Fiat punto
Fiat Punto Fiat Punto
THIS IS NUMBER
What is not exotic in Italy is the “fiats” - of various models, modifications and colors. But the “punto” with Moscow numbers in the vicinity of Milan invariably arouse lively interest. The reason for such an unusual combination is simple: in Italy there were no cars in the Russian configuration and the Moscow office was not too lazy to bring them from our capital.
At Punto (I remind you, it. Punto is the point), bumpers, lighting equipment, and some small details were changed. But at a short presentation, I was primarily interested in the version with a 77-horsepower power unit in combination with a Dualogic robotic gearbox. Today, robots are spreading more and more, and each company emphasizes that its product is more perfect and more agile than its competitors. To verify the statement, it was precisely such a “Fiat” that I occupied, postponing communication with the other options until I returned home.
I decided to look at everything else later. Immediately behind the wheel, a lever with a solid knob - back, I taxi along the streets of a provincial town to relative space.
The design is calm but elegant. Ergonomics at a very modern level
The design is calm but elegant. Ergonomics at a very modern level. The design is calm but elegant. Ergonomics at a very modern level.
77 hp engine obviously not from hilyak - diligently pulls a rather big and not cramped car. But the box is working with the habits of the Italian waiter on a hot afternoon, the whole look of which suggests that you are only bothering him here.
Typical for towns with a marked relief. I am standing at a traffic light - the engine has stalled: the “start-stop” system, now fashionable, has been tried. Green lighted up - release the brake, press the gas. The starter grunted, the engine rumbled … the robot decided to transmit the moment to the wheels. In those tedious few seconds, the Punto steadily rolled back on the legally annoyed guy in almost the same Fiat, but it seemed to have a "primitive" manual gearbox.
On mountain roads, Punto and I hang out on sharp bends with climbs. The gearbox thinks for a couple of seconds what to do now, after I allowed myself to let the gas go. Meanwhile, I am thinking about the quirks of modern engineering. Fiat only apologizes that its robot, in general, is no worse than others. But alas, no better.
The instrument panel is clear, but in bright sunshine warning lights are not always visible
The instrument panel is clear, but in bright sunshine warning lights are not always visible. The instrument panel is clear, but in bright sunshine warning lights are not always visible.
But what about manual mode? A completely different matter! I can’t say that the 77-strong Punto turned into a sports car, but if in time, without losing gas, lightly jerking gears, the car runs quite briskly, without causing the driver of the complexes, even surrounded by Italians (they seem to be purposely Fiat with Moscow numbers).
Here one can appreciate quite decent, logically controlled brakes, albeit drum brakes on the rear (discs in a circle with only 135 strong modifications), and a quite acceptable suspension, and not at all sharp, but understandable steering.
Is it worth it to pay 30, 000 rubles in the hope of giving rest to the left leg? For some, the answer is not as simple as for me. If you drive slowly, get used to playing with the gas pedal, not allowing the box to act very chaotically, and you can learn how to calculate overtaking, and sometimes lane changes, you can live with such a power unit. And if you also do not know anything else …
NORMS AND RULES
Well, now, finally, look at the "Punto" in statics.
Landing both front and rear is comfortable. True, the front seats are stiff and narrow. With such a love of Italians for pizza and pasta - strange. But behind a person of average height, it is surprisingly comfortable even behind an individual under 190 cm.
The trunk is not very large, but the correct shape
The trunk is not very large, but the correct shape. The trunk is not very large, but the correct shape.
Ergonomics "Punto" is again normal, without frills and controversial fantasies. Well, sometimes it's better. The lack of a menu in Russian in a car of this class is no exception. And even with the amount of information that the display gives out between the devices, it is quite possible to do without a native language. The interior design is pretty, worthy of the country of birth. But the materials are uncomfortable - cheap and tough. This is obvious even in the correspondence comparison with some classmates popular in Russia.
We sell Punto with three engines, a mechanical or robotic gearbox, in Easy and Lounge trim levels, in three pastel colors and nine metallic. The cheapest Punto with a manual costs 555, 000 rubles, the most expensive - a three-door 135-horsepower - will cost 685, 000 rubles. Not to say so cheap.
Punto will not have an easy life in Russia. Our consumer is already spoiled for choice, and in this class the competition is especially fierce. Fiat is by no means cheaper, but, in general, no worse. Well, market success largely depends on reliability, services, spare parts supplies. In this regard, the Italian-American concern also has plans. So, speaking of the adventures of Punto in Russia, we’ll put an ellipsis, not an end …
ACCEPT ON "FIVE HUNDREDS"?
five
In addition to Punto, the emphasis in our market is on the already well-known Five Hundred. It is offered in two trim levels - Pop and Lounge, with engines of 1.2 and 1.4 liters with a power of 69 and 100 hp. respectively. Cars are painted in six primary colors. One of the "chips" of the selection of "five hundred" is the ability to combine body and roof colors, external and internal decor. Pleasure, however, is not cheap. The most affordable “five hundred” with a 1.2-liter engine will cost 552, 000 rubles, with a 1.4 liter unit in the same configuration - 592, 000, Lounge - 705, 000 rubles. True, in the latter case, the buyer will receive almost everything that happens in an adult car. Not to mention, of course, a transparent roof.
PRECISE HISTORY
Fiat Punto debuted in 1993 in the form of three- and five-door hatchbacks, there was even a convertible. The weakest engine of the 1990s with a volume of 1.1 liters developed 55 hp, a supercharged 1.4-liter engine produced a solid 136 forces. Since then, about 8.5 million cars have been sold in 34 countries - an average of over 400 thousand a year.
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