Had the writer J B Priestley been a woman, he could have been my Auntie Pearl. Addicted to coach travel, she would take herself off to resorts all round the coastline, like a lavender-coated, camphor-scented version of Priestley, who famously visited every corner of the country on his 'English Journey'.
But, unlike the author, who liked to mix the rough with the smooth, my auntie would only ever stay at the Grande Hotel. If no Grande Hotel was advertised, she wouldn't visit the place. And Grand wouldn't do either, it would have to be Grande, which she thought had an air of le continent, although quite often incontinent would have been nearer the mark, if her lurid descriptions were anything to go by. Consequently I grew up with the notion that in English parlance Grande was potentially suspect, not quite kosher, inclined to be ersatz, if you get my drift.
So when Fiat announced that its new supermini was to be called the Grande Punto, I smelled a rat and thought of auntie. I envisaged a smallish car, struggling to make the supermini class either in size or specification, and to which the name Grande had been appended as an inflationary article. All I can say is, auntie would have approved. Grande by name, grande by nature, the new Punto entirely justifies its moniker and I was completely wrong.
A delightful car to drive, even in its most basic trim, it embodies space and comfort with presence and charm, and offers a genuine, and in some ways superior, alternative to the popular Renault Clio. The largest car in its class, the Fiat has more rear legroom than the Audi A4, and feels a great deal more spacious than the Punto it replaces.
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Grande by name, grande by nature |
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I drove the 1.3-litre, diesel-engined MultiJet Active 75, which is not even a mid-range model, yet which felt like a flagship car, not least because of the smooth ride and low noise levels. And the bright and jolly Merengue Orange Metallic finish brought out the sun. The range starts at £7,594 for the 1.2-litre. petrol-engined Active 3-door, and rises to £12,295 for the 1.9 MultiJet 120 Eleganza 5-door. The model as tested was stickered at £9,095, plus a few extras, which included the sunshine metallic paint job at £325. Side and curtain airbags added another £450, and a driver's knee airbag, a further £100.
The standard specification of the MultiJet Active 75 embraces powered mirrors and front windows, a Fiat CODE immobiliser, twin airbags, and ABS with EBD. Big-car features include 'follow-me-home' headlights, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, a trip computer and a fascia-mounted electric boot-opening button.
Not really an 'extra' but deserving of comment is the vast range of adjustment for the driver's seat. Up and down, fore and aft, the seat has a greater range of adjustment than any of the Fiat's rivals I have tested. The steering wheel can also be raised and lowered, and within moments I had found a perfect driving position, which remained comfortable, even after a lengthy motorway journey.
And that raises another point. Some so-called superminis are the last cars you would choose to drive on a motorway. But the Grande Punto is quite the opposite. There is no sense of vulnerability; it remains stable even in the wash of large trucks; and the diminutive 1.3-litre engine is blessed with a surprising depth of torque, so much so, that life in the fast lane, or rapid overtakes, are well within the car's capability.
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