What is it?
This is the latest model to receive Fiat Group’s new Multiair technology. The Fiat Punto Evo Abarth gets a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine complete with the clever valve management system to enhance performance (particularly at low engine speeds), and improve economy and emissions.
One of the most significant upgrades is an Alfa Romeo-style switch to allow the driver to alter the car’s throttle response, steering weight and traction settings, though in the Abarth there are only two settings – sport and normal.
Fiat’s Torque Transfer Control system - which reduces understeer by braking whichever front wheel is losing traction - also makes a welcome appearance in the new Punto.
All the style tweaks that distinguish the standard Fiat Punto Evo also appear in the hot Abarth, including piano-black dash fascia, sat-nav docking system, clearer dials and revised styling.
What’s it like?
The engine is a big improvement over the old model. Multiair brings with it impressive low-end torque and general flexibility through the gears, and also makes the engine feel more free-revving. It makes for accessible performance whether you’re cruising home or trying to set a new lap record.
The six-speed gearbox it is mated to is less ideally suited to the Abarth. For a hatch that is intended to be a truly engaging drive the shift is too long and indistinct. It’s an improvement over Fiat gearboxes of old but it’s still not rewarding enough.
That’s not the only slightly unsatisfying aspect of the new Punto Abarth. The steering, though nicely weighted and responsive when in sport mode, always feels artificial and the brakes could use more finesse, having little modulation between light braking and full-on, hazard-lights flashing emergency stopping.
So clearly the Punto Abarth is no dynamic benchmark. But it is by no means a poor car. It has plentiful grip, which the TTC system effectively enhances by dragging the nose into line out of corners, and this together with the predictable handling means you can gainfully throw the Punto around and enjoy every minute.
We were only allowed on the smooth surfaces of Fiat’s Balloco test track, so final judgement on the ride quality will have to wait until a UK test. But what was evident is that there’s noticeably bouncy rebound over undulating surfaces – which could be a problem in urban Britain - but generally the setup seemed reasonably well-judged and coped very well on track.
And in normal mode? This is actually the biggest disappointment. Okay, so maybe around town you’ll want the lighter steering but in truth this softer setting makes the car feel sluggish in its responses. The Punto is clearly designed to appeal to those wanting a performance hatch that doesn’t compromise all elements of comfort and refinement, but it seems unnecessary to offer quite such a soft setting in a car wearing the scorpion badge.
Should I buy one?
If you want the best handling performance hatch available for under £17k, no. Renaultsport will sell you that. But in practice the Punto is a very different prospect to the more focused Clio 200.
It’s a well-priced hatch that offers a pleasing interior, an excellent combination of economy and pace and exploitable performance. The more powerful, similarly priced and arguably more rounded Seat Ibiza Cupra and Skoda Fabia VRS could be its biggest problems, but the Abarth Punto is fun and charismatic. That’s more than enough reason to buy one.
Victoria Parrott
Join the debate
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
Prost always was a whining little git.
The whining little (multiple world champion) git only whined about the Mini. He loved the Punto. I have a hunch that he probably knows a thing or two more about a car's handling and set-up than the average motoring hack(or moronic contributor on this forum).
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
I remember reading a review a couple of years ago with Alain Prost testing the old Punto SS against the Mini JCW. He absolutely loved the Punto- brilliant handling, steering etc., he didn't have any complaints. He didn't rate the Mini at all- saying it was uncomfortable, with badly set up suspension amongst various other gripes. This wasn't in a British publication(obviously).
I read that too - interesting article. As per your last comment, I doubt there's much any forum experts or journalists could teach Alain about car handling/dynamics....
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
I've been the owner of a MK2 Grande Punto Sporting T-Jet for the last two years and brought it in the first place because I wanted something a bit sporting with five doors ! Lack of damping does get mentioned in alot of reveiws but to be honest you would only notice this if you were to take the car to 9/10th's every time you went out and fitting uprated dampers would cure this if you felt it was a serious issue (which I doubt ) ! Lack of performance shouldn't be an issue either ! Mine is meant to have 118 BHP but is more like 140 BHP as Fiat tends to underestimate it's figures ! Fiat forum's say that when dyno tested all will be around that figure ! In the real world my car is quicker than a MK2 Golf GTI 16v and a BMW 320d which isn't bad ! I'm guessing in the right conditions the Evo will hit 60 in the early 7's but this engine is more about flexability than outright performance ! The only real drawback I have found with my car has been the steering's lack of feel on the heavier setting which could be said about most cars of this generation ! It does get better the faster you go though 
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
Prost always was a whining little git.
The whining little (multiple world champion) git only whined about the Mini. He loved the Punto. I have a hunch that he probably knows a thing or two more about a car's handling and set-up than the average motoring hack(or moronic contributor on this forum).
I must admit to being prejudiced against Prost (being a Senna fan) - but I must point out that that report was done for an Italian mag.
Here's what he said about the Mini:
I'm
just fine behind the wheel, to be honest. The seat, as if racing is
very enveloping and holds well but, unlike that series, is not
adjustable in height. On the other hand the steering wheel is well
made, of reduced diameter. The shift lever, however, is a bit 'too low. The engine is certainly powerful, but not as bad as you might expect from 192 horses declared. Rev it high, but is a bit empty at the bottom, where you feel the turbo lag. However, a good engine, exuberant. The structure has been converted, but I do not think has yet reached the optimum in performance. There is little uniformity between rear and front end. The first is secure and ensures this Mini a good stability, even at high speeds. The second one is very powerful, but somewhat unpredictable and makes driving less pleasant and efficient.
