Punto’s underlying age is exposed from the driver’s seat, where the dash looks old-fashioned and some of the controls seem placed with little logic. Some, like the door mirror adjuster, are even out of view. Lots of shiny black plastic and a mixture of square and circular air-vents cheapen the interior. We know some southern European markers prefer their interior plastic with a glossy sheen, but that’s not how we like it in the UK.

There’s plenty of leg and headroom in the front and the back. Seats are comfy for a couple of hours. However, newer rivals now eclipse the Punto for interior space – once one of its strongest suits. High-ish revs (for a diesel) in the 1.3 Multijet makes longer motorway trips a little tiring.