I bought my Fiat Punto 1.2, 5-door hatchback new in October 2002, after my previous car was written-off in a very bad accident (not my fault!). Obviously, as a result of this, I only had two "must have's" on my new car shopping list: 1) Airbags 2) ABS to give me peace of mind when driving. At that point, I wasn't bothered what other features my new car had, although my husband was keener than me to make sure we bought something packed full of features.

My Punto does have driver and passenger airbags. The passenger airbag can easily be deactivated by inserting the ignition key into the appropriate place to the side of the dashboard on the passenger side. This feature is great if you have a baby, as you can then put the baby seat on the passenger seat. The ABS works fine. I have never had ABS on my previous cars and I do think it makes a difference. I have noticed it anyway.

Well, that's my two "must have's" reviewed, so now onto what I considered to be all the extra bonus features when I bought my Punto.
Probably the best feature is the excellent fuel consumption. I fill up my tank once a month. This costs me approximately £30.00. I can get more or less 425 miles on that £30.00. This is far better fuel consumption than that of any of mine of my husband's previous cars (and we have had a lot of them!).

Another great feature is the CITY button. The steering is really light anyway, but activating CITY makes the steering extra light, ideal for use when parking or going round tight corners such as those in multi storey car parks.

After my car accident in my previous car, I was left with a twisted spine. I find it difficult to manoeuvre in and out of cars, but the height of my Punto makes getting in and out very easy. It's also a nice height to drive at. The seat is significantly higher up than that of most cars. It feels somewhere between the average car seat height and that of a land rover or people carrier. It also makes visibility better than that of most other cars I have been in.

The Punto is a surprisingly spacious car. There is a lot of legroom in the front and I find that the back has more legroom than my husband's 2.0L Ford Focus or my Mum's 2.0L Nissan Sunny. As a result of this, I think there is slightly less boot space in my Punto. However, I rarely carry anything in my boot, so I would rather have the extra space in the main body of the car.

I can't fault the mechanics of the car, as to date; I have never had any mechanical problems. My car is kept outside and has always started first time, even in the depths of winter. It has never had to have any repairs. The only time it has been in a garage is for its annual service.

I honestly can't think of any disadvantages of my Fiat Punto. It is extremely reliable and economic. It is a lovely car; great to look at and even better to drive!

Money well spent; it gives me great peace of mind when I am driving...and you can't put a price on that!!!