FACTfile - Fiat Grande Punto - Page 3

Italian styling for a new conception of sportiness

Developed by Italdesign-Giugiaro with the Fiat Style Centre, the styling of the Grande Punto is an intriguing mixture of aggressiveness and power, combined with 'restraint' and elegance. A sporty, flowing line that communicates strength and agility while showing off its refinement.

The strong character of the Grande Punto is evident in the car's sleek, aggressive nose which conveys an incredibly real dynamism. It is a striking front end, worthy of a small GT, into which the elongated headlights are set with an original tension. The impression is strong: vivaciousness, attention-getting, a touch of transgression and a mysterious appeal. The rear end is softer and rounder, and it balances the aggressive front end. The car communicates its more reassuring character at the rear, reiterating the concepts of stability, solidity and strength.

The final result is a balanced line which meets demands for drive and rationale, where the values of sportiness, refinement and beauty all coexist harmoniously. The styling of the Grande Punto is rooted in the traditions of Italian motoring, a legendary history re-interpreted in a modern key and absolutely new in the current scenario.

Front
The line of the Grande Punto reinterprets the image of previous models in a dynamic, sporty key, combining hitherto irreconcilable elements. This is borne out by the aggressive front that is modelled to respect the canons of pedestrian impact protection. The approach, of both the composition and the modelling, is the fruit of careful analysis and is developed to respect the latest standards, which envisage more rounded volumes, a wider bonnet and tapered bumper structure, perceptible above all in the plane view, keeping the area of impact to a minimum.

The windscreen and the bonnet are pronounced and homogeneous: because there is no clear break between the two elements (an accentuated bonnet and sharply raked glass) they are perceived almost on the same line, a characteristic that highlights the sporty nature of the Grande Punto. In line with the requirements of the latest standards, the grille highlights the break between the bonnet and the front bumper, which tapers off as it links up with the wheelarches. A rib starts from foglights which flow into the sides, as you would expect from a sports car, linking them to the lower air intake at the centre. And there is a rib between the headlight and the foglight which lightens the wing and reiterates the same graphic feature. And the faired headlights are also stretched and elongated towards the side, to suggest sportiness and dynamism.

Side view
From the side, a 'groove' runs all along the side, starting from the middle of the wheelarch and blending into the rear end on the tailgate. The door handles are aligned with the same groove, while the fuel filler cap, no longer rectangular but round, is positioned slightly lower down.

The Grande Punto has another feature that sets it apart from previous models, whether 3 or 5-door: a third window in front of the front door and the extremely sporty mirror which was designed to increase the aerodynamic effect of the pillar.

Attention is drawn to the large wheels by the emphatic strong, muscular wheelarches, which give a feeling of strength and solidity. And finally, the edge of the sill under the doorway protects occupants from any splashes and spray, creating a balanced, harmonious effect together with the rear bumper, and the protruding edge under the number plate holder.

Rear
Continuing the tradition established with the first Punto, the new model has faired vertical light clusters incorporated in the two rear pillars, where they are protected and visible. These devices have three distinct functions, achieved by their very design which also suggest enhanced aerodynamics. The muscular rear gives a powerful imprint to the car, underlining its sporty character. The tapered roof terminates at the rear with a 'spoiler' effect between the two rear pillars, incorporating the central brake light. And the wrapround bumper incorporates the number plate so that the panel below the rear window is uncluttered, highlighting the only important graphic effect: the Fiat logo. And finally, the rear reflectors are built into the foglights in the lower part of the rear bumper which creates a sort of aerodynamic spoiler.

Interior
The styling underlines the sportiness of this strong-minded, lively, exuberant car, one that likes attention, reflecting the new market trend for this segment, and catering for the wishes of an increasingly discerning, demanding public. While on the outside the Grande Punto reflects a new concept of sportiness, on the inside it combines the practicality and exploitability of the interior with quality and elegance. The result is an amazing amount of room, and comfort well above what one would expect from a car in this segment in terms of ergonomics and space for the driver and passengers.

In terms of quality, the Grande Punto is elegantly and painstakingly finished, giving a strong impression of solidity and compactness. Nor can we overlook the fact that the styling, materials and quality fabric are all enhanced by the colour combinations that increase the elegance and stylishness of the interior, emphasising the lively, dynamic nature. The Active and Dynamic specifications offer a choice of 3 interior environments available in three colours, while the Emotion and Sport outfits offer 2 environments in 2 different shades. And the Grande Punto customer can also request stylish or sporty leather upholstery.

