Fiat Abarth Punto

India's growing curiosity for performance cars is the most happening reason for the launch of international standard products, which literally go beyond the scope of mileage mentality of the ever growing society. The realization of this fact that paying for something would only bring the dream into reality has kick started the epic change in the Indian automobile market. Abarth Punto Evo is the perfect example of all the straight-line views for the same.

Getting few steps above the common and achieving maximum through minimum differences is the approach of the Fiat owned tuning brand, Abarth. The newcomer gets the proud tag of being a real hot hatch, not just visually delivering a wrong tag line like most of the Indian 'sports edition' cars. Abarth has worked really well in providing greatness to an equally capable car. When it was first unveiled on 4th August, many of the first sight lovers would have dropped their car buying plans for the same.

Exterior

The Abarth Punto Evo is based on the 2nd generation of Fiat Punto, which was launched in India few years back. The older design was quiet refreshed in the new generation Evo, on which Abarth further worked for a sportier appearance. The newcomer gets a red race stripe through the center of its body, finishing in the form of a virtual hood scoop on the front side. Overall body lines and curves remain the same as Fiat Punto Evo, with further additions of Scorpion badges around the body. The side view also gets the Abarth badged Red race stripes and the wing mirrors are also painted Red on the car. The most impressive feature from the side is its Scorpion design alloy wheels, differentiating and defining the real spirit of Abarth. In short, the base color gets a perfect blend of Red and Chrome around the required body parts.

Interior

The first surprise which the driver gets after opening the door is the missing Fiat logo on the wheel. Abarth Punto Evo gets the scorpion logo for replacement and shiny aluminum race pedals instead of the traditional black pedals. Rest everything looks and feels as a normal Punto Evo. Each and every detail on the dashboard remains same, perfectly blended in Black for a sportier feel. The seats get matching Red stitching and enhance the appeal of a real performance edition hatchback of India. The Vents and linings are chrome dipped for almost every part inside the car.

Instrument Console

The instrument console gets the Abarth badge in the center, above which lies the analogue temperature and fuel gauge. Below that lies the LCD display showing odometer, trip meter and clock. The twin pod cluster gets speedometer on the left and tachometer at the right. The LED warning lights are equally scattered in all the sections of the instrument console.

Engine & Gearbox

The real charm of Abarth comes to the heart of the Punto Evo. Under the hood, it carries a 4-cylinder, inline 1368 cc turbo petrol engine. The unit is tuned to produce a max of 145 HP @ 5500 rpm and 212 NM @ 2000-4000 rpm. The amount of power is not even generated by many of the premium offerings in the hatchback and sedan segment. The real effect of power can be imagined as a normal Punto generates 75 HP of power and its Sport edition took the same to 90 HP. The difference of 55 more HP can be understood from its 8.8 seconds of 0-100 kmph. This makes the Abarth Punto Evo a road oriented performance machine for sure.

Mileage

Despite of being a petrol car focused on performance, the Abarth Punto return a company claimed mileage of 16.3 kmpl. The figure in real life driving conditions would go close to 9-10 kmpl for the city and 12-13 kmpl for the highways. This much of compromise is a fair trade when a driver is considering a powerful car with enough weight that it can be seen as a tank on the road.

Brakes & Suspension

Another section which has been thoroughly revised is the braking and suspension of the Punto Evo. The rear has been given additional disc brakes on the Abarth Punto Evo, making it great in terms of braking power. The addition of ABS makes it the best ride when considered in terms of safety. The suspension has been again tuned for a sportier performance. 

It has been lowered by 20 mm for a better ride experience and it also improves the overall handling of the Abarth Punto Evo. The car gets independent coil springs with stabilizer bar for the front whereas the rear gets torsion beam with stabilizer bar. The car ride on 195/55-R16 wheels with excellent road grip. Being a front wheel drive, the Abarth Punto Evo purely burns the rubber at the front while ready for the take-off.

Comfort & Safety

Based on the top spec version of the Fiat Punto Evo, the Abarth version gets all the comforts of a regular commuter car. It gets excellent interior space and comes with automatic climate control, power steering, power windows, trip computer, rear defogger with washer and wiper. The safety on the car is enhanced by ABS and disc brake on each wheel. It gets fire prevention system, immobilizer and central door locking for a safe lifelong journey. The front airbags provide a better piece of mind, equipped with early crash sensors. The lower ground clearance than the original Punto Evo makes it more stable at high speeds.

Shades

The new Abarth Punto Evo gets an option between Hip Hop Black and Pearl White base shades with Red styling and graphics over its body. The combination of these shades with the metallic finished scorpion alloy wheel design makes it the perfect hatchback for the car lovers. The big scorpion logo on the roof makes it the best viewable object from some height.

Price

The Abarth Punto Evo is the second addition to Abarth India line-up. The car sounds more practical due to its ex-showroom price tag of INR 9,95,000. This makes it the most powerful car in its segment. As such there is no competition for the car but it is compared to the GT version of Volkswagen Polo and 1.5L variant of petrol Ford Figo.