Fiat Punto and Daewoo Matiz 

If you want a little style and performance in your supermini, look no further than the Fiat Punto.  Don’t be confused and have nightmares about the ugly and unloved Fiat Uno sold here a few years back.  This Italian company’s forte has been building small cars that can elicit a gleam in your eyes every time you see one waiting for you in the parking lot. 

Fiat is not the parent company of Ferrari for nothing.  If the F360 Modena can have an F1 semi-auto gear change, why not the Punto?  Indeed, the Punto Speedgear is offered with a continuously-variable transmission that has seven “ratios.”  The Punto is no F1-2000, however, and the semi-auto lags behind the manual in performance and overall smoothness.  Still, the Punto offers great styling inside and out, and when you rev that willing 16-valve 1.2 you can imagine that you’re Michael Schumacher…after all, he too drives a Fiat. 

In terms of internal volume, the Punto is beaten only by the slightly shorter (!) Toyota Echo hatchback. The Echo/Yaris / Vitz was quite a shock when it was launched by blandmaster Toyota in 1999.  Its radical looks and clever interior packaging completely obliterated memories of its predecessor, the Starlet.  (Although we still see a lot of 1980s Starlets competing in slalom events.)  We have a lot more to say about the Echo in this month’s Car Review.

Combine Italian style with Korean small-car know-how and you get the Daewoo Matiz.  The Matiz’s single-wedge shape was penned by Giugiaro’s Italdesign studio, which also designed the Lotus Esprit and first-gen Lexus GS300.   Power comes from an 800-cc 3-cylinder producing 50 bhp, which is adequate to accelerate its 778 kg.  Though it looks too small to drive around on the open highway, the Matiz looks quite comfortable zipping around the city, flashing its well-tailored Italian clothing.
So maybe the Fiat Uno was a car that could rival the Kia Pride in terms of seer ugliness, but the Fiat Punto promises to be something different. This is the Italian's challenger in the revived super mini market.
The British get a more sporty air dam on their Punto. With Ferrari being part of the Fiat Group, the Punto benefits in a sort of way by getting a continuously variable gearbox with 7 forward ratios.
It's Korean in an Italian suit. The Daewoo Matiz is probably one of the best looking minis to hit the market (and definitely the best Korean offering thus far).