Test drive Fiat Grande Punto 5 doors since 2005 hatchback

Grande

Italy cannot but love. Soft climate, magnificent nature, a centuries-old culture and in a Caucasian hospitable and direct people. And there are also a lot of fiates on the streets, which Russia fell in love with the early 70s of the last century. Like the whole country, I was attracted by Italian cars. This love is from early childhood. Like many neighbors in the garage, my grandfather had classic Lada's closest relative of Fiat.
Acquaintance
I liked the new Fiat Grande Punto. I liked it a year ago, when I first saw him in the photographs. The headlights and rounded sides made to the nose are how simple and how fresh and fashionable at the same time. It is impossible to confuse the new Punto with any other car, and the external resemblance to Maserati will surely flatter any driver only if he is not driving Ferrari.
When I was traveling to pick up Grande Punto for the test, I literally trembled with excitement and consciously did not ask sellers about the car. I wanted to understand it myself, to finish, finally, to figure out this sultry Italian. Even kinship with the boring German Opel Corsa did not embarrass, maybe Fiat cars would become more reliable from such cooperation.
And how rejoiced when I found out that I got the top version of the Grande Punto Sport with a 95-horsepower 1.4-liter engine, spectacular 17-inch wheels and a lot of pleasant options.
The interior Punto made an even stronger impression than appearance. The salon uniquely combines respectability and excitement. I liked everything: the shape of the front panel with a powerful visor, and the highly inclined central console of an incredible width. It had enough space for a separate climate of control and the abundance of other large keys. Moreover, so that this whole design does not interfere with the driver's feet, it is removed a little to the right from the longitudinal axis of the machine. The windshield has a large slope, and its racks form small triangular embrasures that they give little in terms of visibility, but they refresh the profile of the machine. How simple and attractive almost every detail is worthy of praise. If I were in the jury of the automotive beauty contest, Grande Punto would have received five for external design and six for the interior (on a 5-point scale, of course). I really liked the chairs. Foolfound rivets, fortunately, are not at all felt by the body, and the seats profile is close to the ideal, and even the headrest in its place with proper landing, it slightly touches the head, as is the case in serious sports seats. The range of adjustment of the front seats turned out to be just huge, which is convenient if you often have to work with a laptop in the car. The back, of course, is not very spacious, but Fiat, as advertising says, is a car for positive egoists, so the rear seats do not affect the overall assessment of the car, as well as the volume of the trunk: its 275 liters are an average indicator in the classroom.
The instrument panel, with the headlights turned off in cloudy weather, was slightly disappointed during the day, it is black and white (white scales, black numbers) and it seems too dark, and with illumination red numbers are poorly read on a white background. But at night, no complaints are very good. For greater convenience, the keys on the central console could be not only large, but also convex, but this would have suffered the style. In addition, hitting the necessary keys to the touch is a question of a weekly habit.
Well, the last pickup is too flat the sound of a standard audio system equipped with 6 speakers. But this is no longer a complaint, but rather a reason for tuning ...
Let's hit the road
And now, as they say, gentlemen, start your motors! I always knew that the engine of the Italian machine should be small and certainly high -speed, otherwise this machine would not be a fiat. Formally, the characteristics look standard. The maximum power is achieved at 6000 rpm, and the cut -off is triggered at 6500. But for a real Italian, this should not be a maximum but normal mode of operation.
But that it was promoting the motor up to 2000 rpm and throwing the clutch, almost drowned out the engine. Yes, and he was gaining momentum not at all as vigorous as we would like. It seems that I am driving a Doblo wagon, and not a loaded city hatchback performed by Sport.
Maybe Grande Punto was refueled in low -quality gasoline? Fortunately, there was little fuel in the tank and, having suffered for half an hour, burned it, and at a proven gas station he poured a high-quality 95th. But the result remained unchanged. Up to 2000 rpm, the thrust is completely absent in any gear, from 2000 to 3000 it is also weak, and only after 3,500 and up to 5000 rpm the motor shows some semblance of activity, and then again worships and reluctantly spins to the limiter. The engine seemed to tell the driver I was tightly reinforced with excellent climbing and red wine and now I dream of meeting Beluchchi Monika and I don’t want to go anywhere, even pushing it.
With music
Only the deep Purple concert was able to revive a little: Punto at least subjectively seems to be a dynamic machine under it, and the rock on the maximum clock overlaps the engine roar in the range from 4,000 to 6000 rpm, and the machine gains more or less tolerable dynamics. True, for me it remained a complete mystery why a charged city car needs a 6-speed gearbox, when only the first three are actually working. Just in case, you can also leave the 6th if Punto suddenly rolls out onto the suburban highway. The remaining programs can be safely sent to the scrap. Maybe without them the car will become easier and will go at least a little faster. The 4th and 5th programs were really useful only at one moment, when I tried to reach maximum speed on the highway, and for this it was necessary to consistently twist each step until the stop. By the way, the declared 177 km/h Punto nevertheless reached, at least, according to the speedometer, but it turned out to be very uncomfortable to control the car at such speed. The baby does not tolerate the rut that we abound in the majority of the highways. Punto is the same as to get down from the mountain on a snowboard will never go directly, only zigzags. The entire fault is spectacular 17-inch dimension wheels worthy of this sports car 205/45 R17. They are probably guilty of Punto heavy starts - a 1.4 -liter motor with a maximum torque of 127 Nm at 4500 rpm is not easy to promote such huge tires. Also, it is also almost entirely excluded from a place with slipping it is possible only on wet asphalt and only at the cost of the set -up clutch. On a smooth road, the situation improves Fiat exactly reacts to the movements of the steering wheel, but it becomes noticeable that the light and high Punto is influenced by the side wind.
Fiat turned out to be surprisingly quiet: even on the winter, non -navigated Yokohama tires in the cabin, you can calmly talk up to 120 km/h. And if we had a more modest version with narrow 15-inch tires, then probably Punto would be absolute quietly, that the real achievement for the car of the segment V.
The element of the red devil is a city, and here he feels at ease (if you do not pay attention to the weakness of the motor). The steering wheel power power steering has two operating modes: standard and lightweight City. In the latter, the steering wheel can be twisted at least with a little finger, which will probably attract the girls. At the same time, a reactive force is always preserved on the steering wheel, and the steering wheel seeks to return to its original position. I liked the standard mode more to rotate the steering wheel inappropriately harder, but at the same time you better control the car and Punto is protected from arbitrary fluctuations with the steering wheel. Moreover, on low -profile tires, the car instantly responds to any deviations of the steering wheel from the zero position, which, combined with moderate rolls, makes Fiat look like a small Alfa Romeo. Even with the disabled Punto stabilization system, you can safely throw transparent steering into the coolest turns and the assembled suspension will not fail. Only you need to remember about the lack of traction on the drive wheels and in advance switch a couple of gears down.
By the way, in the bowels of Fiat, work is really underway to create Alfa Romeo Junior, which will be based on the Punto chassis. I only hope that the motor for a new machine will find a suitable existing engine can disgrace the entire sports story of Alfa Romeo. In the meantime, my acquaintance with Grande Punto caused me a double feeling that came to balance only after he returned the car to the salon and got acquainted with the price list.
How much?
The basic Punto with a 65-horsepower engine of 1.2 liters costs from 420 thousand rubles ($ 15,800), in the list of ABS equipment, frontal airbags, ISOFIX mounts, heating seats, mirrors and front windows, an on-board computer and a central lock. The 5-door version is more expensive than 20 thousand rubles. As an option for 15 thousand, you can order air conditioning.
A more powerful Grande Punto with a 1.4-liter engine (77 hp) costs 455 thousand, a 5-door version is more than 10 thousand more expensive. In addition to the air conditioner, a robotic gearbox MTA Dualogic can be ordered for it for 40 thousand rubles, thus, the price of a car will exceed a psychological barrier of half a million rubles ($ 19,000).
The tested Fiat Grande Punto stands, hold on stronger - 625 thousand rubles (23,500 dollars) and this is the price for a very beautiful, but still a small car that is comparable in dynamics with a domestic dozen? Yes, unlike Italy, to love Italian cars and even more so to support them with your own ruble or dollar for this money, you can buy a Hatchback of a higher golf class with a 2-liter engine of honest 150 hp ...
Shock, Grande.
Text: Leonid Pavlov. Photo by the author.
 

