Fiat Punto 1.2 Multijet: Once again, more words about the onward march of diesel and predictably there's more about exceptional performance and exceptional economy. But there's a difference: our road test subject today is a 1.2 litre in a segment where diesel sales are practically negligible.
Our test car was actually a new-look Fiat Punto, significant because there's no telltale D letter in its badging. The badge on the back simply said Multijet and nothing else. For Multijet, then, read a 1,248 cc compact and lightweight unit that develops 70bhp with second-generation common-rail injection technology.
Multijet sounds a lot more alluring than diesel or 1.2TD but what is it? Most diesels squirt two shots of fuel into the cylinder, a "pilot" injection and then the main dose. Multijet actually divides that main injection into a number of smaller shots which Fiat claims boosts performance while simultaneously reducing emissions and combustion noise.
There's a lot more to the Multijet's punchy performance than 70 bhp might suggest. Let's compare it with another small car diesel, the 1.4 litre 16-valve HDi which goes into models such as the Peugeot 206 and Citroën C3. The smaller-engined Fiat will sprint from zero to 60 mph in less time, in 13.2 seconds. Fiat has the performance where it really matters most, going from 50 mph to 70 mph in fifth in 11.8 seconds, markedly different from the French pair which need 14.3 seconds to do the same. Taking 30 to 50 mph in fourth, it's also much the same story, 7.2 seconds for the Punto against at least 11.0 seconds.
The British Autocar magazine, in its recent test of the Punto Multijet, claims to have eked out 70 mpg on a gentle motorway run. We didn't manage that, but we got 64mpg on a longish run which included the Dublin-Dundalk M1 motorway, which was compelling enough. A shorter run with more stop and start driving, returned 56 mpg.
We would be surprised if most owners or drivers didn't top 50mpg in daily use. For anyone lucky enough to get around 70 mpg (presumably with lots of clear road), then the Dublin to Cork run should cost no more than €12 with Dublin to Galway at €10.
If we are to believe Fiat, saving euro and cent doesn't end just with the mpg. The Multijet 16-valve engine is claimed to last for at least 250,000 km (that's 155,000 miles) instead of the usual 150,000 km.
Fiat says that during this lifetime, it doesn't require any maintenance to mechanical parts. (Even the normally essential fan belt change at 80,000 km or 48,600 miles isn't necessary). Oil change intervals have been increased from 20,000 to 30,000 km or 12,000 to 18,000 miles.
There are green and clean credentials too because it meets Euro 4 emission limits which aren't due to come into force until 2006. Incredibly, it's also one of the few engines in the world able to achieve this result without an exhaust post-treatment device such as a particulate trap.
The tax gatherers and indeed most of us still think of cubic capacity as a precise guide to engine power. Multijet knocks that assumption on the head - in its 1.2 form it could be easily compared to 1.4 or 1.5 petrol units. Fiat's own 1,242 cc eight-valve petrol has a minute six cc margin over the Multijet but the bhp differential is a more substantial 10.
Out on the road, the Punto Multijet felt lusty and vigorous. It was almost impossible to detect any kind of diesel clatter. Driving enjoyment was aided by a smooth five-speed gearbox and electric power steering.
Could it be that, at the recent Irish media launch of the revised Punto range, a journalist unwittingly drove Multijet - he said he was impressed and then announced he would like to drive the diesel?
Fiat talks about a new Punto but the car we drove fitted more into the facelifted category. The main change externally has been the grafting of some modern jewel-effect headlamps onto the nose and tidier rear styling.
Not so visible is a 10 mm increase in ride height and longer stroke dampers to improve ride comfort. All in all though, the 21st century Punto doesn't look too different from the car that started out in the mid-1990s, and since then five million have been sold.
One of the car's great attributes has always been its spaciousness and that still pertains. It's one of the few superminis which will seat five adults in reasonable comfort, while the high roofline leaves enough headroom for tall passengers.
Our five-door Multijet version offered 300 litres of boot space, more than that provided in a Toyota Corolla. The cabin is well served with storage areas and cubbies.
The cabin interior gave us our only real objection. The dash top had just too much shiny black plastic. The plastic might have looked better in some other colour or hue.
The specification level on our test car was reasonably comprehensive. It included as standard electric windows, central locking, two airbags, hi-fi stereo radio with CD player and the aforementioned electric power steering.
So, the big question is whether or not the Multijet if it will win over a serious number of new buyers. Until now, the Irish environment hasn't been too right for small car diesels. Buyers of such cars are buying with their own money and they haven't been inclined to pay a premium, especially when every euro counts.
Fiat people think that Multijet is going to rise and shine in the wider European context, extending the diesel revolution much more into the supermini arena.
On the Irish market, the 1.2 litre Multijet with three or five doors retails at €15,495 or €15,995. These are on-the-road prices, not ex-works. The margin between the Multijet and lower-priced 1.2 litre petrol models is as wide as €3,000. Is it a gap too wide? We tend to think so.
Against other small diesel car opposition, the Multijet looks far more appealing. The Citroën C3 1.4HDi is listed at €17,700, while its Peugeot 206 cousin with the same engine is €17,945. Ford's Fiesta with a 1.4 TDCi is a closer competitor at €15,945.
Others in the frame include Opel's 1.7 litre diesel Corsa, from €16,625 and the Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D, from €17,450.
Hopefully the technological wizardry of the small Multijet engine will find a wide and appreciative customer base: it certainly deserves support. It's very much what many are looking for these days, an engine that's both frugal and performing and thwarts greedy governments.
The good news is that we are destined to hear a lot more about Multijet in small and even bigger diesels. Fiat will soon launch a 90 bhp version with the same 1.2 displacement.
New, or revised, Punto on the Irish market comes in 14 model versions and four engine options, three petrol and the Multijet diesel. If we were a Punto customer, there's only one choice and that's Multijet.