| |
Powertrain: 1.4 FIRE - petrol performer!
For those who've done their math and have figured out that they're
never going to be driving enough kilometres to recover the extra
money they shell out for the diesel engine, Fiat is also offering
a great 1.4 litre petrol option. I would have started this paragraph
with a sentence that would read 'For the performance hungry...'
but in true honesty, the 1.4 FIRE gasoline mill isn't exactly a
scorcher so to speak. The 1368cc powerplant comes up with 90PS of
power at 6000rpm - which, isn't really much and is also kind of
peaky. Torque is at 115Nm and maxes out 1500rpm lower than all those
horses. The Grande Punto with the 1.4 petrol engine weighs in at
1145kg which translates into a power to weight ratio of a little
over 78PS/tonne. With all the power unleashing itself at 6000rpm,
you have to keep that right foot pressed constantly so the engine
is revving close to 4000rpm and higher if you really want to enjoy
this car to the hilt of its handling capabilities. Now that seems
a little bit of a task in the city but then again, when you're crawling
in traffic, you're not going to be moving anywhere much anyway.
Transmission duties on the petrol, like in the diesel are carried
out by a 5-speed manual gearbox - though the ratios may differ from
the oil burning unit - the same rubbery feel stays. That, we think
is another Fiat trait and maybe we'll all just have to get used
to it! No problems slotting it in any of the gears though if that's
consolation enough.
View: 1.3 Multijet Specs, 1.4 Fire Specs, 1.3 Multijet Ratings, 1.4 Fire Ratings
|
