2004 Fiat Punto Sporting Active 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Bad design, poor runner, not worth the inconvenience

Faults:

Persistent clutch judder that hasn't been cured and am now on the 3rd clutch and have been told by the dealer that this problem dates back to 2002 and hasn't been corrected to date.

Rev counter pulsates.

Squeaks from rear of the car, which we have been informed by the dealer is due to the handbrake cable dragging on the rear axle.

General Comments:

The car is super to look at, but unfortunately seems to have too many design problems and with the recurring problems, once the warranty expires, we face expensive repair costs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th May, 2005

2004 Fiat Punto Sporting 1.4 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good value for money poor ride quality

Faults:

Nothing major has gone wrong with the car. The door handles had some major scratches on when it was first purchased, although these have now been changed under warranty. I have found the car to be very reliable.

General Comments:

Performance is very very good for a car of this size although it needs to be revved hard to achieve this. Ride quality is very poor due to the very stiff sports suspension. The car has a lot of extras for the price skirting all round, alloy wheels, air con, traction control and ABS to name, but a few.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd February, 2005

2nd Feb 2005, 13:08

Most hot hatches have very stiff springing.

Didn't they let you test drive it first?

18th Feb 2005, 06:50

I didn't have a test drive in a sporting, I had one in a normal Punto.

I knew the ride was going to be sporty, but I think it is very rough when compared to a 206 GTI or a similar type of car.

12th Jun 2005, 16:00

How do you use the Punto's on board MPG computer? I don't have a clue how it works?

12th Jul 2005, 09:55

With regard to the fuel computer; My sporting is a 2001 model, but you press the 'trip' button through the various functions until you have an 'A' followed by several spaces. Then drive!...it then takes a few minutes before it starts working. A warning...it stops working when the fuel light comes on, so it's no good for those folks who try and use the last drops before filling up!!!

12th Jul 2005, 09:57

Sorry, the last comment was for the 'fuel remaining' function!!

26th Oct 2005, 08:51

Simply press the button on the end of the wiper stalk until you come to the 'mpg' feature. Then drive. It'll show what mpg you're doing, interesting to see it can drop to around 10 mpg when you floor it, or can be 80 mpg when cruising gently (on an decline, more realistically).

Press the button again, and it'll show the average mpg since you last re-set the trip computer.

2004 Fiat Punto Active Sport 16V 1.2 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Cheap to buy, run and insure, whilst being reliable and fun (ish)

Faults:

Front driver door seal seems to be wearing where the door touches it, this happened on my last Punto, so I guess it just happens!

No other faults.

General Comments:

Nice car to drive, much quicker and better with the 16V engine compared to the 8v (which I had previously)

Cheap to run averaging 50mpg with town, country and motorway driving. Keeps up well with other traffic, however cross winds still blow it about a little.

Cheap insurance, cheap to buy, looks good with the standard alloys, spoilers, etc... Nice interior, but typical fiat being fairly cheap plastics with the odd bit of leather chucked in for luck!, but so far nothing has broken!

If you are about to choose one of these, make sure you go for the 16v version, slightly more on insurance, but much much quicker than the 8v which I found struggles in keeping up with motorway traffic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2005

2004 Fiat Punto Active Sport 1.2 8v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A nice car, but not without some little faults

Faults:

The car broke down in the first week of ownership (this was traced to a ignition fault, and was cleared by the AA) 4seyw5

The handbrake needed adjusting after only 3 weeks of ownership.

Small problems with the paintwork.

(now being sorted by dealership)

The wipers make a "clicking" noise when being used on a low speed.

I have been told this is normal for the model.

General Comments:

On the whole I am happy with the car. It's a shame that the overall package has been blighted by small "niggles"

I suppose these problems have been offset slightly by the fact that me and my fiance got quite a good deal from the dealership (over £1400 off, and some money off of the paint-care package)

The car is quite quick for a 1.2, and drives well (it does roll in the corners a bit)

It's a nice sporty number, without being too "Boy Racer"

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

Review Date: 27th October, 2004

12th Apr 2005, 06:45

I have read your comments and they are fair to good and the fiat punto cannot please all and remain so cheap to buy, but for a new buy it is good and I think your comments reflect this.