Fiat's new jet-propelled Grande Punto is a great warm hatch choice

Nice. Maybe even a nod of appreciation and an accompanying grin falls into place as you stare at the Grande Punto. It's definitely a sexy bugger in the hatch market, with those Maserati-esque front lights that it sports so cheekily.

The new incarnation on test here happens to be the 1.4 T-jet Dynamic, which Fiat touts as "officially SA's best performance car in the sub-R180 000 bracket."

Umm, unfortunately it's no longer sub R180 000, starting price without extras is R183 600, so that claim is no longer relevant, but what about the performance car bit? Well actually even if we up the price to lets say R200 000, you'll struggle immensely to find something even remotely as capable, and let's not forget that this puppy is turbo charged, which enhances its effectiveness against the wheezing naturally aspirated derivatives at altitude.

Fiat has created a little gem, the Grande Punto is well equipped with a nice level of gadgets such as adjustable steering wheel, steering wheel controls for the radio and trip computer are standard features. On the options list however you can add Bluetooth, cruise control, dual zone climate control and a rear parking sensor and still keep your price at just below R200 000.

The driving experience is something that will no doubt put a naughty smile on your face, the nippy motor keeps you entertained in the mid range revs, dashing from robot to robot seems to bring endless enjoyment. Only real gripe I have with the T-jet is the slight feel of turbo lag when you slap a snap change from first to second in the highveld, there is just a momentary lapse in boost which can be mildly frustrating, even though it will propel you to 100km/h in 10.2 seconds.

The torque on the T-jet motor is where it really opens up the gap on all competitors, with 206Nm at 2000rpm, the flexibility of the motor means no real hard revving and thrashing of the 1.4 to get it to work, it can be driven smoothly yet still rapidly.

The chassis on this little Fiat is genius, it lets you play nicely, it's responsive to inputs, feels sharp on turn in and handles the bends with poise that is more familiar in a BMW than a Fiat. Only thing I can point fingers at in the handling department is that maybe it could do with a little less body roll during high speed cornering but that's merely nitpicking in a car this inexpensive.

Direct competition for the Grande Punto to deal with would seem to be from the Mini, being a small, sporty hatchback for the enthusiast, but really, a standard Cooper just doesn't cut it and the Cooper S is a whole load more money and doesn’t look as cool as a well specced Grande Punto – just look at the Fiat billboard if you don’t believe me.

To summarise the Grande Punto T-jet in a sentence would be to say, great little sporty hatchback with a punchy turbo engine and capable chassis that’s bound to make every completed journey end with a chuckle, sneaky swivel of the head and a nod of acknowledgement. Question is do you want the Grande Punto or the just as sexy Bravo for just a smidgen more dosh?

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