Fiat Punto launches from $16,000 driveaway
Following the Punto's facelift in Europe late last year, the little Italian car is invading Australian showrooms as part of Fiat's revitalisation and repositioning program for our market.
Noticeably different looking at both ends, the updated Punto now sports a cleaner look at the front and a more practical arrangement at the rear, with the badge acting as a boot release.
The Punto goes on sale today in three different trims starting with the base model Pop, mid-spec Easy and top of the range Lounge.
The $16,000 Fiat Punto Pop five-speed manual comes standard with steel wheels, denim inserts on the seats, a six-speaker audio system with Bluetooth connectivity and steering wheel controls, six airbags and engine start-stop technology. It lacks basic features such as electric rear windows.
An additional $1500 will get you a five-speed robotised semi-automatic transmission.
The Fiat Punto Easy is only available with the semi-automatic system, starting from $19,300. The additional $1800 (plus driveaway costs) over the automatic Pop gets you 15-inch alloys, an additional airbag (driver’s knee), uprated dashboard design, leather steering wheel (with cruise control) and gear shift, electric rear windows as well as USB and auxiliary ports.
Add another $2500 to the price and you’ll reach the Fiat Punto Lounge, which adds 16-inch alloys, fog lights, glossy mirror caps and exhaust tip, dual-zone climate control, leather seats, side skirts and a rear spoiler.
All three Fiat Punto variants are powered by a 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that consumes 5.4 litres per 100km (5.7L/100km for the Pop manual) thanks to its low weight (1020kg for Pop) and engine start-stop technology, which turns the engine off when stationary to save fuel. The little Italian heart provides 57kW of power and 115Nm of torque.
Read: Fiat Punto Review.
Pop - 5-speed manual - $16,000 driveaway
Pop - 5-speed Dualogic - $17,500 driveaway
Easy - 5-speed Dualogic - $ 19,300
Lounge - 5-speed Dualogic - $ 21,800