2000 Fiat Punto ELX review from UK and Ireland

I had a cracked rear wiper replaced under warranty.

The electric sunroof wasn't very well aligned on delivery.

The heater doesn't heat the drivers feet nearly so well as the front passenger.

After 20 months I still really like this car. It hasn't let me down and continues to impress.

I have averaged well over 50mpg since having it. This equates to a great range which most diesels have trouble achieving. In fact I have driven more than 500 miles between fillups!

Over my commute to work it will usually keep up with most performance cars with twice the power/weight ratio, and overtake most normal family cars. If you want, then it can be fast off the lights, and generally nippy round town. It pulls well even from 20mph in 5th gear. I feel a sixth gear would be practical and help the economy even further for out of town driving.

The steering took a little getting used to (as I hadn't had power assistance before), but with the city mode it is excellent.

The servicing is more than I'd like, but then I know we all get ripped off at main dealers. 12000 mile intervals help though! the standard tyres are not common, so be prepared to pay a little more - My front set lasted 20000 miles.

There's plenty of room and storage. Compared to my girlfriends Corsa, I fell I have lots more room. There is a place to put anything within reach of the driver, which dissuades me from changing as I'd have nowhere to put anything! It is barely smaller inside than my previous 1993 Astra, and has rear headrests to give a more luxurious look.

The stereo is fantastic, aided by the subwoofer. I was able to have a 10CD changer fitted easily which brings the best out of it.

The lights are fine, although the small size doesn't help being seen in daylight. The blue tint of the dipped beams makes it seem like an expensive sports car to an onlooker at night.

I wish my Punto had been fitted with ABS and air conditioning, as there's no other reason to want anything else.