mother company of Subaru (here in Hong Kong we call Fuji instead of Subaru). Inevitably it makes us believing that the transmission is a version of the one using by Subaru Pleo. Both are CVT with torque converter instead of electric clutch (thus allows smooth transition in traffic), both with a "Tiptronic" mode simulating a 7-speed manual gearbox. In the Punto Sporting, the auto mode works well to deliver smooth driving under non-stressed condition. At high speed it shows its limitation by making noise, not fast enough too. Like Tiptronic, push the shifter to the manual position and you can get a sequential shift by push and pull action. Response becomes far quicker yet very smooth, although needed a heavy hand. (to remind you that you are controlling the car !) In terms of performance, the 6-speeder is still the first choice. The 80hp engine is not as desirable as thought. Because of the peak power now occurs at 5,000rpm instead of 6,000rpm, the power band becomes narrower, although peak torque now occurs 500rpm lower at 4,000rpm. At below 2500 not too much power is available, so you have to shift frequently to keep the rev between 3,000 and 5,000rpm. Luckily the close-ratio gearbox help, no matter the 6-speed manual or the 7-speed CVT. Unlike other close-ratio transmissions, the extra ratios of Fiat’s pair still allow a relax and frugal cruising at the top gear. Benefited by the new suspension, handling and ride are both improved by a large margin. Sporting gets the same firmer set-up and the same lower ride height as the HGT. Also the same is the extra rear spoiler, side skirts and alloy wheels. With the optional 185 / 55 R15 rubber, grip is in no doubt. The new suspension, although without anti-roll bar, resists roll very well. The steering is quickened from 2.8-turns lock-to-lock to 2.5-turns, accompany with the new suspension, makes the new Punto more responsive to steering input. Basically the steering tendency is understeer, but it is easy to be flicked around. The electric power steering, supplied by GM’s subsidiary Delphi, makes its first European debut in Punto. Not only speed sensitive, it provides an extra "City" mode which lighten the steering effort a lot for parking. As shown in Cadillac Seville, steering feel is not corrupted or filtered. Ride comfort is greatly improved, suspension noise is also suppressed. Although it doesn’t damp as well as the best Peugeot, the good compromise between handling and ride could make Volkswagen, Renault etc. worry. The strength of
Punto is
still the cabin. Although having no more wheelbase and width, the new
car
adds a further 30mm in height to the already tall old car to enable a
class-leading
cabin space. As before, all occupants sit in an up-right position to
free
up leg room. The dashboard mirrors the design of Brava and is now made
of higher quality plastic. Fit and finish is also improved. The only
criticism
is about the thicker C-pillars which reduce rear quarter vision.
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| The above report was last updated on 24 Aug 99. All Rights Reserved. |