The price of the tested car is $ 23,500

Complete the test of the tested car
Frontary airbags
Abs
Anti -boom system
The system of dynamic stabilization
Steering amplifier
Multifunctional steering wheel
Adjustable steering column in height
Adjustable steering column by departure
Steering wheel decoration with leather
Electric heating of the front seats
Remote Central Castle
Climate control is two-zone
Electric drive and heating of external mirrors
Electr -glass lifts are front
CD-audio system
Fog lights
Alloy wheels
Specifications
Body
Body type 3-door hatchback
The number of places 5
Trunk volume, l 275/1030
Equipped mass, kg 1090
Full mass, kg 1585
Length, mm 4030
Width, mm 1687
Height, mm 1490
Wheel base, mm 2510
Road clearance, mm -
Engine
Type gasoline, with distributed fuel injection
Front location, transversely
Location and number of cylinders R4
Working volume, cm 1368
Cylinder diameter/piston stroke, mm 72x84
The degree of compression is 11
The number of valves per cylinder 4
Maximum power, L.S./rpm 95/5800
Maximum torque, Nm/rpm 128/4500
Transmission
Gearbox 6-speed, mechanical
Front drive
The front suspension is independent, such as McPherson C
Rack suspension half -dependent, spring with tied levers
Front brakes Disco ventilated
The rear brakes are disk
Tires 205/45 R17
Dynamics
Maximum speed, km/h 177
Acceleration time 0-100 km/h, from 11.4
Fuel consumption, l/100 km
city cycle 7.7
country cycle 5.2
mixed cycle 6.1
Fuel tank capacity, l 45
Fuel AI-95 gasoline
 
 
 
 

Source: Carclub.ru