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Ergonomics and roominess

Top of the class

The welcoming, practical Grande Punto offers a generous amount of interior space and roominess that are unbeatable in this segment: as the exterior dimensions suggest: it is 4,030 mm long, 1,687 mm wide, and 1,490 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,510 mm. The new model is comfortable to travel in, with all occupants enjoying a perceptible level of general well-being on board. To achieve this goal, from the start of the Grande Punto project, the designers adopted the most up-to-date ergonomic criteria to define the parameters that measure a car's ability to meet the demand for well-being and comfort on board. The end result is the fact that the Grande Punto achieves excellent values for the essential ergonomic functions: roominess, driving posture, and access.

These features have always been winners, and today they become even more important, because we are spending more time in our cars, we are more accustomed to higher segment cars (which are therefore more spacious), and the average height of the population is increasing. For example, because it is possible to raise the driver's seat and adjust the height and reach of the steering wheel (drivers between 1.50 and 2 metres in height can be accommodated easily), roominess on the front seats is excellent and every driver will find a position that is ideal for him. Even if the driver is very tall, an equally tall passenger can still sit comfortably behind him. And the luggage compartment remains extremely capacious: 275 litres in the normal configuration.

The roominess inside the Grande Punto is the result of the good balance between the various volumes of the passenger compartment: the parameters for the posture, the driving position and the passenger seats in the various configurations, and the model's overall roominess. The 'space-comfort combination' calculation shows that the interior of the Grande Punto has a very regular design, which means that the volume can be exploited extremely well with four passengers. What is more, the front seats of the new model are equally comfortable for small or tall people, thanks to the many possible adjustments of the steering wheel and front seat. Comfort on the rear seats is almost independent of the adjustment of the front seats; even when tall people are sitting in the front, legroom and living space for the rear seats remains very good. The result achieved on the Grande Punto is excellent for its category: it can accommodate front passengers 186 centimetres tall and rear passengers 182 cm tall simultaneously, providing both with a generous amount of space.

Driving is made extremely enjoyable by the position of the pedals, the steering wheel alignment, the position of the armrest and footrest, the handling of the gear lever and the full visibility of the instrumentation and the main controls. This enjoyment is highlighted by the well shaped, enveloping seats, which support the body even in the most dynamic driving situations. And finally, "being comfortable on board" means having plenty of room, and above all room where you need it; it means being able to get in and out of the car easily and comfortably, and once you are sitting down, it means being surrounded by an airy environment, and enjoying good external visibility, enhanced by the generous door mirrors. In all these areas, the Grande Punto fears no rivals in its market bracket.

Solid
A 'solid' car, the result of top quality construction. This is basically the second winning feature of the Grande Punto, which takes a great leap forward in the compact class, confirming Fiat's unquestioned leadership of this category. It is the fruit of a 'robust' project, which set three precise goals from the start: maximum safety, maximum enjoyment at the wheel and the best quality of life on board.

These goals have been achieved in full, because from the very first stages of the planning process the Grande Punto pursued very high quality standards and adopted a very severe engineering process based on a solid platform. This same severity was applied to all stages of the development and industrialisation of the model, applying the most advanced, innovative reliability methodologies. Extensive road tests were also carried out, for a total of 4.5 million kilometres. In the end, the enormous amount of data collected and the experience gained, have helped to increase Fiat Auto's expertise and to establish a strong starting point for the development of future models. It is clear that the new car represents a further step forward in the striving for quality, a value that we find in the Melfi plant, which plays a leading role in the entire process; thanks to cutting edge technologies that can ensure the best quality and safety standards for the new model, and the complete recycling at the end of the car's life cycle of all the materials used to build it.

But quality and reliability are not only expressed in numbers. We form important impressions by looking at and touching the passenger compartment of a car, observing the details, sitting on the seats, gripping the steering wheel, and assessing the appeal of the environment and the quality of the furnishings and finish. This is known as the 'perceived quality'. The judgement that emerges is the combination of a thousand different elements: from the shape of the objects to the materials they are made of, the individual colours and the way they combine, and our tactile sensations. And these stimuli all contribute to an equal degree to determining the final perception. This is why the engineers working on the Grande Punto project focused at length on every single detail, with a care and attention that is unusual in this market bracket.

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