2002 Fiat Punto 'Go' review from UK and Ireland

Have currently owned the car for 9 months and not a single fault so far!

While I do have a few gripes with the car, I have to say that, on the whole, I am quite pleased with it, and in no way regret choosing this model.

My biggest gripe is with the headlights: while they are quite 'trendy' to look at, the individual light units are far too small, and road illumination is very poor (I'm surprised that no one else has commented on this). I find it makes night driving (particularly in poorly lit areas) rather stressful. I have replaced all the bulbs with the 'Xenon gas' type (30% brighter) which has made some improvement - but road illumination is still not particularly good.

This model is well reputed to have something of a 'bumpy' ride. I quite agree that it is, but as my last car (which I owned for 22 years!!!) also had a rather bumpy ride, his 'weakness' does not concern me too much.

General comfort inside the vehicle is fairly good, and I love the appearance of everything on the dashboard - particularly at night when the lights are on (more impressive than Blackpool illuminations!). The heating and ventilation system is very efficient.

I sometimes feel a little worried when starting the engine. On turning the ignition key, the first revolution of the engine is sometimes very slow - as if the battery is almost flat - however, the engine spin-over soon speeds up and it always starts 'first time', so no 'actual' problem here.

I am highly impressed at how quiet the engine is; however, the benefit of this feature is somewhat dampened by the amount of road noise that fills the cabin. This can be startlingly loud (and irritating) on some poor road surfaces.

I find the dealers (Auto-world - Sheffield) generally disappointing. They always seem very willing to help, but most questions leave them scratching their heads - they don't seem to know much at all!

I was surprised to discover that Fiat send out many of these models minus a boot light; however, all the wiring is installed, and if you look over on the right (as you look into the boot) you should see the wiring dangling down (presuming your car does not have the light already fitted, of course). If it is not visible, you'll find it tucked behind the lining material (a bit fiddly to get out - as mine was) close to where the light unit clips in. The light units cost only about 7 pounds from the dealers, and take about a minute to clip into place - worth adding, in my opinion.