Once a year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (
SMMT) round up the UK press offices and a selection of their fleet cars for a one-day event at the Millbrook Proving Ground. It's a chance to catch up on colleagues and new personnel as well as an opportunity to drive some of the latest vehicles on the high-speed bowl and entertaining 'Hill Route'.
Some outlets write full 'road tests' from the day's activities, though time in each car is fairly limited. This year I got behind the wheel of no less than 25 different cars, which goes to show perhaps how little time I did spend in each, though that included at least one lap of the challenging Hill Route in each car. There are so many new cars being launched this year that we thought it would be worth compiling my first impressions on these cars. Many we will test in depth at a later date.
Fiat Grande Punto
Model tested: Fiat Grande Punto three-door 1.9 MultiJet 130 Sporting
Price: £11,895 on-the-road.
0-62mph: 9.5 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Combined economy: 48.7mpg
Kerb weight: 1205kg
Relevant links:
All Fiat road tests.
Fiat's prospects are seriously looking up, with some interesting new models and a significant increase in sales mainly thanks to the launch of the new Grande Punto. We will be testing this very car in detail in late July, but I took a lap of the Hill Route anyway to get a bit of a head start.
Inside and out the Grande Punto puts style at the top of the agenda. In particular, the three-door version easily carries off the Sporting tag, though I'd recommend a bright colour to fully show off the Grande Punto's Maserati-inspired lines.
The 130bhp turbodiesel version sits at the top of the range, and though the power output alone won't scare anyone, it is backed up by 207lb.ft of torque at just 2000rpm. The latter figure gives a clue to how best to drive this Sporting. Unlike the previous petrol-engined
Punto Sporting, this engine is not about revving its nuts off. Instead, change up early and ride that wave of torque. In so doing, you'll find a chassis that is more than capable of painting a smile on the driver's face. It's a very good car; we look forward to spending more time with it.
Shane O' Donoghue - 31 May 2006