Review of the new Fiat Punto Evo Abarth

As well as ranking high amongst the things you'd least like to find lurking in your salad, a black scorpion is the symbol of Abarth, the performance car brand from Fiat. Abarth-badged Fiats have been around since the 1950s but these days, the Italian manufacturer is moulding its sub-brand into a high performance powerhouse with the aim of giving its hotter models some extra credibility. You won't find a single Fiat badge on the Abarth Punto Evo hot hatchback. Despite obvious similarities to the Fiat Punto Evo, we're encouraged to view this purely as an Abarth model but does it have substance to justify the hype?

Fiat's approach to naming its products requires a little explanation. Punto remains one of the best known supermini brand names out there but in recent times, we've been confronted with the Grande Punto, an all-new model that was a little bit bigger than the Punto it replaced, and the Punto Evo, which amounted to a facelift of the Grande Punto. Plain old Punto no longer appears to be enough for Fiat and in the case of its hot models, it seems that Fiat isn't satisfactory either.

The Abarth Grande Punto hot hatch was the debut model for Abarth as a separate performance brand. Other manufacturers have the same kind of thing but Renault's Renaultsport, BMW's M-Sport and Vauxhall's VXR aren't set-up as brands in their own right. The Abarth Punto Evo is the successor to the Abarth Grande Punto and follows the usual hot hatch formula of more power, sharper handling and more extrovert looks. It requires a small leap of faith to view it as an Abarth rather than a Fiat but brand engineering is nothing new in the automotive world and the heritage of the Abarth brand coupled with its feisty scorpion badge should make the appear that little bit more special to would-be buyers.

Fiat, sorry, Abarth has fitted its Punto Evo with a turbocharged version of its 1.4-litre MultiAir petrol engine. It's a very clever piece of engineering that features an electro-hydraulic valve management system that directly controls the air-flow into the engine through the intake valves. That's the MultiAir bit and it gives benefits in terms of engine response, efficiency and performance. There's 165bhp available at 5,500rpm which isn't enough to elevate the Abarth Punto Evo to the level of the top supermini-based hot hatchbacks (these tend to offer something closer to 200bhp) but it does make the car usefully quick.

"The fact that it's an Abarth festooned with scorpion badges and not a more homely Fiat could elevate this car's profile amongst buyers"

The 0-60mph acceleration test takes 7.9s to complete and there's a top speed of 130mph. More noteworthy, though, is the 250Nm of torque that the engine produces at 2,250rpm, that's substantially more than the Renaultsport Clio 200 can muster.

The usual efforts to sharpen the feel of this hot Punto have been made and the car features springs that are 20 per cent stiffer at the front along with oversized anti-roll bars at both ends of the chassis. There's also a Sport Switch by the gear stick which is designed to resemble the steering wheel controller on Ferrari's F1 race cars. It can be flicked into Normal or Sport modes with the latter delivering faster steering and throttle responses. In the sport setting, the TTC Torque Transfer Control system is also engaged. It acts like a limited-slip differential to improve traction when cornering.

The Punto Evo is a good-looking small car, though possibly not as handsome as its Grande Punto predecessor. In Abarth form it sports the usual hot hatch styling add-ons and has a more aggressive edge to its appearance as a result. The Abarth scorpion badge takes pride of place on the nose overlapping the slim grille and below is a far larger central intake bordered by two smaller ones on either side of the front valance. Side skirts add to the ground-hugging look and Abarth side graphics are optional. At the back, there's a diffuser with twin exhaust pipes poking from it.

The lower part of the dashboard is finished in a special material designed to look like tarmac and above this the material is leather with yellow and red stitching along the top of the instrument binnacle. It adds a more upmarket feel to a Punto Evo cabin that was already one of the glitziest in the supermini sector. There's a nice flat-bottomed steering wheel and attractive alloy pedals but the Abarth branded sports seats might well be the highlight alongside the finely sculpted Sport Switch by the gearstick.

The Abarth Punto Evo is priced at far from unreasonable levels when you look at what other supermini hot hatchbacks are going for these days. It's also very well-equipped with all the sporty extras included as standard including the sports seats. 17" alloy wheels are fitted along with air-conditioning, ESP stability control, electric front windows, electric mirrors and a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel.

On the options list, there are additional features like the Sky Dome electric sunroof and the Abarth Corse seat upgrade with a choice of materials plus red and yellow stitching. A further interesting option is a special version of the Blue&Me MAP in-car entertainment and communication system. This includes a portable satellite navigation console that is mounted on top of the dash. As well as the usual navigation functions it has a number of racetracks saved on its SD card and will give real time information including speed, lap times and the gear selected so drivers can analyse their performance on track. A circuit acquisition feature allows it to 'learn' new circuits and store the data in its memory which can be downloaded allowing owners to compare their track sessions with friends.

Hot hatchbacks aren't known for their environmental responsibility but the Abarth Punto Evo is more ecologically sound that many of its peers. Fitted with a Stop/Start system and an GSI Gear Shift Indicator, it can actually achieve 47mpg on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 142g/km, a very creditable performance. The GSI prompts drivers to change gear at the optimum moment to get the best fuel economy but be warned because when the Sport Switch is in Sport mode, it changes into a gearshift indicator that only flashes as the revs approach the 6,000rpm limiter. Following its advice then will get you where you're going faster but fuel economy will take a nosedive.

Buyers after a fast Fiat these days are being be politely directed towards the Abarth brand and models like the Abarth Punto Evo. It's the usual hot hatch recipe with more power compared to the Fiat Punto Evo models and added sharpness in both the looks and handling departments.

The fact that it's an Abarth festooned with scorpion badges and not a more homely Fiat could elevate this car's profile amongst buyers. Though it's a little behind the class leaders on raw pace, the low running costs, high equipment levels and classy cabin environment all count in its favour.

TOP 5 PUNTO EVO DEALS

The results below show the top PUNTO EVO deals on buyacar

Fiat Punto EVO 1.4 Multiair 16V GP 3dr hatchback
Price £11,023 Read Punto EVO Reviews	Save £1,972
Fiat Punto EVO 1.4 Multiair 16V GP 5dr hatchback
Price £11,503 Read Punto EVO Reviews	Save £2,092
Fiat Punto EVO 1.2 MyLife 5dr hatchback special editions
Price £10,210 Read Punto EVO Reviews	Save £1,740
Fiat Punto EVO 1.4 Multiair 16V Dynamic 3dr hatchback
Price £10,623 Read Punto EVO Reviews	Save £1,872
Fiat Punto EVO 1.4 Multiair 16V Dynamic 5dr hatchback
Price £11,103 Read Punto EVO Reviews	Save £1,992
VIEW MORE DISCOUNT PUNTO EVO DEALS