Review of the new Fiat Grande Punto Range

Studies of car buying behaviour have shown that many customers don't need the hard sell. All they need is a picture and the buying decision is made. Of course, it helps if the picture being shown is of something sleek and sexy, rather than a car with a face like a bucket of smashed crabs, and that sort of thing is a whole lot easier with coupes and sports cars. Superminis are, by their very nature, short, tall and rather dumpy looking. Fiat, it seems, have decided to disagree with that received wisdom and, against all odds, their Grande Punto has that instantaneous 'want one' factor.

Look at those teardrop-shaped headlamps and chromed air intake. If you saw that appearing in your rear view mirror, you'd be forgiven for thinking a Maserati Coupe had sliced through the traffic and was sitting on your back bumper. Styled by Italdesign-Giugiaro in partnership with Centro Stile Fiat, the Grande Punto is one of those rare cars that looks good from every angle. Five-door or three-door version, it makes no difference. The shape just works.

What has helped the car's proportioning is a subtle letting out of the car's belt. As its name suggests, this version is significantly bigger than the Punto it replaces, helping the stylists create a sleeker profile. In fact it's fully 23cm longer than the old car, but only 2cm wider and a mere centimetre taller. These proportions lengthen the look and the sleek styling is aided with neat detailing such as the Formula One-style door mirrors and the wry badging.

It's tough to overstate the importance of this car to Fiat. After their brief dalliance with General Motors, the Italian company is once again supporting itself financially and the likes of the Panda and Punto lines are the cash cows it needs in order to remain a viable concern. From conception to a production reality in less than 22 months, the Grande Punto is evidence of Fiat getting its act together and doing it fast. No expense was spared at the model's Turin international launch, the company wheeling out Luca di Montezemolo, CEO Sergio Marchionne and even Michael Schumacher put in a cameo appearance. The message was clear. This car is important to us.

The Grande Punto range is evolving and the latest cars benefit from a number of small alterations designed to up its desirability factor. Upgraded interior trim materials have been wheeled-out across the range and the trim level hierarchy is split into Elegance/Comfort and Sport sections. Buyers preferring to take it easy can select from Active, Dynamic and Eleganza with Active customers also offered the self-explanatory AirCon pack. The Sport side of things yields Active Sport, Dynamic Sport, and range-topping Sporting versions which highlight the Punto's more aggressive side.

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Interior space - as you would expect from a car this generously endowed in the wheelbase department - is a standout feature. The 275-litre boot is about average for the class but rear leg and headroom is very good indeed. Fiat claim the interior 'represents the epitome of Italian style', although that may be stretching the point a little. It's rather minimalist in fact, the main dials being housed in a curiously flat-topped binnacle with an unexceptional centre console that, from a purely aesthetic perspective, is probably the car's weakest point. Still, it's undoubtedly functional, and if you get confused by the big buttons, self explanatory ventilation controls and stereo controls, then modern life has really got on top of you. One particularly smart touch is the extension of body colour to the soft trims and dash inserts. If the dashboard was finished in grey or black it would look a little dull, but specify it in red and it really lifts the cabin.

The array of engines available leans heavily towards diesel, although senior suits at Fiat confide that there will be more performance-related petrol units along in due course. At present, there are three petrol engine options - a 1.4-ltre 8v with 77bhp, a 1.4-litre 16v with 95bhp and a 1.4 T-Jet unit with 120bhp - as well as two turbodiesels. These comprise a 1.3-litre 16v MultiJet (75bhp) plus a 1.9-litre MultiJet with 130bhp. To be frank, the two less powerful petrol engines don't really have the torque to move the Grande Punto really quickly and the diesels are by far the more satisfying choice. To put this into perspective, the 1.4-litre 8v petrol will need over 13 seconds to get the car to 60mph. There are some downsides to being Grande, you see.

Like the existing Punto, the Grande version features the 'City' button which reduces steering effort when parking to fingertip levels. With the City mode disabled, the steering gains a bit more feel although the Punto has never been a car with a particularly natural and feelsome helm. One of the areas that have come on leaps and bounds since the launch of the last Punto is refinement, and Fiat have added a significant amount of sound deadening material to the Grande and worked on reducing vibration in the engine bay. The result is that the car is far more hushed at motorway speeds, helping to reinforce that all-important perception of quality.

It also scores well in terms of safety. Fiat claim it's one of the three safest cars its possible to buy and the Grande was designed from the outset to bag a prestigious (and almost mandatory these days) Euro NCAP five-star award. With a massively rigid chassis and airbags that seem able to sprout from any compass bearing, the Grande Punto will look after you if you drive it into the scenery.

Fiat aren't messing about with this car. With a phased roll out of new engines, five kinds of gearbox, four UK trim levels and no fewer than six different alloy wheel designs, the Grande Punto may have had a short gestation but it's been furiously intense. Fiat seem proud of their creation as well they might. It's an impressive achievement. You don't need me to tell you that though. Just look at the thing.