However there are no security problems
because stability is good and, ultimately, there is the ESP, which, at least in
normal road use should never be switched off, and gives a nice hand to solve
the most critical situations. Certainly not a car for everyone, because the benefits are really high and the speed should never be underestimated. On the road, the brakes are certainly good. Here on the track, where we are always on the limit, I would have liked a bit more bite and a foot longer supported (assuming this means pedal travel? Google Translate does occasionally mangle things).
--
Here's what he said about the Punto:
"The Esseesse I liked very much, I must say. We are dealing with a sports
car, very sporty. The power is high, but the behavior on the track that
impressed me more. It is a car that gives the driver a lot of
confidence, and this is a great quality for high performance car.
In fast corners the steering is really straightforward. Indeed, I must say that sometimes it seemed a bit too fast. On a car like this, however, there may be (Not sure what this means). Braking, acceleration, change of direction, it does exactly what the driver wants. With the ASR added it is okay to use the 180 hp.
The brake pedal has a short travel and requires some effort. I really like this feature because it allows me to adjust to better braking. Stability is excellent and the car does not break down ever (I assume he's talking about traction here, not reliability!). The six-speed manual gearbox is fine. It is very maneuverable and has relatively close ratios.
As for the steering wheel
there are two possibilities for the electric power steering: pressing
the Sport button on the steering wheel gets a little 'heavier, improves
the feel. Personally I have not found major differences. The ESP is not disconnected,
because Abarth has obviously worked hard on this electronic system,
making it perfectly suitable for sporty driving. Intervenes only when you actually exceed the limit. If you drive well you are not even aware of its presence".
For those who speak Italian, here's the original version:
http://www.quattroruote.it/primo_contatto/articolo.cfm?codice=140346
I would hardly call that a damning assessment of the Mini: if it breaks traction a bit more than the Fiat, well, that's just part of the fun. What's more, the Fiat has electric power steering, a feature which I dislike, whereas the Mini has good old hydraulic steering.
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
I would hardly call that a damning assessment of the Mini: if it breaks traction a bit more than the Fiat, well, that's just part of the fun
I've always thought this is the greatest difference between the italian and the english way of judging a car. For the italians handling is good if the car is quick and composed. Everything disturbing the driving experience is bad, while most of the time english magazines call it "fun". Alain Prost seems to agree with the italians.
This is also the reason why nobody in Italy thinks of a Ford as an "handling benchmark", but just as a cheap and competent people mover (yes, in Italy Fords are usually cheaper than Fiats).
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
I would hardly call that a damning assessment of the Mini: if it breaks traction a bit more than the Fiat, well, that's just part of the fun
I've always thought this is the greatest difference between the italian and the english way of judging a car. For the italians handling is good if the car is quick and composed. Everything disturbing the driving experience is bad, while most of the time english magazines call it "fun". Alain Prost seems to agree with the italians.
This is also the reason why nobody in Italy thinks of a Ford as an "handling benchmark", but just as a cheap and competent people mover (yes, in Italy Fords are usually cheaper than Fiats).
Personally, I think the Japanese have got it about right: over there, drifting is bigger than F1. I've seen some absolutely crazy Japanese drifting videos, where the driver is actually looking diagonally backwards over his shoulder in the direction of travel.
Here's an example:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBSVqOc-CN4[/youtube]
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
Here it is again, but with subtitles for those of us who don't speak Japanese...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CK94zCXsKI&feature=related[/youtube]
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBSVqOc-CN4[/youtube]
Personally, I think the Japanese have got it about right: over there, drifting is bigger than F1. I've seen some absolutely crazy Japanese drifting videos, where the driver is actually looking diagonally backwards over his shoulder in the direction of travel.
What exactly is your point?
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
Personally, I think the Japanese have got it about right: over there, drifting is bigger than F1. I've seen some absolutely crazy Japanese drifting videos, where the driver is actually looking diagonally backwards over his shoulder in the direction of travel.
What exactly is your point?
My point is that different countries have different attitudes towards the loss of traction. Some view it as fun. Some view it as highly skilled. Some view it as being plain undesirable. It's why you shouldn't treat all road tests from all countries exactly the same.
Re: Fiat Punto Evo Abarth
It's funny how dynamics of cars are related to the country of each magazine because if you read a lot of magazines in different countries things are getting pretty confusing.
I have been to greece recently in which I have lived for many years and speak the language though I am not greek, and greek car magazines make for very interesting reading. The point of course is that since they don't have car industry you don't get that feel that they are biased in any way. Here are the conclusions of what they think are the dynamic benchmarks in every category:
mini: fiat 500
super mini: peugeot 207
small family car: Seat Leon
large family car: Mazda 6
small executive: BMW 3 series
executive: Mercedes E-class
small gti: Clio RS
big gti: Scirocco R
coupe: nissan 370z
mpv: ford s-max
suv: BMW X1
interesting huh?
