The Grande Punto is the third generation of the Punto (internal name Project 199) that was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005. The Grande Punto however made its way into the Indian car market in June 2009. Fiat delayed the launch of the Grande Punto in India to strengthen its dealer network across the country before the launch as Fiat has always been highly optimistic about the sales of the Grande Punto. The Grande Punto has changed the fortune of Fiat worldwide and Fiat has launched it in India with a similar target.

The Fiat Grande Punto shares its platform with Fiat’s already-on-sale saloon, the Linea. The Grande Punto is developed jointly by the legendary designer Giugiaro of Ital Design and Fiat Style Centre. The Grande Punto has been designed on the SCCS platform which was a project undertaken jointly by Fiat and Opel engineers in Turin.

The hatch has a very aggressive design with lots of Italian flair reflecting in it, giving it a much better stance when compared to most of the other currenty sold hatches. The fascia of the car is dominated by the chrome-plated front grille with the red and silver Fiat badge at its centre and the leaf-shaped headlamps extending upto the front fenders. The Grande Punto has a wide windshield with a steep rake and its hood exhibits a gentle crown.The silhouette has a shallow greenhouse, overhung front end and flared wheelarches which adds bold character to the design. The mirrors of the Punto are mounted on the door below the beltline rather than above the beltline as seen on most present day cars. The wheels and the 195/65R15 tyres available on the Emotion Pack further give the Punto a better stance. The rear end of the car is fairly simple with small tail lamps and a slightly chunky lower rear end and a boot shutline.

The Fiat Grande Punto scored a maximum 5-star rating in the Euro-NCAP crash test. The Grande Punto scored a maximum number of points in the occupant protection. The highlights of the Euro-NCAP crash test of the Fiat Grande Punto have been added below.

The interiors of the Grande Punto are derived from that of its sibling the Fiat Linea. The inside of the Grande Punto is ergonomically designed with grey and black dual tone interiors in the Emotion and the Emotion Pack variants. Like the Linea, the interiors are clean with decent fit and finish of the plastics and the Punto logo stitched on the seats and the floor mats.

The orange backlit instrument cluster of the Grande Punto has four dials with a digital odometer and trip meter which even reads out trip time, mileage, trip time for two trips. The Grande Punto has the same single CD Blaupunkt music system with 6 speakers which is present in the Fiat Linea with the Blue&Me package available in the Emotion Pack variant. The Follow Me Home feature is a feature seen on all the variants of the Grande Punto, a feature which goes missing on most of its competition. Here, again just like the Linea, the driver side power window controls are placed a little too far ahead which makes it a bit inconvenient to open and close the desired window.

The tilt-adjustable steering and height adjustable driver’s seat makes it possible to fine-tune a driver’s seating for maximum comfort. The slim A-pillar and large windshield increases the front visibility, however the thick C-pillar and small rear windshield reduces rear-end visibility causing problems while parking in tight spots. The reach and spread of the Grande Punto's headlamps are decent enough for city and highway driving.

Comfort has never been an issue in the Grande Punto. Climb into the front row seats and you will find ample headroom and legroom. Jump into the back seats and you won’t be disappointed either. The Fiat hatchback can comfortably seat four 6-foot adults for long distances without causing fatigue.

The boot of the Grande Punto is fairly large with a boot capacity of 280 litres. In terms of safety, the hatchback’s top variant comes equipped with dual stage airbags for driver and co-driver and the Emotion series comes with height-adjustable seat belts.

The Fiat Grande Punto is available with two petrol engines viz. 1.2-litre and the 1.4-litre and the diesel variant is the 1.3-litre mill which is based on the multijet technology. The Grande Punto has a front-mounted transversely placed powerplant which propels the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The 1.4-litre FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine) is a petrol driven engine which even powers the Fiat Linea. It is 1368cc, 16-valve engine which cranks up 90bhp@6000rpm and produces a maximum torque of 115Nm@4500rpm. This is a modern short-stroke high rpm engine which has lower torque and higher rpm.

The engine is highly refined with very low NVH levels even while idling. The engine feels a bit sluggish at low rpm, however the engine comes on song after it crosses 3000rpm. Drive the car above 3000rpm and you will have no complaints about the engine's performance. The electronic throttle is responsive and the car responds well when you plant your right foot. In our test, the Grande Punto took 16.9 seconds to do a 0-100kph run and 20.4 seconds for a quarter mile.

Drivetrain:

The Grande Punto petrol is a short stroke and high revving engine which transmits power through a five speed gearbox. Considering the torque and rpm, the gear ratios for the first four speeds are short, which increase the drivability of the car and makes overtaking easier. However, the overdrive gear is meant for the car to cruise on highways.

The throw of the lever in the Grande Punto is small and the shifts are positive and move into the slots very smoothly. In our in-gear test, the Grande Punto clocked 30-50kph in 4.9 seconds in the third gear and 7.2 seconds in fourth gear, in the fifth gear it took 10.5 seconds to reach 50-70kph.

Fuel Efficiency:

The Grande Punto has an overall fuel efficiency of 10.8kpl. In our metal to petal test, the Grande Punto petrol returned a mileage of 8.67kpl.

Fiat cars are known for their composed ride and agile handling. The Grande Punto is no different from the rest of its siblings in this segment. If you’re a driving enthusiast looking for a hatchback, there is no need to look further. The Grande Punto is the car where your search will end.

The Grande Punto has a firm and composed ride at low and high speeds. As the Grande Punto shares its platform with the Linea it shares the same hardware of struts at its front end and torsion beam at its rear with double acting telescopic dampers. The hatchback’s suspension has been tweaked well enough to give the occupants a fairly smooth ride.

The Fiat Grande Punto outclasses most of the hatchbacks sold in India in the handling department. No wonder Abarth chose the Grande Punto chassis for rallying. The Abarth Grande Punto S2000 is still being used and was lately driven by Kimi Raikkonen in the Rally of Finland 2009. The Grande Punto can be confidently driven on winding and straight roads. The car sticks to the road with no signs of body roll and crosswinds barely bother the hatch’s road grip.

The steering of the Grande Punto is fairly accurate. It is light and easy to steer at lower speeds and the steering weighs up well at higher speeds. The large wheelbase of 2510mm and the 14 and 15 inch tyres (165 / 80 R14 for Active & Dynamic, 175 / 70 R14 for Emotion, 195 / 60 R15 for Emotion Pack) reduce the understeer effect prominent on front wheel drive cars. The Goodyear GT3s on our test car gripped well with almost no tread noise on cement and tarmac roads. The GT3s have moderate hardness and don’t squeal or tend to give up while taking tight corners.

The brakes on the Grande Punto don’t just feel good but even bite well. The antilock brake system on the Emotion and Emotion Pack further ensure that the hatch stays under control while hard braking. In our brake test, the Grande Punto came to a complete standstill from a speed of 80kph in 36.2 metres.

The Fiat Grande Punto competes with premium hatchbacks like the Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ritz, Hyundai i20, Skoda Fabia and the Honda Jazz upto a certain extent considering the size and the fitments. The Grande Punto as an overall package is value for money with adequate space to accomodate four adults comfortably. The Grande Punto will easily attract driving enthusiasts and Fiat fans. Upcoming cars like the Nissan Micra and the Ford Figo will compete in this category as well.