A GROWING family often necessitates a larger car but if you take time to find the largest car in your price range and type, that could be put off for a long time.

Take the Fiat Punto for example. It's one of the largest cars in the supermini class, with enough room in the back for growing teens and a decent sized boot.

The range of engines has been reduced in the last couple of years, but there are still 1.2 and 1.4 petrols, and the most powerful, a 1.3-litre turbo diesel.

I recently drove the three door 1.4, which comes with 77bhp, but if you have a family, always buy a five door for practicality.

The engine doesn't have much low speed power, so it needs to be revved to give of its best and even then, it still only offers fair performance.

However, it is smooth and quiet and will pull from low speeds in high gears without complaint.

Economy is excellent. All come with stop-start to help and my test car averaged a real 43 miles per gallon, and on one 30 mile run driving carefully, I got it up to an excellent 55mpg.

Performance is blunted considerably with four adults aboard, but that's true of most small cars.

It's a very easy car to drive and manoeuvre, with reasonably informative power steering, a light clutch, a good five speed gearchange and a tight turning circle.

Handling and road holding - in the Italian tradition - are brilliant, with strong grip and very good balance even when pushed unmercifully through a corner.

The ride is fair out on the open road - though worse in the back seats, but is better than most superminis in town and that has to be a big plus.

Prices are on a par with others in the class, but discounts could well be bigger if you hunt around.

That big interior has high sided, hip and back hugging seats, and a leather covered multi-function steering wheel with height and reach adjustment.

It comes with split fold rear seat, front foglamps, stereo with aux in and Bluetooth, climate, cruise control and alloy wheels.