The New Fiat Punto Van has gone on sale in the UK, boasting an additional 60kg payload capacity over its predecessor.

Up from 450kg to 510kg, the extra capacity has come from an increase of 10mm in the overall height. The load compartment is 1,300mm long at its maximum, 1,370mm wide and 950mm high.

Manoeuvring in tight spaces is eased by the standard fitment of Dualdrive electronic power steering, which at the touch of the 'City' button on the dashboard, reduces to a minimum the effort needed to steer. The steering wheel is height adjustable and the van comes with a driver's airbag.

New Punto Van has steel panels in place of the rear side windows and dividing the load space from the driver's compartment is a solid tubular frame with a sheet metal lower half and plastic grille above.

There is a choice of diesel or petrol engines, both with a top speed of 96mph.

New to Punto Van is the 1.9 indirect injection diesel engine achieving 49.6mpg combined fuel economy. Maximum power of the diesel is 60bhp at 5,000rpm and peak torque of 75lb-ft at 2,500rpm.

The petrol engine is the 1.2-litre 60bhp powertrain.

An eight-year corrosion protection warranty is part of the Punto Van's quality assurance package. Standard spec also includes the Fiat CODE immobiliser system, security window etching, analogue clock, a load area roof light and a stereo radio cassette.

Prices are £9,129 for the 1.2 petrol and £9,481 for the diesel (OTR).