Fiat Punto performance is relatively good when compared against its rivals. There is a choice of four engines with various different power outputs.

Petrol engines

As you’d expect, the majority of engines for this size of car are petrol offerings. These include a 68bhp 1.2-litre, a 75bhp 1.4-litre (also available with a ‘Dualogic’ automatic gearbox), an 83bhp TwinAir three-cylinder, a 103bhp 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo and the flagship petrol engine is a 133bhp 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo.

The 83bhp TwinAir two-cylinder petrol will get from zero to 62mph in 12.7 seconds and has a top speed of 107mph. Overtaking on single-lane carriageways need to be planned well in advance and you’ll have to work the gearbox hard but you will be rewarded with the raspy exhaust note of the two-cylinder engine.

Diesel engines

Two diesel engines are available: there’s a 73bhp 1.3 Multijet and a more powerful 83bhp 1.3-litre Multijet engine.

The 83bhp 1.3-litre Multijet engine is smooth to drive and its 200Nm of pulling power means it is quite lively when driving in low gears. It can complete the benchmark sprint in 13.1 seconds and has a top speed of 107mph.

The Fiat Punto handling characteristics are much the same as the Fiat Punto Evo. That means the Fiat Punto is still not as sharp to drive as a Ford Fiesta or VW Polo but it is better than a Citroen C3.

It’s easy to drive in towns and the steering can be made lighter by pressing the ‘City’ button. This makes parking in cramped town centres or turning around in tight spots very easy.

When on demanding country roads the Punto does come up a little bit short when compared to rivals. The steering is fairly well weighted and precise (with ‘City’ off) but there is little feedback from the front wheels. There’s a decent chassis underneath though, offering composed handling through the bends.