2001 Fiat Punto Sporting review from UK and Ireland

Headlight bulb went after 5,000 miles, cheap enough to replace.

A stylish car with great looks always catches the eye, much nicer to look at than the new Punto and others such as the bland Corsa and funny looking Clio.

Interior is as nice as the outside, some nice touches. Mine had the Sat Nav and CD changer when I bought it. The Sat Nav wasn't that good and was a bit annoying definitely wouldn't pay extra for it.

The seats are supportive, but the driving position is awful, far too high up for a "Sporty" car.

The engine is surprisingly responsive for a 1.2 engine and is quicker than other 1.2's such as the Corsa SXI and Clio 1.2 16v, but does lack in the top end. If you want a car to be nippy round town this is the car for you, but out on the open road it was a little under-powered, but at the end of the day it's only a 1.2.

The handling is the main let-down for this car. The handling is awful, doesn't like corners at all, I lowered it 30mm to see if this improved the handling, but still was terrible too much body roll. Couldn't believe what I was missing out on when I bought my VTS which handles like a go-cart.

To sum this car up, it is a very nice car on the eye, but if you want a hot-hatch this is not the car for you. I would call it a Luke-warm hatch and have to say that it does not deserve the "Sporting" badge. If you're not bothered about performance this is the car for you.