Fiat Grande Punto – Review

Fiat Grande Punto: Grande Punto shares the platform with the linea and hence mechanicals are identical. An independent suspension at the front is backed by a new torsion beam axle configuration.The wider opening doors makes ingress and egress easy. The cabin is insulated from most road shocks. However the noise penetrates into the cabin especially at higs revs.

Pictures of Fiat Grande Punto 1.4L petrol emotion variant

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Fiat Grande Punto: The styling of the interiors is classy but lacks charm. The flat-topped binnacle where the main dials are housed is unexceptional and the dull,light coloured interiors makes matter worse.  Steering wheel, central console and even the control knobs reminds the linea. Fit and finish is as good as in the linea.

Inheriting the Fiat’s bad DNA, awkwardly positioned pedals makes it difficult to find the right driving position. However the height adjustable driver seat and tilt adjustable steering compensates for it. Also,the steering wheel has raised cushions to encourage you to hold it at ten to two. All around visibility is good except the limited rear visibility.

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Fiat Grande Punto: As the name suggest, Grande Punto offers a spacious cabin but only for occupants at the front. With a lenght of 3,985 mm and 1,490 mm in height, the punto should have ample cabin space but not actually. Headroom for rear passengers is just about adequate and  the headrest is standard for all passengers on all variants. Three adults at the back is strictly for short ride. Legroom is quiet ok but only at the mercy of driver. Adults in the rear will find their knees brush the front seatbacks. Door pockets are lean and cubbyholes are minimal. Punto features single glove box.

The boot is quiet impressive (280L) and the punto comes with 60:40 foldable seats to accomodate longer objects. However, Punto’s high sill line is sure to earn criticism. The high sill line is necessitated to achieve better torisonal rigidity which is behind the Punto’s benchmark handling characteristics.

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Fiat Grande Punto: Grande Punto was awarded maximum five star rating by Euro NCAP (European agency for safety testing). Though the Indian punto is different from the european one. Indian punto comes with ABS and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) on higher variants. Blue & Me system, height adjustable driver seat, electrically adjustable ORVM, CD player with steering mounted audio controls, alloy wheels,fog lamps,power windows, tilt adjustable steering, rear defogger and rear wiper makes the  Grande Punto a VFM product.

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Fiat Grande Punto: The four variant of the Grande Punto are – Active, Dynamic, Emotion and Emotion pack. While the Grande Punto petrol models are priced between Rs3.99 lakhs and

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Verdict: Grande Punto is not a hatch without faults. Dull interiors, bad ergonomics and cramped rear seats may receive your criticism daily. But it packs-in comprehensive equipment levels, state-of-the-art technology and the superior driving dynamics of large. Above  all, Grande Punto comes at an incredible price tag.  If the marketing and customer service programme is successful as it hopes, the Grande Punto is set to be a grand success for Fiat.

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