Fiat Punto (1999 – 2006) Review
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Fiat Punto (1999 – 2006) At A Glance
Better than the original Punto in almost every way. Excellent driving environment. Easy to get in and out of. Practical and inexpensive to run.
Thick rear pillars on three-door obscure your vision. Reliability should be better.
A lot of journalistic flak has been flung at the latest incarnation of the Punto. Accusations that FIAT has robbed it of its character, ruined its looks, messed up its handling and destroyed its appeal have all been made with varying degrees of vehemence.
The facelift was about as unnecessary as giving Giselle Bundchen a nip and tuck. I agree with my colleagues about that. But the rest of the Punto is fine. It's still one of the easiest cars to get in and out of.
Reviews for Fiat Punto (1999 – 2006)'s top 3 rivals
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Fiat Punto (1999 – 2006) handling and engines
And, if anything, the ride and handling have improved. It may be a bit softer than the first of the phase II Puntos, but it needed to be. It grips, handles and steers well enough, providing you don't inadvertently press the ‘City' mode steering button and really frighten yourself because that's strictly for parking.
The reason for driving it was to check out Fiat's new 1,249cc all alloy Multijet diesel, now also finding its way into the Vauxhall Corsa and about to get under the bonnet of the new Panda.
Like many wives and girlfriends, it doesn't like being woken up first thing in the morning. It moans and sulks and is very reluctant to get moving until you've warmed it up. Unlike wives and girlfriends it's also incredibly noisy and will make the neighbours think you've gone completely mad and bought a tractor.
Out on the road, the diesel clatter eventually subsides, but is then overwhelmed by more noise. I can't remember the last time I heard so much tyre roar. The little KIA Picanto I had driven the previous day was a paragon of refinement in comparison. If you wanted to set a challenge to a bunch of keen young Noise, Vibration and Harshness engineers, then send them a Punto Multijet. Different tyres and some kind of sound-deadening case over the engine would be a good start, but, of course, that would put the costs up and you'd no longer be able to buy one for a discounted £7,209 on the road.
Put your foot down and you experience the usual diesel rush of power. The Yaris 1.4 D-4D beats it for refinement and power delivery hands-down. However, once you get used to the Punto's ways and start to exploit them you can make rapid progress, much to the surprise the luxo barge drivers you cheekily overtake.
So, do I recommend the new Punto? For the money, yes. The 1.2 Active at under £6,000 discounted is plenty of car for the money. Whether you'd want to spend the extra £1,200 on a noisy yet ultra-economical diesel is a vexed question. If you do a huge mileage, then a potential 63mpg is not to be sniffed at. The trouble is, would you want to do a huge mileage in such a noisy car?
Fiat Punto (1999 – 2006) interior
There are plenty of cubby holes all over the place for phones, cameras, sunglasses, money, even cups. The seating position is the same, height-adjustable for the driver and with a height-adjustable steering wheel. Paint and trim colours are still bright and cheerful.
Model History
January 0001
12' 6" long by 4' 5" wide and 860kg to 975kg.
Engines now: 60 bhp 1.2 8v; 80 bhp 1.2 16v; 130 bhp 1.7 16v; 60 bhp 1.9 diesel; 80 bhp 1.9 JTD common rail diesel. 6-speed manual box available with 80 bhp 1.2 in 'Sporting' model. 'Speedgear' CVT available with 7 speeds and 80 bhp 1.2 or 6 speeds and 60 bhp 1.2.
May 2002
Range updated starting with lead-in £6,499 Mia and range proper beginning with £6,999 Active 3-door. 60bhp Active diesel 3-door: £7,499.
August 2003
Facelift brought a grille and new engines including a 100bhp 1,910cc HGT, but more importantly Fiat's new small Multijet diesel. This is 1,251cc, twin cam, 16v four cylinder giving 70bhp at 4,000rpm and 133 lb ft torque at 1,750rpm. Gets to 60 in 13 seconds and on to just over 100mph. Combined mpg is 50.4 and 119g/km CO2.
What to watch out for
If buying nearly new look for silly damage from careless renters and their kids. Signs of water ingress (wet carpets).
Problems with the electric power steering and steering column (the column is directly driven by an electric motor) on Puntos built between 12-2-2001 and 18-5-2001.
Also incorrect racks seem to have been fitted to some RHD 2000MY Puntos, with the result that electric power assistance can suddenly be lost. If buying a 'new' or 'nearly new' Punto check with your FIAT dealer that the steering bearing bush has been replaced. Other fuse and wiring problems with the PAS on Puntos generally.
Internal and external filters together with the ATF of the Speedgear box MUST be changed at 24k miles.
Make sure coolant in expansion tank up to the mark.
Make sure door hinges properly grease coated.
If a manual, check the transmission and clutch.
Essential to use the correct spark plugs or the ECU can become confused. Oil sump pans still rust through in as little as 5 years.
Reports of wrong size pistons having been fitted to 80bhp 1.2 16v engines (symptom: rattling noise).
Also problems with throttle potentiometer, throttle body and air pressure sensor of 1.2 16v.
Reports of head gasket failure on 1.2 60bhp 8v at around 35k miles.
Reports of gearbox and clutch problems.
Reports of squealing water pumps leading to timing belt failure. Reports of door hinges failing at around 4 years old.
Head gasket failure is often due to build up of pressure from sludge blockages due to internal corrosion of the radiator and heater matrix. Highly advisable to replace coolant every 2 years to ensure corrosion inhibitors in it remain up to strength.
Sump pans rust.
20-06-2011:Oil cooler of 1,248cc diesel is integral with oil filter mount, using engine coolant to cool the oil and these sometimes fail. Check header tank for any sign of oil in it.
22-02-2012:Reader sensibly pointed out that £700 failure of Electric Power Steering Motor can make a cheap Punto very expensive, though, in fairness, any expensive failure in a car more than 8 years old can economically write it off.
13-02-2017:2nd actuator failure reported on 2006/56 FIAT Punto Dualogic. First in February 2010 at 18,834 miles, requiring part number 0055222254. Fiat covered half of the actuator cost. Case Reference 31517167. Same thing has happened again 36,000 miles later in February 2017.
