2001 Fiat Punto HGT 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Sharp suited brio

Faults:

Door hinge retaining strap is loose and clicks when the door is opened.

Annoying rattle from behind the dash - now constant, but the dealer cannot locate it.

General Comments:

Strong performance from a very torquey engine. Excellent brakes too.

Mine is in Sprint Blue which shows off the lines really well.

Would have preferred a cheaper price without the standard SatNav which is hopeless.

Don't buy this car for fuel economy - it will not go above 25mpg!

It's a superb traditional style hot hatch. Very rare on the streets too.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th October, 2001

4th Jul 2003, 08:39

This review is inaccurate with regards to fuel consumption.

I have a Punto HGT as do a few friends and it is easily capable of a sustained 35 mpg plus.

If you drive with your foot on the floor all the time then as with any car your fuel economy will be poor, but drive "normally" and the HGT will give you around 34 mpg in everyday driving.

4th Nov 2005, 08:55

Many cars under 1800. I owned a 2001 hgt and the build quality was poor along with handling. weak engine, you never hear of these engine doing over 100k because they blow easily, as fragile as r5. pathetic for 1800 turbo. should b at least 200bhp. after care service is terrible. STAY AWAY FROM FIATS.

20th Jun 2006, 11:18

How wrong can you be! The HGT is a normally aspirated 1800cc, not a turbo. Please don't comment if you don't know about the car.

2001 Fiat Punto ELX 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A dream of a car at a ridiculous price! Buy one!

Faults:

Washer jets were split - replaced under warranty.

A few trim items were missing, looks like the dealer was using the my car as the parts bin!

General Comments:

This car is fantastic!

Trip computer is very good, average miles to the gallon never below 45!!

Handling is superb, no body roll at all.

Steerimg is very accurate and feels very good.

The 'City' mode makes parking a doddle.

The seats are really supportive and feel as though they are from a BMW!

Cheap tax, cheap insurance, cheap to run, high level of equipment, a delight to drive. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT???

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th July, 2001

31st Jan 2005, 11:32

Do you still have nice things to say???

2001 Fiat Punto ELX 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Stylish, efficient - reliability still to be proven

Faults:

The dashboard has just given up working. Apparently it has become disconnected from the rest of the car and will have to be completely replaced. The car is only two weeks old!

General Comments:

I like the car.

It's comfortable and seems to be efficient, although with only two weeks experience it's hard to tell.

The sun roof is very good, although the movement from slide to tilt is a little too "all-in-one" to know whether it is actually closed or not when driving.

It looks great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 31st May, 2001

6th Aug 2001, 17:07

It's true that Italian cars are anti hassle free cars, but let's face it, things like your dashboard problem can be a one-off problem.

I have a 2000 Punto with only 5400 miles, I drive really carefully and yet my ECU self destructed.

As I write, the car has been in the garage for a week already and will stay their for some time as they are waiting for the part to be shipped from Italy. But again, these are one-offs not a general problem with Puntos in general.

What boils my blood is that the importer (Malta is too small for dealers, so everyone gets the official importer straight away) refuses to give me a spare car while I wait for mine to be fixed. And yet, my car is under warranty!!!

Still, like you, I love the car. And it's marvellous fuel economy!!

2001 Fiat Punto ELX 16v 1.25 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A superbly designed supermini providing lively performance and outstanding fuel economy

Faults:

Nothing, but the car was delivered with some minor faults:

1. Small blemishes in the paint work.

2. Paint chipped from the front edges of the bonnet.

3. Bonnet not adjusted correctly so could not be opened easily.

4. Boot light hanging on wires (clip broken).

General Comments:

Apart from the minor quality control problems, this is a superb car. It is very well-equipped with electric sun roof, trip computer and an excellent Blaupunkt stereo with six speakers and a boot-mounted 100W sub-woofer.

The interior is comfortable and roomy, well put together and of good quality materials. All the controls are conveniently located and work well, but the pedals are a little close together for larger drivers and there is no left foot rest.

Fuel economy is outstanding. The computer regularly shows over 50 miles per gallon (currently indicating 57 mpg on the existing tankful).

The power steering is excellent. The City ratio provides extra assistance giving very light steering when parking.

The ride over uneven surfaces could be better and the very quiet turn indicator needs to be louder. I have been flashed on a couple of occasions by other drivers after leaving the indicators on - they do not always self-cancel.

Performance is very good for such a small engined car. It is both a practical long-distance tourer and a city car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th May, 2001

24th Jun 2006, 04:10

Since posting my original review 5 years ago, my Punto car has covered 50,000 miles and has been mechanically totally reliable and it has averaged around 43-45 miles per gallon.

Apart from routine service items such as oil, filters, plugs, wiper blades and tyres I have only had to replace the following items:

Rear portion of exhaust at 43,000 miles

Battery at 4 years

Front brake pads at 48,000 miles.

The things that have really irritated me about this car though have been a number of squeaks and rattles from the bodywork and suspension.

After about two years I began to notice a very annoying squeaking from the rear suspension which I traced to the sub frame bushes. These are not covered in the Hayes manual, but I have been told that they can only be replaced a part of a complete new sub frame. A temporary cure to this noise (that has the power to drive you mad) is to squirt rubber lubricant all around the bushes every two months or so. This should not be necessary!

There is a rattling (like a bunch of keys) from the steering column, but only when the wheels are straight ahead. I have so far been unable to trace this problem.

Recently there is another loud squawk from the rear of the car when travelling over bumps. At first I thought it was the spare wheel moving in its recess, but later traced it to the rear seat. To date I have not been able to rectify this fault.

The driver's seat is now beginning to look a little 'tired' where the fabric has rubbed during access/egress. The fabric is very easy to catch and pulls into loops.

I still like my Punto very much. It drives well, it is very reliable, it is very economical and it still looks smart. It is a pity that poor build quality lets the whole package down so badly.