2003 Fiat Punto Reviews - Page 3 of 3

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2003 Fiat Punto Dynamic 16v Speedgear 1.2 from UK and Ireland

Year of manufacture2003
First year of ownership2003
Most recent year of ownership2004
Engine and transmission 1.2 Automatic
Performance marks 10 / 10
Reliability marks 10 / 10
Comfort marks 8 / 10
Dealer Service marks 10 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper) 10 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)
9.6 / 10
Distance when acquired55 miles
Most recent distance8200 miles
Previous carFiat Punto

Summary:

A joy to drive, lively and fun

Faults:

Absolutely nothing.

General Comments:

I was initially wary about going for an automatic, but my fears proved totally unfounded. The Continuously Variable Transmission is a joy to drive. It is instantly responsive and extremely smooth.

Even in Economy mode, I seldom use any other, the car is very quick and the engine is a great improvement on the 8 valve engine of my previous model.

Fuel economy is excellent 50+ mpg is easily obtainable on a long journey.

Of course it's not perfect road noise is intrusive and the indicator warning is too quiet, so with a noisy cabin a greater problem than it should be.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th February, 2004

Comment on this review

2003 Fiat Punto Activ 1.2 petrol from UK and Ireland

Year of manufacture2003
First year of ownership2003
Most recent year of ownership2003
Engine and transmission 1.2 petrol Manual
Performance marks 9 / 10
Comfort marks 7 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)
8.0 / 10
Distance when acquired5045 miles
Most recent distance6026 miles
Previous carNissan Primera

Summary:

Nice car, but perhaps not one for long term ownership

Faults:

Don't Know. It was a Europcar hire drive car picked up at an airport for a 3 day hire.

General Comments:

This was a nice perky car to drive. The interior layout, and position of the controls was excellent. The only flaw was nowhere to rest the left foot to the left of the clutch pedal.

The car was able to accelerate well and keep up with the high speed traffic on the M25 London Orbital motorway, and to be easy to handle in inner London traffic. At 70 miles per hour on the motorway the car was reasonably quiet, with good suppression of tyre and wind noise.

My only concern about this car would be the build quality. Some plastic trim was already hanging loose due to clips pulling out of place, and the tailgate felt as if it was made of quite thin metal. There were a number of squeaks and rattles and occasionally buzzing noises from the facia. This was a vehicle with only 6000 miles on the clock, so I would be concerned about how it would be at 60,000 miles.

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

Review Date: 16th May, 2003

Comment on this review

6th Oct 2003, 11:56

UPDATE BY ORIGINAL AUTHOR.

I picked up another Punto 1.2 from car hire at Luton airport in September 2003 (not the same car as the orginal review!).

This one had 6800 miles on the clock, and it was interesting to note that the same bit of trim, at the driver's right knee, was also hanging loose just like the car I wrote the original review about. The panel is retained by large plastic plugs which appear to work loose and then never fit properly.

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22nd Sep 2005, 09:43

I have a 03 Fiat Punto 1200 Active 4 door, although in itself seems a decent car for the price, I have found it to be the worst car I have ever driven for 'blind spots', the R/H central door pillar makes it very difficult to see what is coming from the right at a junction or a roundabout, also the R/H windscreen pillar causes me the same problem, having to dart my head back & forward in both cases to look around them. I am of average height, so don't have my seat set at extremes.

I can't believe no-else has not noticed this!

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Average review marks: 7.7 / 10, based on 8 reviews